Property Services Assistant

Responsibilities

• Assists in the preparation of legal documents pertaining to a variety of land transactions, such as right-of-way agreements, transfers, leases, assignments and releases and forwards documents for execution and registration involving:
  • accessing Land Title records on BC Online to research title status including determining charges on properties and interests registered, retrieving relevant information from certificate of title and company searches, and accessing B.C. Assessment Authority records to obtain relevant information​;
  • preparing legal documents as instructed including typing clauses from handwritten drafts or composing clauses for non-standard documents;
  • researching property files to extract relevant information and requesting a variety of data such as legal plans, engineering drawings, tax and utilities information from the appropriate sources including government agencies, agents, FortisBC personnel, and real estate companies and legal firms;
  • submitting documents for review, making changes as directed and routing appropriate documents for approval and execution;
  • checking executed documents for completion and forwarding for registration according to the requirements of the Land Title Office;
  • advising FortisBC personnel and landowners and their representatives of FortisBC's interests/ rights/ obligations affecting use or disposition of properties, obtaining their technical, operational and other concerns, and discussing general conditions pertaining to the acceptance or rejection of proposals;
  • preparing the necessary letters and statutory declarations to debenture holders and facilitating execution of subdivision plans and release documents after receiving in-house clearance;
  • discussing and/or revising terms and conditions of right-of-way or lease agreements with landowners, landlords and/or their solicitors within established parameters;
  • notifying property owners or their representatives of registration details; arranging disbursement of funds and ensuring that the details of all interests acquired or released are entered appropriately in lands record system.​
• Composes a variety of correspondence pertaining to property matters.
• Performs a variety of clerical duties which may include:
  • opening files;
  • gathering a variety of information relating to property transactions, as requested by staff members which involves researching files and records and documenting or reporting findings;
  • laying out and typing from handwritten notes and/or departmental precedents a variety of correspondence;
  • accessing a variety of computer information;
  • preparing line lists;
  • preparing and handling incoming and outgoing mail;
  • responding to enquiries or referring calls to appropriate personnel;
  • requisitioning cheques for completion of transactions;
  • maintaining file information on computerized databases;
  • arranging meetings, appointments, travel and accommodation;
  • arranging for courier services.
• Providing backup for Permit Rep.
• Performs duties of a minor nature related to the above duties which do not affect the rating of the job.

Requirements

• Completion of Certificate from an accredited post-secondary institution in Legal Secretarial program, or related land program which includes basic Conveyancing and Legal Documents.
• Twelve (12) months of recent and relevant experience in conveyancing.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Effective interpersonal skills to respond to customer and internal inquiries.
• Sound analytical, organizational skills including a high level of attention to detail, fast, accurate word-processing skills as required to prepare and compose a variety of external and internal correspondence, and complicated reports, forms and/or charts.
• Basic knowledge of computer systems operations, environment and peripherals.  Sound working knowledge and proficiency in MS Excel, and MS Word.
• Good knowledge of office procedures including filing systems, mail and communication systems and office equipment, and ability to organize work effectively.​