Maintenance requests, vendors and repairs

Who this is for

Landlords and property managers handling repairs. Any member can create requests, invite vendors to quote and assign work orders. Only an account owner can change a request's status, record its final cost, reopen it or correct the cost.

Before you start

• Add your vendors: Maintenance → Vendors → Add Vendor, with First Name, Last Name, Email and Trade Type. Click Invite to give a vendor the vendor portal, where they send quotes and invoices. Invitations expire in 72 hours.
• Property managers: if owners approve repairs above an amount, see Owner approvals.

Steps

1. A request comes in. A tenant sends one from the tenant portal, or you click New Request on the Maintenance screen, pick the Unit, and fill in Title and Description.
2. Get quotes (optional). Open the request and click Request Quotes, pick vendors and click Send Quote Request. The request shows Awaiting Quotes, and each vendor is told. Their quotes appear under Quotes.
3. Choose the work. Click Accept on a quote, or click Create Work Order and pick a vendor directly. A work order is made and the request shows In Progress.
4. The vendor does the job and sends an invoice from the vendor portal, or you click Submit Invoice and enter the Invoice Amount.
5. Close it. Click Confirm Completion and enter the Actual Cost. If the tenant caused the damage, switch on Tenant is responsible for damage and enter the Tenant Charge Amount. The request shows Resolved.
6. Pay the vendor. Pay them by ACH, check or wire as you usually do. Then go to Vendor Payments, click Create Payment, pick the Vendor and the completed Work Order, and click Mark Processing and Mark Settled (with the check number or bank trace) as it goes.

Example

Ana Ruiz reports a leaking water heater at 8 Bay Road. Lena Park asks two plumbers for quotes: Clearwater Plumbing quotes $640.00 and Delta Pipe quotes $720.00. Lena clicks Accept on Clearwater's quote. Clearwater fixes it and invoices $640.00.

Lena clicks Confirm Completion with an Actual Cost of $640.00. A guest of the tenant broke the valve, so she switches on Tenant is responsible for damage with a Tenant Charge Amount of $150.00. Ana is billed $150.00. Lena mails Clearwater check 1042 for $640.00 and marks the vendor payment Settled with reference 1042.

What happens next

• Confirm Completion records the cost as a maintenance expense on the property. With more than one owner, it is split between them by their share. A tenant charge is billed to the lease's primary tenant.
• Vendor Payments is a record. eSamaHomes doesn't send the money to the vendor, and marking a payment settled doesn't add a second expense.
• A vendor invoice more than 10% over the quote sends your team a notice.
• A resolved request shows Reopen and Correct Cost. Reopen takes the repair's cost back out of the books and sets the request to open again. Correct Cost replaces the cost with a new one.
• Tenants on the same lease see each other's requests for the unit.

If something looks wrong

• The cost didn't post. Choosing Resolved in Update Status records no cost. Close a repair with Confirm Completion on its work order.
• "Owner approval required before assigning a vendor." An owner must approve first (PM mode).
• "A work order already exists for this maintenance request." Use the work order that's there, or cancel it with Cancel Work Order (only before an invoice is submitted).
• "Cannot reopen — the tenant charge invoice has payments applied. Issue a refund first before reopening." Refund the tenant's payment first.
• "Tenant charge cannot exceed actual cost." Lower the tenant charge.
• "No completed work orders for this vendor." A vendor payment needs a completed work order.
• A tenant chose a priority or permission to enter. The tenant form asks for both, but eSamaHomes doesn't keep them yet. Ask the tenant if it matters.