Homeowner Maintenance FAQs

Q: How do my Tenants or I place a maintenance request?
First be sure to select the correct office based on property zip code.
A: You can make a maintenance request or a work order in two ways:

  1. Go to our official submission portal form at https://renterswarehouse.com/maintenance-request-form and select “Tenant” or “Homeowner.” Follow the form instructions or log into the local market Maintenance Portal as instructed.
  2. Contact our office via phone to speak live with your Renters Warehouse Team.

Q: Who do my Tenants or I call after hours?
A:  You can visit our Contact Us page for the after hours emergency maintenance phone number and should also submit an official Maintenance Request electronically (be sure to select the correct office based on property zip code).

Q: What is the process for emergency maintenance requests?
A: If we receive an emergency maintenance request, we will dispatch a vendor with your approval or in cases of no response, within two hours and have the work completed. Emergency maintenance requests are defined as:

  • No Utilities (electric, water, HVAC – temperature dependent)
  • Flooding
  • Significant storm damage
  • Significant threat to life, health, safety

Q: How can Tenants see the progress of maintenance requests?
A: Residents can communicate with our centralized Maintenance Team via phone 24/7 or in a reply to the maintenance email you received (this is monitored during business hours) unless specifically instructed (based on location) to contact their local office for work order updates.

Q: How long does it typically take to schedule a vendor for a maintenance request?
A: Depending on the situation, we may first have to call for homeowner approval. We contact homeowners as quickly as possible and provide them with all available information. Once we have homeowner approval, a vendor is dispatched to diagnose and fix the issue at your home.

Q: As the Homeowner, will I get charged for every maintenance request?
A: Initially, yes. After the request is complete, we go through the invoices to determine what could be tenant damage. If it is a tenant-caused issue, we will charge the tenant on their next billing cycle. If for some reason the tenant does not pay, we’ll deduct from their security deposit.

Q: If I have to pay for maintenance, how can I do that?
A: You can pay via your property management portal or by contacting your local office.

Q: What are my options for communications?
A: Homeowners may receive maintenance communications via email, phone or text messages and are encouraged to call with questions anytime. You can update your preferences by calling us at 1-844-RW-FIXIT.

Q: What’s an NTE?
A: NTE stands for “not to exceed.” An NTE is a tool used to help control costs and manage maintenance work. Establishing NTEs sets a cap or maximum amount for certain types of repairs.

Q: How do NTEs help me?
A: NTEs are a way to help speed up the maintenance process for your residents, while also managing costs. Through our expansive contractor network and years in the industry, Renters Warehouse Maintenance tracks and documents national averages costs for all types of maintenance work. This comprehensive data serves as a guideline on what to expect various repairs to cost, providing an efficient way to control maintenance spend.

Q: How does it work?
A: Each service category such as plumbing, electrical, HVAC, has an NTE that allows a contractor to perform work on your home up to that specified amount. The benefit to you is that it enables important repairs on your property up to that amount without having to bother you for approval. Plus, it lessens the time that tenants have to wait for a repair.

We continually work with our contractors and operations managers to reduce both maintenance cost and NTEs.

Q: Does that mean that I will be charged that full amount on each work order?
A: No. The NTE speeds up the repair and maintenance process for you. You will be billed the actual amount of work — parts cost plus hourly labor. On average, work orders are between 20-40% lower than the NTE amount.

Q: Am I automatically enrolled in NTEs?
A: No, you must contact us to establish NTEs. TO establish NTE’s, Simply: contact us by phone or electronically through the Customer service form and we will get you started right away.

Q: What happens when I elect to have NTEs?
A: Your property maintenance becomes much easier, and your tenants will appreciate the fast response times. Any work order that you or a tenant places on your property would be automatically dispatched and approved if the vendor’s quote is below that amount. The benefit is that you will receive a notification of action rather than numerous approval phone calls, emails, or texts, AND the work order is done quicker.

Q: What happens if I choose not to establish NTEs?
A: If you choose not to establish NTEs, you will be contacted prior to any dispatch of vendors on every maintenance request created for your property. Additionally, no charges will be accrued until you as the owner gives the approval to send a vendor.

PLEASE NOTE: if the issue is an emergency repair required by State or local rental housing laws, we will send a vendor to stem the emergency if we have no owner response within 2 hours.  Emergency repairs are paid by the property owner.

Q: What if I want to work with local vendors that I know?
A: Renters Warehouse uses an expansive affiliate community of contractors, however, we can onboard other vendors to be a part of our network. Our affiliate network enables contractors to benefit from increased business through more maintenance requests, plus benefit from our $50 million indemnification on all maintenance-related work.

We also want to ensure you have a great experience, if you have a vendor in mind that is not part of our network we are still happy to help coordinate repairs between your vendor and the tenant, with one small difference: You would remit payment for the invoice directly to your vendor and not through Renters Warehouse.

If you prefer to manage your own vendors or do the maintenance work yourself, we ask you notify Renters Warehouse that you are managing your own work orders so we can document and notify the tenant.

Q: How do I keep current on maintenance requests? What types communications do I receive?
A: Email and phone calls cover a majority of our communications with owners, we also have the ability to text through our software and some owners prefer this method.   If you have communication preferences please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate your request.

Q: What about emergency maintenance requests? What happens?
A: If we receive an emergency maintenance request (water damage, lost heat, etc.), we will immediately call and email you for approval. If you already have elected NTEs, we will dispatch a vendor and have the work completed.

If we do not receive approval from you in a timely manner, and it is an emergency, we will make our best judgment call and dispatch a vendor if necessary.

Q: What happens after a maintenance request is completed?
Renters Warehouse will receive the invoice from our contracted vendor and bill your account, the invoice can be accessed when viewing your statement or contacting Renters Warehouse for a copy.

Q: I own several properties and will not have time to manage all these details. Can you help oversee maintenance?
A: Absolutely. Contact our office, and we can talk about your options to select NTEs, communication and ways to help manage these decisions for you.