About this role
Position Summary
The Real Estate Accountant is responsible for the accounting, financial administration, and portfolio coordination of the organization’s real estate investments and related legal entities.
Key Responsibilities
1. Property Accounting and Financial Close
• Maintain complete and accurate accounting records for each property and related legal entity.
• Prepare monthly property-level and entity-level financial statements and supporting schedules.
• Record rental and other property income, operating expenses, capital expenditures, debt activity, and owner or intercompany
transactions.
• Reconcile bank accounts, loans, escrow balances, security deposits, intercompany accounts, and other balance-sheet
accounts.
• Review unusual transactions, aging items, and balance-sheet variances and resolve or escalate them promptly.
• Maintain clear audit trails and organized support for material transactions and closing entries.
2. Portfolio Administration
• Maintain a centralized portfolio schedule covering properties, related entities, ownership information, debt, insurance, taxes,
leases, permits, and recurring obligations.
• Maintain organized records for acquisitions, financing, insurance, tax filings, leases, vendor contracts, and major property
expenditures.
• Track renewal dates, filing requirements, loan maturities, payment deadlines, and other portfolio milestones.
• Follow up with property managers and external parties for statements, invoices, notices, agreements, and missing
documentation.
• Maintain a reliable document repository and ensure key portfolio information remains current and accessible.
3. Real Estate Acquisition Leadership
• Lead the finance and administrative workstream for each real estate acquisition approved by the CEO or CFO, from initial due
diligence through closing and post-close setup.
• Develop and maintain the acquisition checklist, document repository, responsible owners, due dates, open conditions, and
approval status.
• Coordinate financial due diligence, validate transaction information, and identify missing documents, risks, or unresolved
financial matters.
• Work directly with brokers, escrow and title providers, insurers, legal and tax advisers, inspectors, property managers, sellers,
and other transaction parties.
• Prepare regular status updates for the CFO and Finance Controller and escalate material risks, delays, funding issues, or
approval requirements.
• Review settlement and closing statements and confirm that deposits, purchase price, financing proceeds, closing costs, and
other amounts are accurately documented and recorded.
• Complete post-close accounting and administrative setup, including opening balances, property and entity records, loan
schedules, insurance, taxes, vendors, and recurring payment obligations.
4. Financing and Loan Coordination
• Work closely with the Treasury Officer to coordinate loan applications, lender requests, financing conditions, funding
schedules, and closing requirements.
• Maintain the lender-request list and track outstanding documents, conditions, approvals, and deadlines through completion.
• Coordinate required banking information, deposits, equity contributions, wire instructions, and closing funding with the
appropriate authorized parties.
• Maintain debt schedules showing principal balances, interest rates, payment terms, maturity dates, covenants, and reserve
requirements.
• Reconcile lender statements and escrow activity and flag upcoming maturities, rate changes, covenant issues, or
documentation requirements.
5. Financial Package and Investment Support
• Consolidate the financial package required for acquisition and financing decisions, including historical financial information
and forward-looking projections.
• Work with the Finance Controller to obtain accurate historical financial statements, accounting schedules, reconciliations, and
source data.
• Work with the Financial Planning & Compliance Officer to prepare budgets, forecasts, pro forma cash flows, sensitivity
analyses, and other forward-looking information.
• Compile sources-and-uses schedules, debt-service information, capital requirements, and other lender or investment
materials.
• Ensure that assumptions, versions, supporting schedules, and approvals are clearly documented and internally consistent.
• Provide financial information for refinancing, dispositions, valuations, and other portfolio decisions.
6. Cash Flow, Debt, and Capital Expenditures
• Prepare property cash-flow forecasts and monitor funding needs for operations, debt service, taxes, insurance, and planned
capital expenditures.
• Track capital projects and major repairs against approved budgets and supporting commitments.
• Monitor property cash balances, upcoming obligations, and potential funding shortfalls.
• Coordinate with the Treasury Officer and Finance Controller on property funding, transfers, and debt-service requirements.
• Identify material variances or emerging cash risks and report them to the CFO.
7. Tax, Insurance, and Compliance Coordination
• Coordinate information required for property tax, income tax, entity, licensing, insurance, and other recurring requirements.
• Monitor property tax bills, insurance premiums, renewals, notices, lender evidence-of-coverage requirements, and filing
deadlines.
• Provide complete and reconciled schedules and documents to external accountants, tax advisers, lenders, insurers, and other
professional advisers.
• Escalate potential late filings, missed payments, lapses in coverage, covenant issues, or other financial and compliance risks.
• Maintain evidence of completed requirements and organized supporting documentation.
8. Management Reporting, Controls, and Process Improvement
• Prepare a recurring portfolio report covering financial performance, cash, debt, capital expenditures, open items, and
upcoming obligations.
• Analyze actual results against budgets, forecasts, or prior periods and explain material variances.
• Establish consistent accounting, reconciliation, documentation, and reporting procedures across property entities.
• Strengthen controls over payments, supporting documents, entity coding, intercompany activity, and access to property
records.
• Develop standardized templates, dashboards, schedules, and practical automation to improve accuracy and efficiency.
• Document improved processes and maintain appropriate procedures as the portfolio grows.
Required
• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Management Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field.
• At least four years of accounting experience, including real estate, property, multi-entity, or similarly complex accounting
experience.
• Experience preparing financial statements, account reconciliations, debt schedules, and supporting financial packages.
• Working knowledge of property income, operating expenses, capital expenditures, loans, escrow, and intercompany
accounting.
• Strong Microsoft Excel and/or Google Sheets skills and experience using accounting systems.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate multi-party projects, manage documents, and track multiple deadlines through completion.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Excellent attention to detail, sound judgment, confidentiality, and the ability to work independently.