Most owners only think about financial reporting when something feels wrong. The rent didn't land on the expected day. An expense looks unfamiliar. The year-end summary doesn't reconcile with the monthly statements. So rather than describe our reporting in the abstract, here is the actual shape of what you receive every month, followed by what each part means and the regulated framework that sits behind it.
Start Here
Your monthly statement, at a glance
This is the spine of what lands in your inbox and your owner portal each month. The numbers are illustrative; the structure is real.
Monthly Owner Statement
The live statement carries more than this snapshot shows: supporting invoices for each expense, a prior balance carried forward, year-to-date totals, and any notes on items needing your attention. The point of the layout is that you can read it top to bottom and know where every dollar went without making a phone call.
Different commission rates, fees, and services may be offered by other RE/MAX franchisees and sales associates serving this market area. Commissions are negotiable and not set by law.
Line by Line
What each part of the statement means
Property and period
The property address, the reporting period, and the owner of record, stated plainly at the top. It should be unambiguous which property and which month the statement covers.
Income received
Rent collected during the period, with the date received. Late fees, partial payments, or other income items are listed separately and labelled. Anything expected but not yet received is noted as outstanding rather than quietly omitted.
Expenses paid
Every expense charged against the property, with the date, vendor, description, and amount, and the supporting invoice attached in the portal. Expenses are categorized so you can see at a glance where the money went: maintenance, repairs, utilities, strata fees, management fee, leasing fee if applicable.
Management fees and charges
The management fee for the period, calculated as specified in your agreement. Any other fees authorized under the agreement are itemized separately, never buried under a vague "miscellaneous" line.
Net disbursement
The amount paid out to you for the period, with the transfer date. This is the number most owners read first, and it should follow transparently from the income, expenses, and fees above it.
A good statement ends with a short list of items needing your attention: an upcoming lease renewal, a repair above the standing authorization, a strata letter to respond to. A statement that ends with "nothing requires your attention" is doing its job, not padding.
Always On
What lives in your owner portal
The monthly statement is a static snapshot, published to your portal as a document each month. Alongside it, the portal gives you a live reference layer you can open any time, from any device. Here is what that includes, and these are features of the platform we actually run, not a wish list.
The distinction matters: the monthly statement is the static record of a closed period, and the ledger and reports are the live layer you can check between statements. Together they remove the "I have no idea what's happening with my property" experience that owners often have under less rigorous management.
The Framework
How your money is held under BC law
The reason this reporting can be trusted is that the money behind it is held under a regulated framework, not an honour system. The Real Estate Services Act and the Real Estate Services Rules govern how a licensed brokerage handles client funds in BC.
Trust accounts at BC savings institutions
Under Section 26 of the Real Estate Services Act, a brokerage must maintain one or more interest-bearing trust accounts at savings institutions in British Columbia, designated as trust accounts in both the brokerage's records and the institution's records. Your rent is never deposited into the brokerage's operating account. It goes into a regulated trust account, held on your behalf until it is disbursed to you or paid out for legitimate property expenses.
Separation by principal
The Rules require a separate trust ledger for each principal, meaning each owner whose property is managed. Your funds are tracked individually, so a statement showing exactly what is held on your behalf can be produced at any time.
Monthly reconciliation
Trust accounts must be reconciled to the savings institution's records every month, with the reconciliation documented. This is a Rules-mandated requirement, not a discretionary best practice, and the managing broker is accountable for it.
Interest on trust funds
Under Section 29 of the Real Estate Services Act, interest earned on pooled trust accounts is paid to the Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia, which funds public real estate education and research. This is set by legislation. The exception is security and pet damage deposits held under the Residential Tenancy Act, where interest accrues to the tenant at the rate set by regulation.
Annual oversight
Brokerages must produce annual financial statements and an accountant's report covering their trust accounts. BCFSA can review brokerage accounts and records at any time. The system is built so that misconduct, when it occurs, is detected through this oversight.
Before You Choose
What to ask any property manager about reporting
If you're comparing managers, these questions cut through the marketing and tell you what your actual monthly experience will be.
- "Can I see a sample owner statement?" A manager that can't quickly produce a clear one is showing you what your statements will look like.
- "What platform do you use, and do I get direct portal access?" A modern platform with an owner portal is the baseline. Statements built by hand in a spreadsheet, with no portal, are a red flag for operational discipline.
- "How are fees shown on the statement?" Every fee should be itemized and named, never grouped under "miscellaneous" or "service charges."
- "How fast are receipts available after an expense is paid?" The answer should be days, not weeks.
- "What does the year-end summary include?" It should categorize income and expenses so the totals drop cleanly into tax preparation.
- "What happens when I don't understand something on a statement?" The answer should be a named contact, a response within one business day, and supporting documents provided without friction.
Scope
What we don't do
- We do not provide accounting or tax preparation. The year-end summary supports your accountant's work; the return itself belongs with a qualified accountant.
- We do not provide tax advice. Including on rental income reporting, capital cost allowance, non-resident withholding, or the underused housing tax. A CPA who works with real estate is the right professional for those.
- We do not advise on ownership structure. Whether to incorporate, transfer to a holding company, or restructure ownership are legal and tax decisions that require qualified counsel.
- We do not pay non-rental expenses from your trust funds. Trust funds are disbursed only for property-related purposes authorized under your agreement and BC law. That constraint exists to protect you.