Review a tenant maintenance request
Review an issue submitted through the Tenant Portal, confirm the property and details, assess its priority and decide the next repair-management action.
A tenant-submitted maintenance request creates an initial record based on the information supplied through the Tenant Portal. Review the submission before assigning contractors, recording costs or treating the tenant-selected urgency as confirmed.
How tenant maintenance requests work
A tenant can submit an issue against their property or tenancy and provide a description, affected area, photographs and access information.
Boiler has stopped heating water
Submitted through the Tenant Portal today
Review the issue and assess the circumstances before confirming the category, priority and repair action.
Open the tenant maintenance request
Open Maintenance
Select Maintenance from the main Estavo navigation.
Filter by New or Submitted
Use the request-status filter to locate items awaiting landlord review.
Open the request
Select the item and review the property, tenant, description, priority and attachments.
Review the activity history
Confirm when the issue was submitted and whether any follow-up message has already been sent.
Confirm the property, tenancy and tenant
Confirm the request relates to the current tenant and tenancy, particularly where the property has recently changed occupants.
Review the issue description
- Identify what is damaged, faulty or not working.
- Confirm where the issue is located.
- Check when the problem began.
- Determine whether it is continuous or intermittent.
- Check whether water, electricity, heating or security is affected.
- Review whether the issue is becoming worse.
- Note any temporary action already taken.
- Check whether previous repairs have been attempted.
- Compare the report against existing maintenance history.
Review the submitted photographs and files
Issue detail
Check whether the images clearly show the fault or damage.
Wider location
Review wider photographs to understand where the issue sits within the property.
Supporting documents
Open any appliance information, contractor report or other file supplied.
File quality
Confirm the attachments open correctly and are relevant to the reported issue.
Ask for another image or angle only where it is safe and reasonable for the tenant to provide it.
Assess and confirm the maintenance priority
The tenant may select an urgency level when submitting the request. Review that selection against the description, evidence and potential impact.
Urgent action
Use where the circumstances require immediate assessment because of safety, security, major damage or loss of an essential service.
Prompt repair
Use for significant issues that require quick attention but do not currently indicate an immediate emergency.
Routine repair
Use for non-urgent repairs that can be assessed and scheduled through the normal maintenance process.
Estavo records the submitted selection but does not independently assess risk. Take the appropriate emergency or professional action where the circumstances require it.
Request more information from the tenant
Open the request communication
Use the message or update section connected to the maintenance record.
Explain what information is missing
Ask a clear question about the issue, location, timing or effect on the property.
Request photographs where appropriate
Specify the view or detail needed without asking the tenant to take an unsafe action.
Update the request status
Mark the item as awaiting information where that status is available.
Review the tenant response
Add the response to the request and reassess the priority and next action.
Accept and progress the request
Confirm the request details
Check the property, tenant, issue description, attachments and confirmed priority.
Select Accept or In Progress
Move the request from submitted status into the active maintenance workflow.
Add the next action
Record whether the issue requires an inspection, quotation, contractor or further landlord review.
Add a target or appointment date
Record the planned next step where known.
Notify the tenant
Confirm the request has been reviewed and explain the next action or expected update.
Handle a duplicate maintenance request
- Open both maintenance records.
- Confirm they describe the same issue.
- Review which record contains the earliest report.
- Compare photographs, messages and updates.
- Retain the request with the most complete history.
- Move useful information into the retained record where appropriate.
- Close or archive the unused duplicate.
- Record that it was closed as a duplicate.
- Ensure the tenant can still view the active request.
Handle a request submitted incorrectly
Wrong property
Correct the property connection where possible or close the request and create the record against the correct property.
Not a maintenance issue
Redirect the matter to the appropriate communication, document or tenancy process.
Issue already resolved
Confirm the outcome and close the request with a clear completion note.
Insufficient information
Keep the request open while asking the tenant for the details needed to assess it.
Update the tenant after reviewing the request
- Acknowledge that the request has been reviewed.
- Confirm the issue understood from the submission.
- Explain whether more information is required.
- Confirm the next inspection, contractor or landlord action.
- Provide the appointment date where arranged.
- Explain any access requirements.
- Record relevant safety instructions where professionally appropriate.
- Avoid promising a completion date that has not been confirmed.
- Keep the communication within the maintenance history.
Common tenant-request problems
The request does not appear
Check the status filters, property, tenant and submission date.
The request is linked to the wrong property
Correct the property where possible and review the connected tenancy and tenant.
The photographs cannot be opened
Ask the tenant to upload the files again or provide new photographs in a supported format.
The tenant selected the wrong priority
Update the priority after reviewing the issue and record the reason for the change.
The tenant cannot see your update
Check portal access, request visibility and whether the message was saved as an internal note.
The request appears more than once
Retain the most complete record and close the unused duplicate with an explanatory note.
The tenant request has been reviewed
The next guide explains how to classify maintenance issues as urgent, high priority or routine and update the priority when circumstances change.
Continue to maintenance priority