How to Improve Work Order Satisfaction with Automated Property Management Software

As a property manager, it is important to ensure that your rental properties are maintained in habitable and safe conditions at all times - meaning prompt and timely repairs are necessary whenever maintenance issues occur. It is crucial to educate tenants on proper procedures for submitting maintenance requests and identifying warning signs to prevent further damage. And once a tenant reports a maintenance issue, responding quickly and efficiently is critical to preserving a positive landlord-tenant relationship; neglecting maintenance responsibilities can negatively impact a property owner’s reputation and property value.

Below we will discuss the responsibilities of tenants and property management in relation to work orders and will further explain why automated property management software, such as Fortress, is beneficial to streamlining the work order process, safeguarding your time, and ensuring tenant satisfaction.

Tenant Maintenance Obligations

It is important to understand that one of the primary responsibilities of a tenant is to maintain a clean, safe, and damage-free rental unit, with the exception of normal wear and tear, which they are not liable for. Therefore, prompt reporting of any maintenance issues is a key responsibility of all tenants.

Landlord Maintenance Obligations

One of the many responsibilities of a property manager is to ensure that the property is habitable when tenants move in and that all necessary repairs and maintenance have been conducted in regard to meeting basic standards of heating, water, electricity, cleanliness, and is structurally sound.

In order to facilitate a smooth worker order request process, consider the following:

Provide incoming tenants with emergency maintenance contact information and an explanation of what constitutes an emergency
Outline the process of reporting any work orders, including contact information, to the property management and maintenance team.
Take the time to explain to tenants the common signs of potential maintenance concerns to look out for, so they can identify issues and report them.

Prioritizing Work Orders

Taking proactive steps such as preventative maintenance and providing timely maintenance services can be key factors in the health and longevity of your business, including tenant satisfaction. This means you will need to promptly evaluate the severity of repair requests.

Preventative, priority, and time-sensitive repairs you may need to make to your rental properties include:

Waterproofing and weather protection of roof and exterior walls
Securing plumbing facilities (including hot/cold running water and sewage)
Maintaining and repairing air conditioning and heating facilities
Fixing a faulty dishwasher, washer, or dryer
Keeping a working toilet, bathtub, or shower in a ventilated room
Ensuring natural lighting in every major room through windows or skylights
Verifying an operable deadbolt lock, smoke detector, and safe fire or emergency exit into a street or hallway

Based on the priority level and type of maintenance service needed will determine whether the job will be allocated to maintenance staff onsite or if a contractor or vendor will need to be contacted.

Benefits of Automated Property Management Software

Feeling overwhelmed with the prospect of maintenance work orders?

It is necessary to recognize the importance of addressing current concerns while being proactive in identifying and preventing future issues. Fortunately, automated tools and property management software, such as Fortress, have you covered.

Tenants are able to use automated property management software to submit maintenance requests 24/7 from their computer or smartphone by logging into their resident portal or dashboard. The software can quickly process requests and immediately send them to the appropriate personnel, ensuring that the work orders are received and processed as quickly as possible. Because the software is able to prioritize maintenance requests, managers are able to respond and allocate resources quickly to urgent issues, reducing the risk of further damage and ensuring tenant satisfaction.

Property management software further enables efficient communication between tenants, property managers, and staff. This includes updates and notifications throughout the process, from the time an order is submitted, to changes in status, and finally completion. This allows management to easily track the progress of a repair, ensuring it’s addressed in a timely fashion, and with enhanced transparency, guaranteeing tenant satisfaction.

Automated property management tools also provide data and reports that, using artificial intelligence (AI), can anticipate maintenance needs in advance allowing property managers to schedule preventative maintenance which effectively lessens time and repair costs while enhancing the tenant experience overall.

Automate Property Management for your Team

The process of obtaining and recording maintenance requests from tenants can be clunky (for residents, management, and staff) while prioritizing work orders and preventative maintenance can feel overwhelming. Fortress is designed to limit the burden of work orders on property managers while enhancing the tenant experience and simplifying maintenance staff workflows.

Fortress is a solution designed to simplify the pesky and redundant property management tasks, allowing you to focus on building and fostering real estate relationships. With Fortress, many elements of property management can be automated, including property accounting. Learn more about Fortress from the articles below:

Or schedule a demo with our team below and see Fortress in action: