How Maintenance Requests Work
Tenant Submission Flow
Tenants submit maintenance requests through their portal. They describe the issue, select a category and urgency level, and optionally attach photos. When a request is submitted, you receive an email notification with the request details and a link to view it in your portal.
Request Details
Each request includes:
- Title — a short summary of the issue (e.g., “Kitchen faucet leaking”)
- Description — a detailed explanation of the problem
- Category — Plumbing, Electrical, HVAC, Appliance, Structural, Pest Control, or Other
- Priority — Low, Normal, High, or Emergency
- Photos — optional images showing the issue
- Property and unit — automatically filled based on the tenant’s lease
Notification on New Request
When a tenant submits a new request, you receive an email notification immediately. The email includes the request title, priority level, property, and unit. Click the link in the email to go directly to the request in your portal.
Viewing Requests
Maintenance Request List
Go to Maintenance in the navigation to see all requests across your portfolio. The list shows each request’s title, property, unit, tenant, priority, status, and submission date.
Filtering by Status and Property
Use the filter controls to narrow the list:
- Status — Open, Acknowledged, In Progress, Scheduled, Completed, Closed, Cancelled
- Priority — Low, Normal, High, Emergency
- Property — show requests for a specific property
The stats bar at the top shows a summary: total open, in progress, emergency, and total active requests.
Request Detail View
Click on any request to see its full details: the tenant’s description, photos, all comments and status updates, and a timeline of activity. This is where you manage the request through its lifecycle.
Responding to Requests
Adding Comments
From the request detail view, type a comment in the text field and click Add Comment. Comments are visible to both you and the tenant, creating a documented conversation about the issue. Use comments to:
- Acknowledge receipt of the request
- Ask clarifying questions
- Provide status updates
- Coordinate scheduling for repairs
Updating Status
Change the request status to reflect its current state:
- Acknowledged — you have seen the request and are working on it
- In Progress — repair work has begun
- Scheduled — a specific date has been set for the repair
- Completed — the work is done
When you update the status, the tenant is notified by email so they can check the progress.
Communicating with the Tenant
Use the comment thread on the request for all maintenance-related communication. This keeps everything in one place — the tenant can see your updates and respond with additional information. Avoid using the general Messages feature for maintenance discussions; the request thread provides better context.
Managing Request Lifecycle
Status Workflow
A typical request moves through these statuses:
- Open — newly submitted by the tenant
- Acknowledged — you have reviewed and accepted the request
- In Progress — repair or remediation work has started
- Scheduled — (optional) a date is set for the work to be done
- Completed — the work is finished
- Closed — the tenant confirms the issue is resolved, or you close it after completion
Closing a Request
After completing the work, set the status to Completed. The tenant can verify that the issue is resolved. If they confirm, the request is closed. If the issue recurs, the tenant can add a new comment or you can reopen the request.
Reopening a Request
If a completed request’s issue returns, you can change the status back to In Progress or Open. This keeps the full history of the issue in one thread rather than creating a new request for the same problem.
Time Tracking
The system automatically records when each status change occurs, giving you a timeline of response and resolution times. Use this data to track your maintenance performance:
- Response time — how quickly you acknowledged the request
- Resolution time — how long from submission to completion
Maintenance History
Viewing Closed Requests
The Maintenance page shows both active and closed requests. Filter by status to see only completed or closed requests. This gives you a complete history of all maintenance work across your properties.
Per-Property Maintenance History
From the property dashboard, you can view all maintenance requests for that property — both current and historical. This helps you identify recurring issues with a specific property or unit (e.g., repeated plumbing problems that might indicate a larger infrastructure issue).
Cost Tracking Considerations
While the platform tracks the maintenance workflow (request, response, resolution), it does not currently track repair costs as part of the maintenance request. To track costs, record them as charges in the Transactions section and reference the maintenance request in the charge description. This links the financial record to the maintenance event.