Deferred maintenance
Repairs that have been put off, usually to save money now, and that tend to cost more later.
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A slow drip left for months can become a rotted cabinet floor. Keep a list of deferred items per property and share it with the owner, so the decision to wait is theirs.
Deferring a repair is sometimes the right call: a roof with three good years left, a cosmetic fix before a sale. The risk is the repair nobody decided to defer, the one that sat in an inbox. Water is the usual culprit, because a small leak spreads into floors, cabinets and walls.
An example
A tenant reports a slow drip under the bathroom sink in spring. It goes on the list for the next visit and the visit keeps slipping. By fall the cabinet floor is soft and the subfloor under it is stained. The fix is now a plumber, a carpenter and a new vanity instead of one washer.
How to keep it a decision
- Keep a list of deferred items for each property, with the date each one was reported
- Write down who decided to wait, and why
- Send the list to the property owner with the next statement
- Look at anything involving water first
How Now Ours handles it
Every request becomes a case with its own history. Cases that need a person go to Needs you, one sentence each with the next step first, so a repair waiting on a decision stays in front of you instead of in an inbox. See also preventive maintenance.
Sources
- U.S. EPA, A brief guide to mold, moisture and your home. Checked October 20, 2026.
- ENERGY STAR, Maintenance Checklist. Checked October 20, 2026.