The landlord repair record template

Intake: the day the report arrives

• Record the date and time the report reached youUse the timestamp on the message, not the day you got around to reading it. Every clock in a habitability rule starts from notice, so the honest date is the one that protects you.
• Copy the description in the words the tenant usedPaste their message rather than paraphrasing. A record that says water coming through the ceiling in the back bedroom reads very differently later than one that says minor leak.
• Attach at least one photo from the tenantAsk for a wide shot showing the room and a close shot of the problem. Photos taken on the day of the report fix the condition of the unit at a known date, which is the single most useful thing in a dispute.
• Mark the urgency and the reasonNote whether this is an emergency, an urgent repair or routine, and write one line on why. Good looks like: no heat, outside temperature 24 degrees, treated as emergency.
• Flag anything that touches habitabilityHeat, hot water, water supply, sewage, electrical hazards and locks belong in a separate lane with a tighter clock. Circle them at intake so nobody triages them as routine.

Access: notice and entry

• Write the date the entry notice went outRecord how it was delivered as well, whether text, email or posted on the door. Most states set a minimum notice period for non emergency entry, and proof of delivery is what carries a challenge.
• Record the access window offered and agreedNote the window you proposed and what the tenant accepted. When a repair drags because access kept falling through, this line is what shows the delay was not yours.
• Log who entered and whenName the vendor or the person entering, plus the date and rough arrival time. If the tenant was present, note that too. A named person on a dated line answers most entry complaints.
• Note any missed or refused appointmentsWrite the date and one sentence on what happened. Two documented no access attempts change the shape of a later argument about how long a repair took.
• Record any keys or lockbox useIf you or a vendor entered using your key or a lockbox, say so and say why. Silence in the record here is what turns into an accusation later.

Work: vendor, scope and cost

• Name the vendor and the tradeCompany, contact and trade in one line. When the same failure repeats in eighteen months, you want to know who was there last time and what they were asked to do.
• Write the scope you actually authorizedOne or two sentences on what you approved, including any cap you set on cost. Good looks like: replace supply stop and trap under kitchen sink, up to 350 dollars, call before exceeding.
• Take before photos if the vendor did notIf you or the tenant can capture the condition before work starts, do it. This matters most for anything that will be hidden afterward, such as a pipe behind a wall or the subfloor under a vanity.
• Log parts on order and the reason for delayA dated line saying the compressor was on order for eleven days is a defense. An unexplained three week gap in the record is not.
• Record the invoice number, amount and date paidAttach the invoice to the sheet. Repair spend per unit is only meaningful when the invoice is tied to the ticket it paid for.

Closeout: proof it is done

• Record the completion dateThis is the date the work was finished, not the date the invoice arrived. The gap between report date and completion date is the number a code officer or a judge will look at first.
• Take after photos from the same angleMatching the angle of the before shot makes the pair readable by someone who has never seen the unit. Two photos from the same spot settle arguments that paragraphs do not.
• Get a short confirmation from the tenantA text saying the heat is working now is enough. Save it with the sheet. Confirmed closure prevents a repair reappearing months later as an unresolved complaint.
• Note anything deferred and whyIf you fixed the leak but the ceiling patch is scheduled for next month, write it down with a target date. Deferred work that is documented reads as planning, undocumented deferral reads as neglect.
• File the sheet under the unit and update the component logIf a water heater, furnace or roof section was replaced, record the install date on the unit component list. That date drives your reserve math and your next insurance renewal answer.