Property management maintenance call script for tenants
A property management maintenance call script identifies the property and unit first, sorts the request into emergency or routine, gets permission to enter, and tells the tenant when to expect a callback or a visit. The script below runs it for a no-heat call, a leak, a lockout and a dripping tap, with the after-hours vendor dispatch written in.
Pine Ridge Property Management, this is Kai. Are you calling about a maintenance issue?
I can log that for you. Which property are you at, and what's the unit number?
And your name and the best phone number, in case the technician needs to reach you?
Property and unit before the problem. Without them the work order has nowhere to go.
Tell me what's happening. Is there water coming in, no heat, no power, a gas smell, or are you locked out?
Is it affecting other units, or just yours?
If you smell gas, leave the building now and call the gas company or 911 from outside; I'll dispatch from here.
Okay, so it's a dripping kitchen tap and the cabinet under it is dry. That's a routine request, and I'll have it scheduled within two business days.
The five emergency words are the list. Anything on it is today; anything off it is a scheduled work order, and you say the window out loud.
Do we have your permission to enter the unit if you're not home?
Are there any pets we should know about, and is there an alarm or a lock code the technician needs?
Is there a day or a time window that works best for you?
Permission to enter, pets, codes, a window. Skip any of the four and the technician makes a wasted trip.
You've got water coming through the ceiling from the unit above. That's an emergency. I'm going to contact our on-call plumber now and text you their name and an arrival window within fifteen minutes.
In the meantime, if the water is near an outlet or a light, switch off the breaker for that room and move anything valuable out from under it.
I've also left a message for the tenant upstairs to shut their water off at the valve under the sink.
Say what you're doing, give a time for the next contact, and give the tenant one thing to do. Silence after "that's an emergency" is what produces the second and third calls.
Are you outside the unit right now, and is anyone inside?
I can send the on-call locksmith, and there's a lockout fee per your lease, which I'll confirm with you now. Or if a keyholder is available at the office in the morning, there's no charge. Which would you like?
Say the fee exists and where it comes from. A tenant who hears "per your lease" on the call doesn't dispute it on the statement.
Thanks for calling Pine Ridge Property Management. You're speaking with the office's AI assistant. I can log a maintenance request, dispatch an emergency, or take a message for your property manager. Which property and unit are you calling from?
AI notice, then the three things it can do, then the unit question. The tenant's answer routes everything after it.
Why this script gets the work order right the first time
It asks the unit before the problem, so every request lands on a building and a lease, not on a name the manager has to look up.
It sorts with five words. Water, heat, power, gas, lockout. A receptionist who has the list doesn't have to judge whether a dripping tap is urgent; the list already decided.
It gets entry permission and the pet question on the first call. Those two answers are the difference between a repair on Tuesday and a note on the door saying "we called, nobody answered".
The after-hours block gives the tenant a next-contact time. Tenants who know a text is coming in fifteen minutes stop calling; tenants who don't call the emergency line four times.
How to adapt it for your portfolio
Write the emergency list for your buildings. High-rises add elevators and fire panels; single-family portfolios add roof leaks and sump pumps. Put it on the receptionist's screen.
Add your vendor sheet: which plumber, electrician, locksmith and HVAC company are on call, with two numbers each. The dispatch block only runs at the speed of that list.
State the routine window you actually meet. Two business days is common; if yours is five, say five. A promised window that slips is worse than a longer one that holds.
For owners who call the same line, add a sorting question in the greeting: "Are you a resident or an owner?" and route owners to the manager's direct line.
If an AI answers the maintenance line, it says so
How GreetKeeper runs the maintenance line
The unit question, the emergency list and the access questions become GreetKeeper's intake questions. It asks them in order and the answers arrive as question-and-answer pairs in the summary and in the webhook sent to the address you set, so the work order is half-written before anyone reads it.
The five emergency words are a routing rule. A tenant who says water, heat, power, gas or locked out is transferred to the on-call vendor's number, with a second fallback if the first doesn't answer, and the vendor gets a text with the property, unit and problem. Everyone else gets a routine request logged and a callback window stated.
Each property can have its own number under one account, with its own greeting and hours, and every plan includes a dedicated local number per location. Multi-location plans start at $299 per location.
Every call arrives as a transcript and a short summary, and robocalls are screened out before the greeting and don't count toward the plan. When a visit is booked, the tenant gets one text with the booking confirmation after the call, and a reply with the opt-out word stops further texts.
Questions people ask about these greetings
What should a property manager ask on a maintenance call?
In order: which property and unit, the tenant's name and number, what's happening and whether it's affecting other units, permission to enter if nobody's home, pets and access codes, and a time window. Say the callback or visit window before ending the call.
What counts as an emergency maintenance request?
Water coming in, no heat in cold weather, no power, a gas smell, a lockout, and anything affecting more than one unit. A drip, a broken appliance with a working alternative, or a cosmetic issue is a routine work order with a stated window.
Should you charge a tenant for a lockout call?
Follow the lease, and say so on the call: "there's a lockout fee per your lease." Offer the free option too, such as a keyholder at the office in the morning, so the tenant chooses with the fee in front of them.
Can an AI receptionist take maintenance requests from tenants?
GreetKeeper asks the unit, the problem and the access questions you set, transfers an emergency to the on-call vendor with a fallback number, and sends the answers by webhook to the address you set. Each building can have its own number and greeting.
Put the maintenance script on every building's line
14-day free trial, no card, every feature on. Set the emergency words and the vendor numbers, forward the line, and read the first work order as a summary.