Property maintenance guides
Step-by-step guides for the work nobody writes down
For property managers who run maintenance. Policies, processes and checklists you can put to work this week, whether or not you use now ours.
Start with the worry you have this week
Each guide is a short set of steps, with the policy, table or checklist on the page.
How to evaluate maintenance coordination software or service
The questions to ask any maintenance coordination software or service, how to test one on your own work orders, and what to read before you sign.
8 steps · Last updatedMake-ready and turnover: getting a unit rent-ready between tenants
How to run a make-ready between tenants: the move-out walk, the scope, booking trades in the right order, safety checks and the final walk before listing.
8 steps · Last updatedBuilding a vendor bench: scorecards, response targets and backups
How to manage maintenance vendors: a backup for every trade, response targets, a worked scorecard, a backup order, spend limits and a quarterly review.
9 steps · Last updatedThe tenant maintenance request process, from first text to closed
How to take a tenant maintenance request: channels, intake fields, triage, response targets by priority, entry notice, follow-up and closing the loop.
11 steps · Last updatedMaintenance KPIs: what to measure and how to count it
The maintenance numbers worth tracking, from first response to repeat repairs: what each one measures, how to count it and what to change when it slips.
11 steps · Last updatedA preventive maintenance plan for rental properties
How to build a preventive maintenance plan for rentals: list what each property has, set a seasonal calendar, give every task an owner and keep a record.
8 steps · Last updated“Is this emergency mine, and did anyone take it?”
Emergencies we send someone for at any hour- Water you can't stop, or water coming through a ceiling or wall
- Sewage backing up into your unit
- No heat when it is below 50°F outside
- No power to your whole unit while your neighbors have power
“Requests go quiet and I can't tell whose move it is.”
- RequestTenantWhoever answers
- TriageYou, or whoever is on call
- Assign and approveYouProperty owner
- ScheduleYouTenant
- WorkVendor or technician
- Confirm and closeYou
The work order process, from request to close
Who owns each stage, and where it gets stuck
6 steps · Last updated“Is their insurance still current?”
Paperwork- W-9 with legal name and taxpayer ID
- Certificate of insurance from their agent
- Workers' compensation, or a signed exemption
Onboarding vendors: W-9, insurance and expectations
The checklist for every new vendor
5 steps · Last updated
You set the rules once Our AI team follows them every day
Each guide is a process you can run yourself. With now ours, the decisions in it stay yours and Ours does the follow-up. This is case #2071, a kitchen sink leak at 8 Ash St, through every stage of the work order guide.
Ours followed the rules
Monday to Tuesday- Monday 9:14 AM ETRequestAnswered Ana's text, asked your safety questions and logged the request in your softwareAna “Kitchen sink is leaking under the cabinet. It won't stop.”
- Monday 9:17 AM ETTriageWalked Ana through shutting off the water
- Monday 9:19 AM ETAssignPut one question in Needs you: this sink was repaired 2 weeks ago, on #2044, send it to Rick's Plumbing?
- Monday 10:41 AM ETApproveSent the job to Rick's Plumbing a minute after your tap
- Monday 12:20 PM ETScheduleGot Rick from Thursday to Tuesday at 10:00 AM ET, and booked it with AnaAna “YES”
- Tuesday 11:41 AM ETWorkPut Rick's photo of the fix on the case
- Tuesday 11:45 AM ETConfirmAsked Ana if it's fixedAna “Yes, all dry.”
- Tuesday 11:52 AM ETCloseClosed the work order in your software
You set the rules
1 tapThis sink was repaired 2 weeks ago, on #2044. Send it to Rick's Plumbing?
Earlier repair at 8 Ash St, unit 2: work order #2044, kitchen sink, 2 weeks agoSent to Rick's PlumbingMonday 10:40 AM ET- What counts as an emergency
- Who is on call, and who is the backup
- Which vendors and technicians get your jobs
- The spend limit for each property
Cautious is the default: it asks before it picks a vendor, spends money, cancels work or contacts a property owner.
- Call Rick, then call him again
- Trade times between Ana and Rick
- Ask Ana if it's fixed
- Close the work order by hand
Not an emergency service. For a fire, a gas leak or anyone in danger, call 911 or the gas utility.
Questions
No. Every guide works on its own, with a phone, a calendar and your maintenance software. Each one says where now ours fits, and you can skip those parts.
Yes. Copy them into your lease, your vendor agreement or your team's notes, and change them to fit your properties. More are on the Templates page.
No. Rules on repairs, habitability, taxes and insurance differ by state and city. Check yours, or ask your attorney, accountant or insurance agent, before you put a policy in writing.
Each guide shows the date it was last updated at the top.
Keep reading
Read the guides Or hand the follow-up to Ours