CPI FAQs

Can I add more than one Consumer Price Index (CPI) table in eSite?

Yes. Multiple tables are supported. You can create separate tables for categories such as nation, state, city, or other categories specified in the tenant's lease agreement.

Do I have to enter every month in the year for the Start Date in the CPI Table, or just the months that I have linked to my tenants I am running the CPI Calculations for?

You can enter all months for the year, but you only have to enter the dates that will be used in the CPI Calculations.

Do I have to manually update the CPI Base Period after the CPI Calculations have been run?

No. If you select the Update Base Values option in the Tenant CPI Setup to any frequency besides the Never option, the system automatically increases the CPI Base Period to the CPI Period for which the CPI Calculations were just run. The system also updates the Base Annual Amount to the Base Income Codes new annual recurring charges amount.

I don’t want my CPI Base Period to update for a tenant. Does it always update?

No. If you do not want it to update, set the Update Base Values option in the Tenant CPI Setup to Never. The CPI Base Period and the Annual Base Value will not update after the CPI Calculations are processed.

Can the resident’s Code to Increase income code be the same as the Base Income Code?

Yes. If you select the same Code to Increase as the Base Income Code, the system will expire the old Base Income Code recurring charges and add a new Base Income Code recurring charge with the new CPI increase. If you use a different Code to Increase than the Base Income Code, then the system will leave the Base Income Code recurring charges as is, and add a new recurring charge with the Code to Increase income code and the CPI increase amount.

How can I determine a tenant’s Anniversary Date?

The Anniversary date is calculated as follows:

The software checks the tenant for a Date of Last Calc on the CPI Increases Details tab. If no Date of Last Calc exists, the software uses this Starting Date on the CPI Increases Setup tab. This date is used in conjunction with the Frequency on the CPI Increases Setup tab to determine the anniversary date. For example, if a tenant has a Date of Last Calc or Starting Date of 01/01/2004 and a frequency of Annual, the anniversary date will be 01/01/2005.

What if my tenant is not printing on the CPI Calculations report as expected?

Check the From and Thru date range used to calculate CPI escalations. Tenants whose anniversary date falls between the From and Thru dates are included in the calculations. When processing CPI calculations, the software uses an anniversary date. When generating CPI escalation statements, the software compares the anniversary date to the date range entered here. If the anniversary date falls within this range, the tenant payment amount is adjusted and the Date of Last Calc field is updated. This enables the CPI escalation function to adjust only the tenants that require a CPI change.

We are new to eSite, but have been running CPI Calculations for our tenants. How do I set the correct Anniversary Date so they are processed correctly?

If you are setting up existing tenants for which CPI Calculations have already been run, you must manually enter the Date of Last Calc so the anniversary date will be set correctly.

I am running CPI Calculations three months after the tenant’s increase should have gone into affect. Can I recoup the past three month charges difference?

Because the CPI values for a particular time period are normally not available until after the tenant's anniversary period, increases may be calculated retroactively. This retroactive amount may be billed to a tenant using the income code defined in the Tenant Profile. Select the Retroactive check box (default) to create tenant billings for the months which have passed since the increase was scheduled to begin. This is to accommodate the time lag in receiving the latest published index rate.

Can I print a CPI Statement to give to my tenants?

Select the Print CPI Statement check box (default) to print CPI statements after the CPI Calculation Report is printed. You can create a customized CPI statement to print during the CPI Calculation process. For more information about Letters, refer to the eSite Help.