Landlord plumbing inquiries and approval boundaries

The decision to make first

A landlord may request work at a property where the tenant controls access and someone else must approve the cost. Treat the person requesting work, the person providing access and the person approving charges as separate roles until staff confirm them.

What the handoff should contain

Record the property, landlord contact, access contact if supplied, requested work and any stated approval condition without collecting payment details.

Suggested wording to approve

Example wording: “I can note who is requesting the visit and who can arrange access. Our office will confirm the work and approval arrangements before proceeding.”

Test the difficult case

Use a scenario where the landlord wants tomorrow but the tenant has not agreed to access and the spending limit is unclear. If the caller gives conflicting instructions about entry, route the conflict to the office rather than selecting one person’s instruction.

Worked example

Fictional example: An owner requests a visit at a rented house and supplies a tenant’s name but no agreed access time. The record should say that access coordination and work approval remain unresolved. A preferred date can be noted, but the assistant should not present that date as an appointment the tenant has accepted.

Review it in operation

Review how often dispatch had to call back for an access or approval contact before it could progress the request.

Check before you launch

• Treat the person requesting work, the person providing access and the person approving charges as separate roles until staff confirm them.
• Record the property, landlord contact, access contact if supplied, requested work and any stated approval condition without collecting payment details.
• Use a scenario where the landlord wants tomorrow but the tenant has not agreed to access and the spending limit is unclear.
• Review how often dispatch had to call back for an access or approval contact before it could progress the request.

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