Resolve Maintenance Requests from Submission to Close
Manage every maintenance request end-to-end: receive tenant submissions, assign vendors, track work order progress, and close with a documented resolution.
When a tenant submits a maintenance request through their portal, PropManager routes it directly into your workflow so nothing slips through the cracks. This guide walks you through the entire lifecycle of a maintenance request — from receiving the initial submission and assigning a vendor, to tracking work order progress and closing the request with a documented resolution.
Requests marked Emergency priority trigger an immediate SMS notification to you and any other contacts listed under Settings > Emergency Contacts. Respond to these as quickly as possible — PropManager cannot contact emergency services on your behalf, and delayed responses to true emergencies (fire, flooding, gas leaks) may expose you to liability.
All incoming maintenance requests appear on the Maintenance dashboard (main menu > Maintenance). New requests display at the top under the New column. Each request card shows:
Unit and property — which unit the request originated from
Priority — Low, Normal, Urgent, or Emergency (set by the tenant when submitting)
Description — the tenant’s written description of the issue
Photos — any images the tenant attached at submission
Submitted date and time
Click any request to open the full detail view. From here you can review all the information the tenant provided before taking action.Responding to the tenant: In the detail view, click Send Update to post a message to the tenant. They’ll receive an email notification and can view your message in their portal. Use this to acknowledge receipt, ask clarifying questions, or share an estimated timeline before a vendor is assigned.
Once you’ve reviewed the request and are ready to act, assign it to a vendor or internal staff member.
In the request detail view, click Assign.
Select a vendor from your Saved Vendors list, or type a name to search. To add a new vendor, click + Add Vendor and enter their contact details — they’ll be saved for future requests.
Set a scheduled date for the work to be completed.
Add any internal notes the vendor should know (e.g., tenant prefers morning visits, door code is 4821).
Click Create Work Order. The vendor receives an email with the full work order details, including the tenant’s description, any photos, and the scheduled date.
Use auto-assignment rules (Settings > Maintenance > Auto-Assignment) to automatically route recurring request types to a designated vendor. For example, you can configure all plumbing requests to go directly to your plumber and all HVAC issues to your HVAC contractor — eliminating the manual assignment step entirely for common issues.
Work orders move through a defined status flow so you always know where each request stands:
New → Assigned → In Progress → Completed → Closed
How vendors update their status: When a vendor receives their work order email, it includes a secure link they can use to update the status without needing a PropManager account. They can mark the work order as In Progress when they begin and Completed when they finish. Each status change triggers a notification to you.Uploading completion photos and notes: Vendors can attach photos and leave completion notes through their update link. You can also upload photos and notes yourself from the work order detail view by clicking Add Documentation. This creates a permanent record of the work performed, which is useful for warranty claims, insurance, and future maintenance history.
When the work is done and you’ve confirmed the resolution:
Open the work order and review the vendor’s completion notes and photos.
Click Mark as Completed to move the status to Completed and notify the tenant automatically.
Review any final details, then click Close Request to archive the work order.
Tenant satisfaction rating: After a request is marked Completed, the tenant receives an email asking them to rate the resolution on a 1–5 scale and leave an optional comment. Ratings are recorded on the request and aggregated on your vendor profiles, giving you performance data over time.
What happens if a tenant re-opens a closed request?
If a tenant replies to the completion notification indicating the issue wasn’t resolved, they can submit a new request and reference the original. You’ll see the linked request ID in the new submission. PropManager does not automatically re-open closed work orders, but you can manually change the status back to In Progress from the closed work order’s detail view if needed.
