Form questions

Maintenance request questions for rental repairs

Ask 10 to 12. Never skip what needs fixing, chosen from a category list, whether it is an urgent repair, and how the tradesperson can get in. The category picks the trade, urgency sets the timeframe, and access decides whether the first visit happens at all.

A maintenance request has to tell the property manager which trade to send, how fast, and how that trade will get in, all from one message. These questions pin down the fault, its urgency and the access details before anyone books a job, so the plumber arrives with the right part and a way through the gate.

The questions

Where and who

  1. Property addressAddressRequired

  2. Your nameNameRequired

  3. MobileShort textRequired

  4. EmailShort text

    Short text, since the email component renders nothing on a published classic form.

  5. Are you the tenant, the owner or a property manager?Single choice

The problem

  1. What needs fixing?DropdownRequired

    One option per trade you actually book: plumbing, electrical, hot water, heating or cooling, appliance, locks, roof, pests, fences.

  2. Where in the property is it?Short text

    The room and the spot, such as ensuite, under the vanity.

  3. Describe the problemLong textRequired

  4. When did it start?Date

  5. Is it getting worse?Single choice

  6. Has this happened before at the property?Single choice

  7. Photo of the problemPhoto upload

    One photo of the fault, with the model plate for an appliance. Use file upload when several angles matter.

  8. For an appliance, the brand and modelShort text

Urgency and safety

  1. Is this an urgent repair?Single choiceRequired

    Print your state's urgent repairs list in a paragraph block above. Victoria's includes a burst water service, a gas leak and a dangerous electrical fault.

  2. Is anyone at risk of injury right now?Single choice

    A yes needs a phone call, so put the after hours number above the form.

  3. Is an essential service not working, such as hot water, power, gas or cooking?Single choice

  4. Have you done anything to contain it, such as turning off the water?Single choice

Access

  1. Can the tradesperson enter if you are not home?Single choiceRequired

  2. Best times for accessMultiple choice

  3. Are there pets at the property?Single choice

    Yes, and they will be secured; yes, loose in the yard; no.

  4. Parking or entry instructions for the tradespersonShort text

  5. How should the tradesperson contact you on the day?Single choice

    Call, text, or through the property manager only.

Anything else

  1. May the property manager give your mobile number to the tradesperson?Single choice

    Asked outright, so the choice to share a number sits with the tenant.

  2. Anything else the tradesperson should know?Long text

  3. I understand a callout for a fault caused by me or my guests may be charged to meMultiple choice

Which questions to make required

Seven questions are required: the address, name, mobile, category, description, urgency and access. Without any one of them a job cannot be assigned, prioritised or attended. The photo stays optional here even though it helps most, because a tenant reporting a burst pipe at night should not be stopped by a camera, and pets, parking and history can be confirmed by phone.

The form built from these questions

A static copy of the finished form, from its own example page.

Maintenance request

Ashcombe Property Management. Urgent repairs: ring the office on the number in your lease first, then submit this.

One photo of the fault itself. Include the model plate if it is an appliance.

Urgent repairs include a burst water service, a blocked or broken toilet, a serious roof leak, a gas leak, a dangerous electrical fault, flooding, serious storm or fire damage, failure of the hot water, cooking, heating or cooling service, and a fault that makes the home unsafe or insecure.

Three ways to change this bank

For common property in a strata scheme, add the lot number, where on the common property the fault is, and whether it affects other lots, and route urgent answers to the strata manager's after hours number rather than a single landlord. For a workplace facilities request, replace the tenant questions with the building, floor and room, an asset tag for equipment, and whether the fault stops people working or creates a safety hazard. For a holiday rental, ask for the booking reference and check out date, whether the guest can still use the property comfortably, and a best time to visit that does not interrupt their stay, then drop the callout charge statement.

Questions people ask

Should a tenant keep paying rent while waiting for a repair?

In Victoria, yes. Consumer Affairs Victoria says renters must keep paying rent even while waiting for a repair, and sets out separate steps if a rental provider ignores a request. Check your own state's rule, then say it plainly on the thank you screen, so a slow repair never turns into a rent dispute as well.

How detailed should the category list be?

One category per trade you actually book, and no more. If the same plumber handles hot water and leaking taps, one plumbing option is enough. A long list of near duplicates makes tenants guess, and a wrong guess sends the wrong trade. Keep an other option with the description question to catch the rest.

Why ask whether the problem is getting worse?

It separates a stable fault from one that will cost more by Friday. A dripping tap that has dripped for a month can wait for the next routine visit, while a ceiling stain that doubled overnight may be an urgent roof leak. A tenant may not know a spreading stain is urgent, and this question catches it without the word.

Should the tenant's phone number go to the tradesperson?

Only with a yes. Ask the tenant directly whether their mobile may be shared, and offer contact through the property manager as the alternative. Many tenants are happy to deal with the trade directly, which saves a round of calls, but the choice belongs to them rather than to whoever books the job.

How do requests reach the right person once submitted?

Turn on the email alerts add-on, which sends every submission's answers to one address, such as a shared maintenance inbox. For a job system, the webhook add-on sends each submission once as JSON, with no retry, so the receiving end must be reliable. The response export also starts with a Submitted At column for the record.

How fast must a non urgent repair be done?

Each state sets its own rule. In Victoria, urgent repairs must be done immediately and non urgent repairs within 14 days of a written request. Keep the submission time from the form as the record of when the request was made, and give the tenant the expected timeframe on the thank you screen.

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On writing the questions themselves, read How to collect photos through a form. For everything the builder can do, see the form maker. Step by step: Create a form with AI, then View, export and manage your responses.

Sources

Written and checked by the OneCraft team. Last checked .