How to Handle Maintenance Requests Efficiently:
A Guide for Landlords and Property Managers
Ensuring tenant satisfaction is one of the main responsibilities for landlords and property managers.
However, perhaps the largest hurdle in Lebanon is managing Maintenance Requests in an effective manner.
Complaints range from plumbing, to elevator issues, generator repair, or cleaning requests, and the worst part about the entire process is the delays, and/or mismanagement that leads to unhappy tenants, disagreements, and tormenting loss of money.
With the right tracking system for Maintenance Requests, landlords can improve outreach, make tenants happy, and save a tremendous amount of time spent on administrative tasks.
Why Efficiency with Maintenance is Important
In 2023, a survey was completed on Lebanese apartment buildings and over 60% of tenant complaints were about maintenance related issues that were taking a long time to get resolved. Late responses can not only be frustrating for tenants, but it can also compromise the integrity of your building’s infrastructure and your reputation.
“Before the Digital System was put in place, I could have tenants call me several times for the same repair need. It was beyond stressful,” — said Karim, property manager in Beirut.
Using a Request Tracking System for Maintenance
A Request-Tracking System for Maintenance enables repair and service requests to be managed from one central location. The main benefits include:
- You can track request status and know exactly what repair tasks are pending, ongoing, or finished.
- Requests can be assigned to a provider, (electrician, plumber, etc.), automatically.
- The history of requests can be tracked, and all detail can be documented for accountability and reporting purposes.
- When you implement a system like this, landlords reduce the chance for human errors and make sure that no request gets overlooked.
How a Service Request Platform Can Help Apartment Buildings
A Service Request Platform for apartment buildings can do more than just track requests — it can automate communication and workflows. Some features include:
- Tenants can enter request details directly on the app.
- Automatic notifications alert whoever is “in charge” (managers) or the service providers.
- Tenants can receive status updates that can last until the issue is resolved.
- Built-in reports can provide insights on recurring issues and the associated costs.
“Our tenants love the app,” — says Nadine, a property manager in Jounieh. “They can submit a request and get feedback instantly, and I can follow up, so I don’t have to play phone tag with my tenants.”
How to Automate Maintenance Requests
Automation is an important part of effective building management. Here’s an example of how to get maintenance requests automated:
- Utilize an electronic property management app – Instead of having your Maintenance Requests comply with manual, time-consuming processes (e.g. phone calls or emails), you can capture all service requests electronically.
- Automatically assign tasks – Maintenance Requests can be automatically assigned to the appropriate service provider.
- Automated notifications – Make it easier to keep both your tenants and staff in the loop by pushing notifications at each step of the maintenance process reducing any unnecessary follow-up calls.
- Connect with bookkeeping software – Know how much you spent or been paid on each maintenance request for greater transparency.
Automating the process of tracking and responding to Maintenance Requests is a great way to improve time efficiency for the landlord and can reduce tenant frustration by processing requests faster.
Benefits of Managing Maintenance Requests Efficiently
Tracking service requests through the platform developed for apartment buildings or other maintenance request tracking software can provide many benefits.
- Faster response times – Your tenants receive assistance quickly, increasing tenant satisfaction.
- Fewer disputes – Records are documented and tenants are kept informed electronically so you can minimize misunderstandings and miscommunication.
- Being cost-efficient – You will be able to track recurring problems and be able to do preventative maintenance.
- Professional reputation – Tenants will begin to trust landlords that handle maintenance requests promptly and professionally
Data Story: In a 2024 pilot project, Binayati highlighted in their report that buildings that took advantage of the Automated Service Request Platform, reduced unresolved service requests by 45% with an improved tenant satisfaction score by 35% within six months.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to Maintenance Requests, being easy and efficient isn’t just handy — it’s protecting your asset, saving time, and keeping tenants in good spirits. If you’d like to Manage Maintenance Requests with ease and efficiency — by implementing a Maintenance Request Tracking System (ie. Maintenance Request App) or having a Service Request, Property Management Platform for apartment buildings, and knowing how to auto-assign Maintenance Requests — property owners in Lebanon can have streamlined operations, reduced back and forth and no more waiting 5 days for a maintenance request response.
Discover how you can do all of that seamlessly with Binayati’s Property Management App to manage tenant Maintenance Requests, Improve resident satisfaction and Save you hours every week.