Handling work orders from property managers and landlords

Three parties, one job

When a homeowner calls, the person with the problem, the person who decides and the person who pays are the same. Rental work splits them. The tenant lives with the leak, the property manager authorizes the repair, and the owner ultimately pays, through the manager. Each has different information and different priorities.

Most rental work orders that go wrong do so for one of four reasons: the tech can't get in, the repair exceeds what was approved, nobody can agree whether the tenant caused the damage, or the invoice goes to the wrong party. All four can be prevented at intake.

A large share of homes are rented

The US homeownership rate was 65.5% in the third quarter of 2026^[2], which leaves roughly a third of occupied homes rented. Many are managed by companies that send steady repair work to vendors they trust. The rental vacancy rate was 7.6%, against 1.2% for owner-occupied homes^[2], and vacant units bring make-ready work between tenants, often on tight deadlines.

Property managers choose vendors who make their lives simpler: clear communication with tenants, photos, fast approvals and invoices that match the work order. That is what this intake process delivers.

Intake fields for a rental work order

Tenant contact and notice

Tenants have rights about entry, and the rules depend on the state and the lease. The property manager, not the contractor, is responsible for giving the tenant proper notice. Your job is to confirm it has happened and to make the visit easy.

• Ask the manager whether the tenant has been notified and of what window.
• Contact the tenant directly to confirm the window, using a text first. Only 19% of US adults say they generally answer calls from unknown numbers^[3], so a call from your number with no warning often goes unanswered.
• Send the tenant the same reminders a homeowner would get, with your company name first.
• Record the tenant's preferred language and send messages in it.
• If the tenant can't be reached, tell the manager the same day rather than sending a tech on a guess.

Access and occupied versus vacant homes

• Occupied homes: confirm whether the tenant will be present. If not, the manager must authorize entry and arrange keys or a lockbox, and you record that authorization.
• Vacant homes: get the lockbox code or key pickup, utility status and any alarm codes from the manager. Check that water, gas and power are on if the job needs them.
• Never keep tenant keys longer than the visit, and log every key collected and returned.
• If the tech arrives and the tenant refuses entry, the tech leaves politely, photographs the door with a timestamp and calls the office, which tells the manager.

Approval limits

1. 01

   Ask for the limit on every work order

   Many managers set a standard amount below which vendors can proceed. Record it on the job.

2. 02

   Diagnose and quote before exceeding it

   If the repair will cost more, the tech pauses and sends the diagnosis, photos and options to the office.

3. 03

   Contact the manager, not the tenant

   The office calls or messages the manager for approval. The tenant can be told a decision is pending.

4. 04

   Record the approval

   Who approved, the new amount and the time, with the manager's written confirmation.

5. 05

   Make safe while waiting

   If the job can't wait, such as an active leak, do only what is needed to make it safe and say so clearly in your notes.

Photos protect everyone

Tenants, managers and owners often disagree about what happened. Photos settle most of those disputes before they start. Nearly every tenant can send photos: 91% of US adults own a smartphone^[4], so ask for a picture of the problem at intake. It helps the tech bring the right parts.

• Before: the problem, the area around it and any existing damage.
• During: anything hidden that changes the job, such as rotten subfloor under a leaking toilet.
• After: the finished work and the clean work area.
• Cause: evidence of tenant damage or misuse, described neutrally, for the manager to judge.

Attach photos to the work order and the invoice.

Make-ready work in vacant units

Turnover work between tenants is a steady source of jobs, and it runs on the manager's deadline: every empty day costs the owner rent. Make it easy for managers to send it to you.

• Ask for the move-in date at intake, and plan the trades in order, such as electrical and plumbing repairs before cleaning.
• Confirm utilities are on and the lockbox code works the day before, not when the tech arrives.
• Bundle small items into one visit where the manager allows it: smoke alarm checks, filter changes, outlet covers, door adjustments.
• Send a short completion report with photos of each room you worked in, so the manager can approve without driving out.
• Flag anything that could delay move-in, such as a failed water heater, the same day you find it.

Managers who can rely on you for make-ready work tend to send you their tenant repair calls as well.

Who pays when damage looks tenant-caused

Technicians often see signs that a tenant caused a problem: a clogged drain full of grease, a door kicked off its track, a thermostat set to an extreme. It is not the tech's place to decide who pays. Record what you saw, photograph it, and describe it in neutral words. The manager decides whether to charge the tenant. Your invoice still goes to the manager, as agreed.

Lead-safe work in older rentals

Much rental stock is old. Under the EPA's Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule, anyone paid to disturb painted surfaces in homes built before 1978 must be certified, and their workers trained in lead-safe practices^[1]. That can include cutting into walls for wiring, replacing windows or doors, or removing trim to fix a leak. Ask the year built at intake, flag older homes, and make sure jobs that disturb paint go to certified crews.

What to say to the tenant

• "Hi, this is Sam from COMPANY. Your property manager asked us to look at the kitchen sink leak. Can we come Tuesday between 9 and 11?"
• "Will you be home, or should we arrange access with your manager?"
• "Could you text a photo of the leak to this number? It helps our tech bring the right parts."
• If they ask for more work: "I'll pass that to your manager; they need to approve anything beyond this repair."
• If they ask about cost: "The repair is billed to your property manager under their work order."

Example: a leak with two owners

Example: a fictional plumbing and HVAC company receives a work order from a property manager for a slow leak under a bathroom sink in an occupied duplex, with an approval limit on the order. The tenant texts a photo at intake, so the tech brings the right trap and supply lines. On site, he finds water damage to the cabinet floor that predates the leak. He photographs it, completes the approved repair and sends the manager a separate quote for the cabinet. The manager approves it the next day and asks for the invoice to show both items separately for the owner's statement.

Building a property manager account

1. Set up a profile for each manager with their standard approval limit, invoice method and contact list.
2. Agree how work orders arrive and how you confirm them.
3. Agree your no-access and short-notice cancellation terms in writing, in line with your reschedule policy.
4. Agree response times for urgent work, and keep capacity for them; see what to say when the schedule is full.
5. Review the account quarterly: jobs, approval delays, disputes and payment times.

Rental calls share many fields with commercial service call intake. Tenants often call after hours, so decide how those calls are handled; our comparison of an AI phone agent and a live answering service and our guide to AI receptionists cover the options.