Submitting a Request
How to Create a Request
- Go to Maintenance from the navigation (under the More menu)
- Click New Request
- Enter a title — a short summary of the issue (e.g., “Kitchen faucet leaking”)
- Write a description explaining the problem in detail
- Select a category and urgency level
- Attach photos if applicable
- Click Submit
Your landlord is notified immediately by email and can view the request in their portal.
Writing a Clear Description
A good description helps your landlord understand and address the issue quickly. Include:
- What is happening — describe the problem specifically
- Where — which room, fixture, or area is affected
- When — when you first noticed it, whether it is constant or intermittent
- Impact — how it affects your daily use of the unit
Example: “The kitchen faucet has been dripping steadily since Monday morning. The drip is constant (about one drop per second) even when the faucet is fully turned off. There is no water pooling under the sink.”
Adding Photos
Photos make it much easier for your landlord to assess the issue before visiting. To attach photos:
- Click Attach Photo in the new request form
- Select one or more images from your device
- Photos are uploaded and attached to the request
Take clear, well-lit photos that show the issue. Multiple angles are helpful — for example, a close-up of a leak and a wider shot showing where in the room it is located.
Setting Urgency Level
Choose the urgency that matches the situation:
- Low — minor issue, no rush (e.g., a squeaky door, cosmetic damage)
- Normal — standard repair needed within a reasonable timeframe (e.g., dripping faucet, broken blind)
- High — significant issue affecting daily living (e.g., no hot water, broken appliance)
- Emergency — immediate danger to safety or major property damage (e.g., gas leak, flooding, broken lock)
Be honest about the urgency — it helps your landlord prioritize.
What Happens After Submission
After you submit the request:
- Your landlord receives an email notification with the request details
- The request appears in their maintenance queue
- You can track the request status from your Maintenance page
- Your landlord will respond with updates, comments, or questions
Tracking Your Request
Request Status Meanings
Your request moves through these statuses:
- Open — submitted and waiting for your landlord to review
- Acknowledged — your landlord has seen the request and plans to address it
- In Progress — repair work has started
- Scheduled — a specific date has been set for the repair
- Completed — the work is done
- Closed — the issue is resolved and the request is finalized
- Cancelled — the request was cancelled (by you or your landlord)
Checking for Updates
Go to Maintenance to see all your requests and their current status. Requests with recent updates are highlighted. Click on a request to see the full timeline of comments and status changes.
Timeline of Activity
Each request has a detailed timeline showing every event:
- When the request was submitted
- When the landlord acknowledged it
- Each comment or update from either party
- Status changes with timestamps
- When the request was completed and closed
This gives you a complete record of how the issue was handled.
Adding Information
Commenting on a Request
After submitting, you can add comments to provide additional information or respond to your landlord’s questions:
- Open the request from your Maintenance page
- Scroll to the comment section
- Type your comment
- Click Add Comment
Your landlord is notified of the new comment and can respond in the same thread.
Uploading Additional Photos
If you need to share more photos after the initial submission — for example, the issue has worsened, or your landlord asked for a different angle — you can add photos to an existing request through the comment section.
Responding to Landlord Questions
Your landlord may ask follow-up questions via comments on the request. Check your Maintenance page and email notifications regularly so you can respond promptly. Quick responses help the repair process move faster.
Request History
Viewing Past Requests
All your maintenance requests — both active and closed — are visible on the Maintenance page. Filter by status to see only open requests, only completed ones, or all of them. This gives you a complete history of every maintenance issue you have reported.
Closed Requests
Completed and closed requests remain in your history for reference. If you need to know when an issue was repaired or what was done, open the closed request to see the full timeline and comments.
Reopening a Request
If a completed issue returns — for example, a repaired faucet starts leaking again — add a comment to the existing request explaining that the problem has returned. Your landlord will be notified and can reopen the request. This keeps the full history in one thread rather than creating a new request for the same issue.
Emergency Maintenance
What Qualifies as an Emergency
Emergency maintenance involves situations that pose immediate danger to your safety or risk significant property damage:
- Gas leak — you smell gas; leave the unit immediately and call 911, then notify your landlord
- Flooding — a burst pipe or major water leak that cannot be contained
- Electrical hazard — exposed wires, sparking outlets, or burning smell from electrical sources
- Broken lock or security — your unit cannot be secured (broken door lock, shattered window)
- No heat in winter — heating failure during freezing temperatures
- Sewage backup — sewage flowing into the unit
When to Call vs. Submit Online
For true emergencies, do not rely solely on the portal. The portal notifies your landlord by email, but email is not instantaneous. If the situation is dangerous:
- Call 911 if there is immediate danger (gas leak, fire, electrical hazard)
- Call your landlord directly by phone if you have their number
- Submit a portal request as well, so there is a documented record
The portal request creates the paper trail; the phone call ensures immediate attention.
After-Hours Guidance
If an emergency occurs outside business hours and you cannot reach your landlord by phone:
- For life-threatening situations, call 911
- For water emergencies, locate and turn off the water shut-off valve if you can do so safely
- For gas emergencies, leave the unit, do not operate any electrical switches, and call 911
- Submit an emergency request through the portal with the highest urgency level