How can tenants report a broken entrance door, a dripping faucet, or a loose roof tile to their property management company? Nowadays, almost everyone has a smartphone or tablet, so the answer is simple: a maintenance reporting app!

What tenant has never wanted to report a defect or something that is “not quite right” in the garden or stairwell to their property management company? The problem is that these issues are often discovered after business hours or at the weekend, when nobody at the property management company can be reached. With the app, tenants can report issues free of charge at any time of day or night. These reports are sent directly by email to the appropriate contact person at the property management company. Thanks to a short confirmation within the app, tenants can be sure that their report has been successfully submitted and that the property management company will now take care of it.

“We use the app ourselves when we are on-site and discover a defect,” says Mr. Mesch, Managing Director of the Pullach i. Isartal Housing Association. The company manages around 560 apartments across approximately 85 properties. Naturally, with a portfolio of this size, there are always repairs and maintenance issues that need to be addressed.

Four steps are all it takes to report an issue

On a map within the app, users can select the correct building or enter the address directly into the search field. To avoid misunderstandings, all buildings managed by the property management company are marked with a green dot. The person reporting the issue simply places the pin on a green-marked property and can then proceed.

In the next step, the user selects a type of issue, such as roof, façade, or stairwell, and provides further details, for example: “The light in the stairwell is broken.” These categories are defined by the property management company and can be changed or expanded at any time.

To illustrate the problem, users can then add a photo. Finally, they provide their personal details so that the property management company can contact them if any further information is required.

“We wanted to provide our tenants with a simple way to report issues while also making the process easier for us to handle,” says Mr. Mesch. There is hardly a simpler, faster, or more precise way to report a maintenance issue.

Property management companies and tenants benefit equally from the app

The maintenance reporting app makes things considerably easier for both sides. Tenants have a direct line to their property management company and no longer need to worry about questions such as: “Who should I report this to, and how?” At the same time, property management companies no longer have to record every issue by phone, in person, or by email, digitize the information, and then notify the relevant maintenance staff.

Instead, all reports are automatically stored in a database and can be accessed by authorized personnel at any time. In addition, every reported issue is automatically sent to the property management company by email. “The simple and cost-effective way of recording and processing maintenance issues, including the ability to forward photos, immediately convinced us,” says Mr. Mesch.