Kanban for property managers: maintenance requests, tenants and contractors on one board
Property managers live in a three-way loop. A tenant reports a leaking tap. You book a plumber. The plumber needs access. The tenant is at work. The plumber needs a part. The landlord needs to approve the cost. Each step waits on someone, and tenants mostly judge you by how long the whole thing takes and whether anyone told them what was happening.
Larger agencies have property management software with maintenance modules. Smaller landlords and independent managers often juggle email, texts and spreadsheets. Either way, the question that matters is the same: where is each request stuck?
One row per property, or per building
For a handful of properties, one row each. For larger portfolios, one row per building or block, or one row per type of work (maintenance, lettings, compliance).
Columns that show who has the ball
- Mine: book the contractor, call the tenant, send the quote to the owner
- Other: waiting on the contractor's visit, the tenant's access, the owner's approval, the part delivery, each with a name
- Next Steps: planned work: gas safety check, inspection, lease renewal
- Done: completed and confirmed with the tenant
Chase the slow step
Most maintenance delays are one stalled handoff: an owner who has not approved a quote, or a contractor who has not confirmed a date. In Axtio, actions in Other show how many days they have been waiting and are flagged after a week. A morning glance shows exactly who to call.
Keep tenants informed
Tenants care about updates as much as speed. When an action moves, tell them. A simple "the plumber is booked for Thursday morning" prevents three follow-up calls.
Compliance work belongs on the board too
Recurring safety and compliance tasks are easy to miss: gas safety certificates, electrical checks, smoke alarm tests, inspections. Put them in Next Steps with due dates so they show up before they are overdue. In England, for example, the government's guidance on private renting for landlords sets out several of these obligations.
Urgent repairs need a separate path
Emergencies like gas leaks, no heating in winter, or flooding need an immediate process, not a board. Use the board for everything else, and make sure tenants know how to report emergencies.
Close the loop
A repair is done when the tenant confirms it is fixed, not when the contractor says so. Move it to Done after confirmation.
See kanban for real estate agents and stop projects slipping through the cracks.