Trace was formed in 1974 to provide systems for property and service charge management, something that remains our sole focus today. We are now the only significant supplier of block management systems that is UK owned.
Trace is a fiercely independent, employee owned company, with very low staff ‘churn’. We recruit staff primarily from the property and service charge management industry, in order to maintain our high levels of expertise. This will quickly become apparent if you contact our helpdesk: it is staffed by product and industry experts, not IT helpdesk staff. Our systems are used by many of the largest UK agents in the industry as well as a wide range of smaller organisations.
Designed for: Managing Agents
Used for: Block Management / Block Accounting / Inspections / Repairs
Areas covered: England / Wales / Scotland / Northern Ireland / Ireland
Blocks: 8750
Units: 400000
Overview
TRAMPS is a full block management system that enables the calculation and management of service charge budgets and easy allocation of any costs incurred to the appropriate tenant. The system will perform the calculation of budgets and issue estimate documentation to tenants and end of year reconciliation documentation and invoicing and subsequent aged debt management.
The system will manage any ad-hoc costs that need to be passed onto tenants as well as planned maintenance, reactive maintenance, requesting quotations from contractors and issuing works orders plus the monitoring of open jobs to ensure a timely conclusion. The system contains a full double entry accounting system based around a general ledger for complete management and can also manage Section 20 process requirements.
Key Features & Benefits
✅ Full general ledger accounting with specialist property features.
✅ Highly configurable workspaces that allows each user to manage their own work and processes without unnecessary clutter.
✅ An out-of-the-box ‘package’ approach ensures minimal set-up costs and configuration.
✅ This package approach makes upgrades easy and means routine updates and new features are shared by all customers.
✅ ‘Management-by-exception’ tools allow risk-free automation of aged debt, VAT, Making Tax Digital, Section 20, CIS and more.
✅ Designed for the British and Irish property market with a significant user base of the major managing agents.
✅ UK-based helpdesk, staffed by property specialists rather than IT staff.
✅ Unique cloud-based web apps which allow untrained users to perform data management tasks, approvals and bespoke reporting.
Visibility
What type of client reports are available?
The system is supplied with about 200 standard reports and it is easy to write reports without incurring cost, simply by contacting the Trace helpdesk.
What information can directors see?
Directors can access all information or be provided with a cut down or summarised view as required. The system will also issue scheduled reports so that any party can receive reports by e-mail without the need to log in.
What information can residents see?
A resident portal is available enabling residents to log maintenance jobs, see outstanding maintenance work and see their account balance.
Functionality
Accounting & Finance Functions
The system includes a full double entry accounting system. All ledgers are updated in real time. All of the transaction-generating processes, and accounting batch entries are performed within the fully integrated accounting. Debt management processes can be automated for efficiency and the system will provide alerts and warnings in relation to debt management. The system includes as standard about 200 reports which will provide full reporting around your financial ledgers, the general ledger, POs, cashbook, etc, in addition to providing the easy ability to write reports.
Does the software manage service charge demands?
Yes and this can be automated to be as hands-off as desired. However, draft runs are also available in advance of final runs, to ensure accuracy.
Insurance & Valuations Functions
Yes, insurance and valuation information can be stored.
Maintenance Functions
TRAMPS is supplied with an asset register and planned and reactive maintenance. SLAs can be set for certain job types and for certain suppliers, preferred contractors can be set, quote requests and work orders can be issued and all jobs can be monitored to conclusion.
What time-saving automations are available for Property Managers or RMC Directors?
Trace has always focussed on both automation and enabling screens and processes to be configured. This means that any fields or information that is not required can be hidden; any new data being entered can go through an approval process to ensure accuracy; and functions such as the draft demand process can be automated so that the system drives the users. Reports can also be automated so that staff do not have to be proactive and so that any alerts or warnings are delivered directly to users.
Can site inspections be completed using the software?
Yes.
Modular
Are there core and additional modules with add-ons?
There are , although we should stress that we do not break the system into lots of extra-cost modules (as this puts the price up) and we would expect that all of the functionality you require will be delivered with the core system.
Is the software RICS / ARMA Compliant?
Yes.
Pricing
How does the pricing work?
We price per user.
Integration
What other software can be integrated with yours?
Third party accounting systems, valuation systems, document management and mapping systems, and more.
Accessibility
Is there a mobile app or leaseholder portal?
There is a leaseholder portal.
Can residents report repairs and faults?
Yes, via the portal.
New Clients
How is data migrated from an existing provider?
We provide data upload templates, training and ongoing help.
What support and training is available?
Full implementation support and assistance is provided with user training and full support is provided by our dedicated UK helpdesk or via our portal that provides self-help features.
Mojo
In 2018 we added Mojo to all our property management software. Mojo is an eco-system of small, smart web apps that give ordinary users extraordinary access to our big, enterprise level property management systems. We’re releasing new Mojo apps all the time. Using the latest internet technologies and an iterative development process, Cloud-based Mojo is the very essence of digital transformation – a toolkit you can use to engage users and modernise your business. Each Mojo app addresses a single process, so we can optimise how that process works. In this way Mojo revolutionises the processes of property management. Our goal is to make each process faster, simpler and better for the end user. We want people to enjoy using Mojo apps – to prefer them over any other way of doing the task, whether that be paper and pencil, spreadsheet, or the desktop system.
Here are just some of the benefits of Mojo:
- Accurate, approved data
- The confidence to automate
- Interactive real time reports & enquiries
- Simplified forms, with no unnecessary fields
- Comprehensive audit trails, with notes & supporting evidence
- Automatically puts the right app in front of the right person at the right time
- Allows the person closest to the data to actually enter the data
- Allows suppliers, tenants, clients & investors to self serve
TRAMPS is a solid property management finance tool: it’s reliable, well thought out and particularly flexible. We have over 250 finance, property and facility managers using it on daily basis. With the increasing importance of data in property management, the ease with which the data can be accessed and analysed is a priority for BNPPRE. Reporting is well designed, and regularly updated – client statements, P&L’s, tenancy schedules and arrears reports are some of the easiest to use in the industry. The software is also regularly enhanced, and Trace frequently ask for input and feedback to allow us to help shape the product. The team at Trace are always quick to answer our queries and find solutions; whether it’s helpdesk queries or more complex technical questions, they’ll always help to find solutions.
Abdo Abdorab, Associate Director – BNP Paribas Real Estate
Get in touch with the team at Trace Solutions
