General Concepts
My project is a small file-based project designed to keep track of income and expenses for a condo. The parents of a student (let’s call the student “StudentA”) purchased a condo for their child who is enrolled at a school. StudentA is allowed to select roommates (aka, “renters”) who will share the expenses of the condo. My software should accept any reasonable number of students to add to the roommates file. Because students can leave (i.e., graduate, transfer, flunk out, etc.), I have to be able to edit the students’ file information.
StudentA is responsible for collecting rent and prorata utilities from each roommate. The costs associated with the water, gas, electric, cable, and any repairs that must be made are shared equally by the renters. (There is no phone service, as students are expected to have their own cell phones.) Each renter must also pay a security deposit that is determined by the parents. The deposit may be returned when the renter leaves, based upon StudentA’s assessment of any damage/wear-and-tear/cleaning costs that might be shared by the renter.
StudentA has agreed to send the parents a monthly report that shows the income and expenses associated with the last month’s operation. The parents will use this report to decide if rents need to be adjusted in light of the parent’s costs of owning the condo (e.g., insurance, property taxes, interest and similar expenses) as well as filing their federal income taxes (since they will treat this as an investment).
Program Design
I have to use a Multiple Document Interface (MDI) design for the project. This uses a menuing system where frmMain becomes the starting point for running the program. Menus will be used to select each function (e.g., add a new renter, edit a renter’s data, pay a bill, collect a renter’s share of a bill, income-expense report, etc.).
Files
At a minimum, I will need to manage the following files:
1. Renter File: This file keeps track of the renter information and must include the renter’s name, parent’s name, address, and home phone number, cell phone, SSN, Purdue ID #, bank account #, email address, emergency contact phone number.
2. Utility File. This file records the name and addresses of the utility companies. This file could be used to look up where bills are to be mailed or to call if there are questions about service. This file should store company name, mailing address, phone number, and account number.
3. Payments File. This file records the payments StudentA makes. This file should record the date of the payment, the amount, who the payment was made to, plus a memo field that allows for a comment stating what the payment is for (e.g., “electric”, “water“, “repaired hot water heater”, etc.)
4. Income File. This records the receipts made by each renter to StudentA. This file should record the date of the payment, the amount, and who made the payment, plus a memo field that allows for a comment stating what the payment is for (e.g., “monthly rent and utilities”, “replaced broken lamp”, etc.)
Clearly, each of these files will need a program form that allows the user to make entries into each file. Also, most will need to allow for editing information.
Reports
The program should provide for at least the following reports:
1. Monthly Income. Show all the receipts for the month.
2. Monthly Expense. Show all the expenses paid for a month.
3. Income statement: Shows the income less expenses. This should provide for monthly statements or “running totals” (e.g., for the period from Jan through March, or year-to-date).
4. Display renter information.
5. Monthly bill. This is the monthly bill given to each renter. It is the prorate share of the utilities plus the rent. It should allow the user to add “unusual” expenses, like a renter who broke a lamp and must pay to replace it.
These reports should also be printable, if I figure that out!
