Work order template

One work order per repair. Fill in the top half when the request comes in, and the bottom half as the job moves. If your software already has a work order screen, use this to check that none of these fields is missing from it.

The request

• Work order number: ____
• Date and time received: ____ ET
• Received by: phone / text / portal / email
• Property address and unit: ____
• Tenant name, phone and whether we may text: ____
• Preferred language: ____
• What is wrong, in the tenant’s words: ____
• Photos or video attached: Yes / No

Priority

• Emergency / Urgent / Routine (circle one, using your written emergency list)
• Safety questions asked: water, gas smell, smoke, sparks or burning smell. Answers: ____
• Damage stopped before the visit? Shut-off valve, breaker or other: ____
• Reply sent to the tenant at: ____ ET, promising the next update by: ____ ET

Access

• Entry permission: tenant home / may enter after notice
• Notice given on: ____, for the window: ____ ET
• Pets, alarm codes, gate codes, parking: ____
• Year built: ____ (before 1978: lead-safe certified firm needed for work that disturbs paint)

The job

The follow-ups

• Vendor reminders sent at: ____ ET, ____ ET, ____ ET
• Tenant updated at: ____ ET (visit booked), ____ ET (day before), ____ ET (any change)
• Moved to the backup vendor at: ____ ET, reason: ____

The finish

• Work done on: ____, ____ ET
• What was done, in the vendor’s words: ____
• Photo of the finished work attached: Yes / No
• Parts replaced, and any warranty on them: ____
• Second visit needed? Yes, booked for ____ / No
• Tenant confirmed it is fixed on: ____, ____ ET
• Invoice amount: $____, matches the spend limit: Yes / No
• Closed on: ____, ____ ET, by: ____

Don’t close a work order on the vendor’s word alone. Wait for the tenant’s confirmation, or a photo of the finished work. If neither arrives, the work order stays open with a note saying so.

How to use it

1. Check your software’s work order screen against these fields and add any that are missing.
2. Fill in the request and priority sections while the tenant is still on the phone. Triage explains how to set the priority.
3. Put a spend limit on every job before it is offered to a vendor, using your owner approval limits.
4. Close only after the tenant confirms the fix, or a photo shows the finished work. Here is why confirming the repair matters.

The guide behind it

The work order process