UnitCareHow to set up a repair reporting system for your tenants
This guide covers England. It's general information, not legal advice. Rules in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are different.
The short version
- Give tenants one way to report repairs, and stick to it.
- Every report should include the address, what's wrong, how urgent it is, photos and a way to contact the tenant.
- Keep the date of every report and every reply. That's your evidence later.
Why it matters
When repairs arrive by text, WhatsApp, voicemail and email, things get lost. You forget which flat it was, the photo is buried in a chat, and months later you can't prove when you were told. A simple system fixes all three, and tenants are happier because they know their report has been received.
The options compared
| Method | Good | Not so good |
|---|---|---|
| Text or WhatsApp | Tenants already use it | Mixed in with personal messages, easy to miss, hard to keep as a record per property |
| Written record | Tenants often forget the address or the photos, and replies end up in long threads | |
| Phone calls | Fast for emergencies | No record, and details get forgotten |
| An online reporting form or app | Every report has the same details, with photos, saved by property and date | Tenants need to know where it is, so a poster or link helps |
What a good repair report includes
- Which property (and which room, in an HMO)
- What's wrong, in the tenant's own words
- How urgent it is: normal, urgent or an emergency
- Photos, which often tell you what tradesperson to send
- Contact details and when they're home
Setting it up in five steps
- Choose your one method. A form or app with a link per property is easiest for tenants and for you.
- Tell every tenant, in writing, how to report repairs and what counts as an emergency.
- Put the details somewhere they'll see them, like a poster by the boiler. Poster tips.
- Decide your own response targets. See suggested timings.
- Reply to every report, even if it's just to say you're arranging someone.
Emergencies
Make sure tenants know that for a gas smell they should call the National Gas Emergency number (0800 111 999) straight away, and for fire or danger to life they should call 999. Your reporting system is for telling you, not for emergencies that need help right now.
UnitCare is built for exactly this. Each property gets a QR code and link, tenants report with photos without an app or login, and you get an alert and a full dated record. It's free for up to 5 properties.