I. PURPOSE
This SOP aims to establish a consistent process on how to proceed when an appliance needs repairs.
II. SCOPE
This process applies to all appliances within occupied properties, including but not limited to: refrigerators, ovens, dishwashers, washing machines, and dryers.
III. RESPONSIBILITIES
- Maintenance Coordinators will be responsible for receiving and documenting requests for appliance malfunctioning that may require repairs.
- Maintenance Support will be responsible for following up with the assigned vendor to ensure an estimate if applicable or repairs are done in a timely manner.
IV. PROCEDURE
1. Receiving the maintenance request: All requests for appliance repairs in occupied properties must be submitted in writing through a Meld in Property Meld by the tenant or any Good Life team member.
2. Before dispatching, review the Important Property Notes (IPNs) on the property page in Appfolio if there may be additional information or warranty notes related to the appliance. If a multi-family property, check the IPNs on both the Unit and Property pages in Appfolio.
3. Review past work orders in Property Meld and Appfolio to see if the issue was recently resolved and/or may be covered under warranty with the vendor.
4. Schedule an inspection:
- The Maintenance Coordinator should assign the Meld to an appliance vendor within 24 hours max of receiving the meld so they can schedule an inspection with the tenants.
- If the appliance is under warranty, the work should be assigned to the vendor that previously did the work, or the applicable manufacturer to use the warranty visit.
- Remember to assign the Meld to yourself if the vendor is not in Property Meld and respectively follow up with them separately.
- Some appliances are located in a common area and possibly be covered by the HOA. The property IPNs will typically list this for you to confirm. If it’s HOA, you should contact the respective HOA to make them aware of the issue & have them dispatch their vendor to inspect/repair the appliance.
5. Send a Meld message to the tenants to inform them that a vendor will contact them to schedule a visit. Use the template “Dispatch msg to tenants” and edit the necessary parts.
- Appliances repair has a pre-approved maintenance limit between $100-$50. The Text Blaze snippet “/dsp” should be posted in an internal message in the Meld to track it down. Share with the vendor the pre-approved amount so they seek approval from Good Life if the repair is above that.
- Set a reminder for the Support team member to follow up.
6. All maintenance requests for appliances should be listed in the FTR/PMI sheet as a Priority Maintenance Issue (PMI).
7. Determining repair or replacement:
- Based on the inspection, the coordinator will determine whether to have the appliance repaired or replaced.
- The vendor will share an estimate for repairs if they go above the preapproved limit. If replacement is recommended, please refer to this article.
As a rule of thumb, if the appliance is in good condition, doesn't present signs of rust and the estimate for repair isn't cost-expensive, the Maintenance Coordinator can approve the repair without seeking owner approval. You should use your critical thinking to determine if the repair would be the best course of action in the long run. If not, seek owner approval before proceeding.
8. Obtain owner approval:
- The Maintenance Coordinator will share with the owner the current issue of the appliance and the vendor’s estimate for repairs. You should follow up with the owner until approval is received.
- If the approval is taking too long, always make sure to keep the tenant updated to ensure satisfaction!
- Once approved, confirm to the vendor that their estimate is approved and they can proceed with the repair.
- Update the tenant on what repairs will be done and that the vendor will schedule a new visit to complete the repairs.
9. Follow-up: Maintenance Support is usually the one assigned to follow up with the vendor/tenants to ensure the repair is completed. We should follow up timely and efficiently until the issue is resolved to ensure tenant satisfaction.
