Organising property repair work is a hugely misunderstood area of any lettings agency. There are many viewpoints from all parties involved and in many cases, all coming in from different angles and opposing directions which conflict and can cause issues if all is not explained fully to all parties throughout your dealing with them.

Tenants want the work done fast at a time that suits them, quite often at evenings and weekends, landlords want the work done cheaply, and in many cases want three quotes for the works before they are done. Agents want the job done as described, safely, correctly and compliant with regulations (and the keys returned promptly) and the contractor wants to get the best price for the job and be paid fast and be able to do the works during day time. But that is just the beginning of the juggling act that a property management department would have to face.

In relation to using contractors in the first place, agents have a responsibility to ensure that any contractors they use are 'qualified' or 'suitable' to carry out the type of work they have been sent out to do, this may seem quite simple, but invariably isn't, and in their quest for more work, contractors can very often say they can do something when they can't. So how do you as a property manager ascertain whether they can or can't?