The Hidden Cost of a Lost Request
When a maintenance request arrives by call or message and gets forgotten, the cost is not just the delayed repair. A small leak becomes structural damage. A tenant ignored twice decides not to renew. The cause is structural: no unified intake channel.
The Six-Stage Cycle
- Intake: logged with unit, description, photo, and date
- Classification: type and urgency — a leak is not a burnt bulb
- Assignment: technician or contractor with expected date
- Execution: documented with before and after photos
- Cost: recorded, linked to unit and owner, with liability determined
- Closure: tenant confirms the problem is actually resolved
The last stage is most often skipped — requests closed without tenant confirmation frequently return.
Who Bears the Cost?
Generally, normal wear and aging fall on the owner; misuse damage on the tenant. But the general rule is not enough. What settles it is documentation: handover condition photos and fault photos at reporting.
Preventive Maintenance Is Always Cheaper
AC checks before summer, plumbing every six months, annual elevator contracts — all cost far less than emergency repairs, and happen at a time you choose.
Three Performance Metrics
- Average closure time — the primary tenant satisfaction indicator
- Maintenance cost per unit — reveals units needing renovation over repeated repairs
- Repeat request rate — a fault returning twice means the first fix was superficial