Reporting a Fault So It Actually Gets Fixed

A maintenance report is a set of instructions to someone who cannot see what you are looking at. The difference between a fault fixed on the first visit and one that takes three is almost always the quality of the first report. Here is how to write a good one.

Two things to check before you report

If it is electrical, check the distribution board. A tripped switch is the cause of a large share of “no power” reports. Find the board, look for a switch that has flipped down, and try switching it back up. If it trips again immediately, stop — that is a real fault and worth reporting straight away, and you should mention that it trips again, because that tells the electrician a great deal.
If it is prepaid, check the balance. Running out of prepaid electricity or water looks exactly like a supply failure. Check the meter before reporting.

That is the whole list. Everything else, report it — do not attempt repairs on plumbing, electrics or gas yourself, and do not let a friend do it either.

What to put in the report

Where. The property, and the unit or room number. Not “my place”.
What. The specific item and the specific problem. “The mixer tap in the bathroom basin drips continuously from the spout even when closed” beats “tap broken”.
Since when. Whether it started today or has been getting worse for two weeks.
What makes it better or worse. Only when the shower runs. Only after rain. Only in the evening. This is often the single most useful sentence in the report.
Whether you have water and power in the meantime, because that changes how urgent it is.
Access. When someone can get in, and whether they need to be let in or whether a key is held.
A phone number that will be answered.

Photographs

A photograph turns a description into a diagnosis. Take one wide shot showing where the problem is in the room, and one close shot of the actual fault. If it is a leak, a photo of the water on the floor plus one of where it is coming from is ideal. If it is an appliance, photograph the make and model plate — that is how the right part gets ordered before the first visit rather than after it. Phone photos are compressed automatically when you upload them, so send several.

Judging urgency honestly

Urgency levels only work if people use them accurately. Marking everything urgent makes the genuinely urgent invisible.

Low — annoying but liveable, can wait a few days. A sticking cupboard door, a light fitting cover that has come loose.
Medium — needs attention this week. A dripping tap, a slow drain, a plug point that has stopped working.
High — needs attention soon. No hot water, a toilet that will not flush properly, a gate that is difficult to secure.
Urgent — same day. No water at all, no electricity to the unit, a lock or gate that will not secure, a blocked drain that is backing up.
Emergency — danger or major damage happening right now. Burst pipe flooding the property, exposed live wiring, sparking or burning smell from a board, gas leak, fire risk, a door or gate that cannot be secured at night.

In a genuine emergency

Do not rely on a form. Phone. If there is a fire, an injury or immediate danger, call emergency services first. If water is pouring in, find the main stopcock and close it if you safely can — and it is worth finding out where that is now, while nothing is wrong. If there is a burning smell or sparking from the electrical board, switch the main off if you can do so safely and stay away from it.

After you have reported

Keep the reference number. It is how anyone can find your report instantly instead of searching for it.
Follow up on the reference, not on a new report. Logging the same fault three times creates three jobs and slows everything down.
Be reachable and make access work. A missed appointment usually costs more days than the repair itself.
Say when it is fixed. And say when it is not — if the same fault returns, mention that it is a repeat, because a recurring fault often has a different underlying cause.

Report small things early

A slow drip becomes a damaged cupboard. A slightly loose gate motor becomes a gate that fails at night. Reporting the small version costs you two minutes and saves everyone the large version. Nobody is annoyed by a small report made early.