Resolve Maintenance Requests Fast | RentMouse

Keep maintenance moving from submission to resolution. Learn how to triage requests, assign vendors, collaborate with tenants, and close out work orders with proper documentation and billing.

At a Glance#

Who it’s for: Maintenance coordinators, property managers, and landlords overseeing work orders.
Time to complete: 15 minutes per request on average; one-time configuration 25 minutes.
Prerequisites: Maintenance module enabled, vendor contacts added, tenant messaging active, and property/unit mapping complete.

What You Can Do#

Classify new maintenance requests by priority and category with SLA timers.
Assign internal staff or external vendors, share scope, and track progress via status timeline.
Communicate with tenants using in-thread messages and notify them of updates automatically.
Attach estimates, invoices, and before/after photos to maintain compliance records.
Close requests with resolution notes and sync costs to invoices or ledgers.

Before You Begin#

Permissions: Requires maintenance.manage or owner rights to assign vendors and close requests.
Plan requirements: Starter tier enables full maintenance workflows. Growth tier unlocks advanced analytics dashboards for SLA compliance.
Regional considerations: Canadian tenants automatically receive bilingual notifications if localization is enabled. Align vendor insurance requirements with regional regulations.
Preparation checklist: Keep vendor contracts, preferred pricing, and emergency escalation procedures accessible.

Step-by-Step#

Breadcrumb: Maintenance ▸ Intake

Triage the incoming request
Open Maintenance ▸ Intake. Review new tickets, confirm category (plumbing, electrical, HVAC, etc.), assess priority, and assign an SLA target. Click Acknowledge to notify the tenant their request is being handled.

Breadcrumb: Maintenance ▸ Intake ▸ Assign

Assign to staff or vendor
Select the request, click Assign, choose an internal technician or external vendor, attach scope details, and include requested access times. Toggle Vendor portal access to generate a secure link for partners.

Breadcrumb: Maintenance ▸ Timeline

Update status timeline
Move the request through statuses: Submitted → Acknowledged → In progress → Completed. Add status notes, estimated completion dates, and upload media at each milestone. Tenants receive automatic notifications.

Breadcrumb: Maintenance ▸ Messages

Collaborate in-message thread
Use the Messages tab to respond to tenant questions or post vendor-only notes marked Internal. Attach documents or images. Tenants see only the tenant-facing conversation.

Breadcrumb: Maintenance ▸ Costs

Record labor and materials
Enter vendor fee, materials cost, and bill-to-tenant amounts under the Costs tab. Link costs to an existing invoice or create a draft invoice for review.

Breadcrumb: Maintenance ▸ Closeout

Close the request
Once the work is done, click Close request, add resolution summary, confirm tenant satisfaction (optional checkbox after tenant feedback), and upload after photos. Choose whether to trigger a tenant satisfaction survey.

Follow-up Checklist#

Send the tenant a follow-up message summarizing the fix and providing preventative tips.
Attach the final vendor invoice and store it in /help/vendor-work-order-portal for reference.
Sync costs to /help/manage-rent-invoices for reimbursement or pass-through charges.
Update analytics in /help/track-rental-reporting to monitor resolution times.

Screenshots & Media#

rm-maintenance-intake-step1-v1.png — Alt: “Maintenance intake dashboard showing new tickets with priority tags”; Title: “Triage incoming requests”; Description: Show list of new tickets with priority badges; Caption: “Review new maintenance requests and set priority quickly.”
rm-maintenance-assign-step2-v1.png — Alt: “Assign dialog with technician dropdown and vendor portal toggle”; Title: “Assign technician or vendor”; Description: Highlight assignment options and vendor portal toggle; Caption: “Assign the request and share access with external vendors.”
rm-maintenance-timeline-step3-v1.png — Alt: “Status timeline with timestamps and status edit controls”; Title: “Update status timeline”; Description: Display status history, SLA timer, and add note button; Caption: “Keep tenants informed with status updates and SLA tracking.”
rm-maintenance-messages-step4-v1.png — Alt: “Message thread showing tenant and internal notes tags”; Title: “Collaborate via messages”; Description: Present message thread with attachments; Caption: “Respond to tenants and keep vendor notes internal in one thread.”
rm-maintenance-costs-step5-v1.png — Alt: “Costs tab with labor, materials, and bill-to-tenant fields”; Title: “Record maintenance costs”; Description: Show cost breakdown, invoice link, and approval toggle; Caption: “Track labor and material costs for accurate billing.”
rm-maintenance-closeout-step6-v1.png — Alt: “Close request dialog with resolution summary and photo upload”; Title: “Close the request”; Description: Include summary field, satisfaction checkbox, and photo upload; Caption: “Document the fix, send thank-you message, and close the request.”
rm-maintenance-analytics-v1.png — Alt: “Maintenance analytics chart showing average resolution time”; Title: “Monitor maintenance analytics”; Description: Provide chart with SLA compliance percentages; Caption: “Spot trends in resolution time and backlog.”

Troubleshooting#

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Request stuck in intake	SLA not acknowledged or assignment missing	Click Acknowledge and assign a technician; unresolved tickets without owners stay in Intake.
Tenant not receiving updates	Tenant opted out of notifications or message flagged internal	Verify tenant notification preferences and ensure status notes are public.
Vendor portal link expired	Access window set to under 48 hours or vendor delay	Resend link from the assignment panel; the new link invalidates old tokens.
Costs not syncing to invoices	Invoice link not selected in Costs tab	Edit the cost entry, select an invoice, or create a new draft invoice and link it.
Duplicate requests created	Tenant submitted multiple times due to slow confirmation	Merge requests using the Merge action, keeping the earliest as primary, and notify tenant of consolidation.

FAQ#

Can tenants add more photos after submission?
Yes. Tenants can open the request in their portal, add photos, and post updates. They cannot change priority or assignment.

How do emergency requests escalate?
Mark the request as Urgent during triage. Emergency escalation triggers SMS notifications to on-call staff and bypasses vendor portal delays.

Can I bulk assign similar tickets?
Yes. From the Intake view, select multiple tickets, click Bulk actions ▸ Assign, choose a technician, and confirm.

How do I share updates with insurance adjusters?
Download the request packet (timeline, photos, costs) via Export PDF. Share securely; the packet omits tenant PII by default.

What happens if a tenant disputes the fix?
Reopen the request, add dispute notes, revert status to In progress, and continue communication. The system records the reopen event in analytics.

Can I automate post-completion surveys?
Yes. Enable satisfaction surveys under Maintenance ▸ Settings ▸ Surveys to send a 2-question poll 24 hours after completion.

Security & Privacy Notes#

Maintenance data includes photos of living spaces; access is limited to maintenance roles and owners.
Vendor portal links expire after 72 hours or upon manual revocation.
All timeline updates and messages are logged with user IDs for audit trails.
Feature flag maintenance_hub_v3 enables analytics, bulk actions, and vendor portal toggles.

Version & Region#

Feature flag: maintenance_hub_v3
Last verified build: RentMouse web 2025.10.28
Last verified date: 2025-11-01
Supported regions: United States, Canada (localized notifications if enabled)

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