Set maintenance priority
Classify property issues as urgent, high priority or routine, record the reasons for the decision and update the priority when the circumstances change.
Maintenance priority helps organise the order and urgency of repair work. The selected priority should reflect the known circumstances at the time and should be reviewed when new information becomes available.
Understand the maintenance priorities
Urgent
Use where immediate assessment or action may be required because of safety, security, major damage or loss of an essential service.
High priority
Use for significant issues that should be handled promptly but do not currently indicate an immediate emergency.
Routine
Use for non-urgent repairs and planned work that can be scheduled through the normal maintenance process.
Estavo records the classification selected by the user. A qualified contractor or other professional may identify a different level of risk after inspecting the issue.
When to use urgent priority
Urgent priority should be reserved for circumstances that require immediate assessment or action.
- A potential immediate risk to people.
- A major water leak or rapidly increasing damage.
- A serious electrical concern.
- A security problem affecting safe occupation.
- Loss of an essential service in circumstances requiring immediate review.
- Significant structural damage or collapse risk.
- An issue involving fire, smoke or suspected gas.
- Another situation requiring emergency or specialist action.
Do not rely on saving or updating the Estavo record as the response. Contact the appropriate emergency service, utility provider or qualified professional where the circumstances require it.
When to use high priority
High priority is suitable for significant issues that need prompt attention but do not currently require an emergency response.
- A repair substantially affecting the tenant’s use of the property.
- A fault likely to worsen if not addressed promptly.
- A leak that is controlled but still causing damage.
- A heating or hot-water problem requiring early review.
- An important appliance or fixture failure.
- Water ingress or damp requiring prompt investigation.
- A problem affecting access to part of the property.
- A routine issue that has become significantly worse.
When to use routine priority
Routine priority is appropriate where the issue can be scheduled through the normal maintenance process.
- Minor wear and tear.
- A non-essential fixture requiring repair.
- Cosmetic damage.
- Planned decorating or improvement work.
- A small fault that is stable and not worsening.
- A routine inspection or contractor visit.
- A repair that does not significantly affect occupation.
- Work agreed for a future suitable appointment.
Review the factors affecting priority
Example priority assessment
Set the priority on a maintenance request
Open Maintenance
Select Maintenance from the main Estavo navigation.
Open the request
Review the property, tenant, issue description and supporting attachments.
Select Edit or Review Priority
Open the request settings containing the priority field.
Select the priority
Choose urgent, high priority or routine based on the available information.
Add an assessment note
Record the main reason for the selected priority.
Save and review the request
Confirm the priority appears correctly in the request and maintenance list.
Review a priority selected by the tenant
A tenant may select an urgency level when submitting an issue through the Tenant Portal. Treat this as part of the report rather than a confirmed assessment.
- Review the tenant’s description.
- Open the submitted photographs.
- Ask additional questions where needed.
- Check whether an essential service is affected.
- Review whether damage is increasing.
- Confirm the property and issue location.
- Set the landlord-reviewed priority.
- Record why the priority was confirmed or changed.
Change the maintenance priority
Update the priority when new information, inspection findings or changing circumstances affect the urgency.
Open the maintenance request
Review the original issue and the latest updates.
Review what has changed
Consider new photographs, tenant messages, contractor findings or additional damage.
Select the revised priority
Increase or reduce the priority based on the current known circumstances.
Add a dated update
Record why the priority changed and the information used in the review.
Review the next action
Update the contractor, appointment or target date where the revised priority requires it.
Record the reason for the priority
Known impact
Record how the issue affects the tenant, property or essential services.
Evidence reviewed
Note whether photographs, messages or contractor information were considered.
Temporary action
Record any action that has reduced or controlled the immediate impact.
Priority change
Explain what changed when the request was upgraded or downgraded.
Record the known issue, evidence and decision without adding unnecessary personal opinions or unrelated tenant information.
Add target and appointment dates
Contractor availability, parts, access and the repair scope may affect delivery. Record confirmed dates rather than unsupported estimates.
Handle a suspected emergency
Where a report indicates an immediate risk, take the appropriate action outside Estavo first and update the maintenance record afterward.
- Assess the information available.
- Contact the appropriate emergency service, utility provider or qualified contractor where required.
- Provide suitable safety information to the tenant where professionally appropriate.
- Record who was contacted and when.
- Add the emergency action to the maintenance history.
- Update the priority as new information becomes available.
- Continue recording appointments, costs and completion evidence.
Common maintenance-priority problems
The priority field cannot be changed
Check your account permissions and whether the request is locked or completed.
The tenant-selected priority remains visible
Confirm the landlord-reviewed priority was saved and distinguish it from the original submission.
The request appears in the wrong list
Review the saved priority, request status and any active filters.
The priority changed without explanation
Review the activity history and add a note explaining the reason for the current classification.
A routine issue has become urgent
Update the priority immediately, record what changed and take the appropriate external action.
The contractor assessed a different urgency
Record the contractor’s findings and revise the priority and next action where appropriate.
The maintenance priority is recorded
The next guide explains how to add contractor details, assign the repair and record appointments, quotations and progress.
Continue to assign a contractor