How to handle maintenance requests as a landlord: a system that scales past two units

1. One channel in

Pick one way for tenants to report problems and put it in the lease, on the fridge magnet, and in your first welcome text. Text message is the right default: tenants already use it, it carries photos, and it is timestamped. Calls are for emergencies only, and say so.

If a tenant reports something another way, reply through the one channel: "Got it — texting you here so we have a record." Within a month they will stop calling.

2. A triage rule you apply the same way every time

Decide urgency with a rule, not a mood. OwnAway uses four tiers, each with a response target:

• P0 Emergency — 4 hours. Health, safety, security, or active damage: gas smell, fire or smoke, flooding or burst pipe, sewage backup, break-in, a door that won't lock, no heat in freezing weather.
• P1 Urgent — 24 hours. Major loss of function: no heat, no hot water, no AC in a heat wave, only toilet clogged, kitchen sink backed up, fridge or stove dead, partial power outage.
• P2 Routine — 72 hours. Habitable but broken: running toilet, dripping faucet, slow drain, dishwasher, disposal, pests, interior doors, washer/dryer.
• P3 Low — 14 days. Cosmetic: paint touch-ups, nail holes, blinds, cabinet handles, bulbs, loose towel bars.

The targets are for a first real action — a vendor contacted, a part ordered — not for completion. Write the tier on the request when it comes in. It settles "how fast do I need to move" once, in advance, instead of at 11pm.

3. A vendor list that exists before you need it

The slowest part of any repair is finding someone. Keep a short list — one primary and one backup for plumbing, electrical, HVAC, handyman, locksmith, appliance — with a phone number that accepts texts, their rough rates, and whether they will go without you present. How to build that list is its own guide, linked below.

4. Every request gets a written record

For each request, keep: date reported, what the tenant said (paste it), tier, who you sent, when they went, what it cost, and when the tenant confirmed it was fixed. A spreadsheet is fine. It is what you show an insurer, a judge, or a buyer, and it is how you notice that one unit has had three plumbing calls this year.

The loop, start to finish

1. Tenant texts the one number with a description and a photo.
2. You acknowledge within the hour and ask the missing questions: where, how bad, since when.
3. You assign a tier and, for P0/P1, act immediately.
4. You text the vendor with the tenant's details and the photo; they reply with a window.
5. You confirm the window with the tenant (or let the vendor and tenant text directly).
6. After the visit, you confirm with the tenant, record the cost, and close it.

Questions