Accounts Tab - Liability

The Liability section allows the organization to define the responsible parties and the extent of their responsibility for liabilities on the account.

The Liability Lies With field indicates whether liability for account balances lies with the customer, the property, or is mixed (in the event of multiple services with different liability tracking rules). The default selection is Customer. If the selection is Mixed, the Property Liabilities section is displayed.

If Customer is the Liability Lies With value, all of the other liability fields are disabled. This setting assumes that the utility is tracking the customer in detail and that no generic customer is used. An organization that tracks liability on the customer is most likely using the Move In/Move Out process to track changes in account ownership.

If Property is the Liability Lies With value, the remaining liability controls display. An organization that tracks liability on the property most likely does not use the Move In/Move Out process to track changes in account ownership.

  1. Enter the name used for the Generic Customer (e.g., Occupant), if your organization will use a generic customer. Based on the value entered, the Central Name control grid will display a list of options; select the correct name, if applicable, that should be used.
  2. The Default Generic Customer check box is enabled only if a value is provided in the Generic Customer control. If it is enabled and selected, the generic customer will be used as the default customer for new and move in transactions.
  3. If the Show Prior Balance on Statements check box is selected, any prior balance on the account will print on the bill.
  4. If the Show Prior Balance on Statements check box is selected, the Prior Balance Message field is enabled. The utility can enter up to a 64-character message that explains the balance.

If Mixed is the Liability Lies With value, some liability is tracked on the customer, and some liability is tracked on the property. To facilitate this, an additional section, Property Liabilities, displays. An organization that tracks liability on the customer must use the Move In/Move Out process to track changes in account ownership.

  1. Select all charge categories that base liability on the property.
  2. If the Show Prior Balance on Statements check box is selected, any prior balance on the account will print on the bill.
  3. If the Show Prior Balance on Statements check box is selected, the Prior Balance Message control is enabled. The utility can enter up to a 64-character message that explains the balance.