This role is to oversee all actions related to property accounting, technical accounting and commercial finance. Commercial Property/ Family office exposure is a massive benefit and although this is initially a 12 month contract the business are acquiring assets on a quarterly basis so there is a scope for a longer term project too.
Role Overview
The Property Accountant will provide maternity leave cover, working closely with the Property and Finance team, and wider business to deliver accurate financial reporting, budgeting, compliance, and analysis across the UK and global property portfolio.
Key Responsibilities
- Oversee UK property accounting and operations, including bookkeeping, loading payments, preparation of property management accounts, posting journals, calculating accruals and prepayments, balance sheet reconciliations and detailed P&L analysis.
- Prepare group quarterly and year end financial statements and management reporting, including detailed variance analysis and presentation of financial performance to senior management and the Board.
- Liaise with property managers, reconcile quarterly property statements, and review and analyse agent statements and third party data.
Review and recommend invoices for online payments, supporting payments and cash management processes.
- Support financial planning, forecasting, and performance monitoring, including assisting with the preparation of the annual property budget and providing clear commentary on budget and forecast variances.
- Ensure tax and regulatory compliance, including corporation tax, VAT filings, CIS returns (where applicable), QIP calculation preparation and capital allowances requirements.
- Act as a key contact for external auditors, preparing audit schedules, responding to audit queries, and supporting US and other overseas reporting requirements.
- Collate and prepare global property portfolio reporting in collaboration with the real estate team.
- Respond to ad hoc management and stakeholder information requests and support special projects as required.
- Review and supervise the work of the accountant and bookkeeper
Qualifications
- Fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, or CIMA).
- Strong technical accounting knowledge with experience applying UK GAAP and/or IFRS.
Essential
- Proven experience in property or real estate sector within the UK.
- End‑to‑end responsibility for management accounts, budgets, forecasts, and cash flow reporting.
- Experience preparing group quarterly and year‑end financial statements.
- Strong variance analysis experience with the ability to explain performance to senior stakeholders or the Board.
- Experience liaising with property managers and reconciling rental and service charge statements.
- Demonstrable experience managing VAT and corporation tax compliance.
- Experience supporting external audits.
- Experience with multi‑entity property structures and SPVs.
- Exposure to global property portfolio reporting.
- Experience with CIS returns.
- Strong technical accounting and financial skills.
- Advanced Excel capability (incl vlook-ups and pivot tables).
- Confident communicator with the ability to explain financial information to non‑finance stakeholders.
- Strong organisational skills and ability to manage multiple deadlines.
- Commercially minded, proactive, and solutions‑focused.
- High attention to detail with a strong control mindset.
- Collaborative and professional approach, with the ability to work autonomously.
