Is It Really an Emergency?
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A Property Manager's Guide to Maintenance Calls
If you work in property management long enough, you learn that the word emergency means something different to everyone.
To one resident, a single ant on the kitchen counter is an emergency.
To another, they'll live with a leaking water heater for a week before finally submitting a maintenance request.
Both situations happen more often than you'd think.
One of the biggest things we try to teach our residents is that every maintenance issue matters—but not every maintenance issue is an emergency.
Knowing the difference helps us respond to the most urgent situations as quickly as possible.
Calls We've Actually Received
Over the years we've received maintenance requests for...
One ant.
One spider.
A burned-out light bulb.
Lovebugs.
Caterpillars crawling on the outside of the house.
A lizard sitting on the porch. (Usually from someone who just moved to Florida.)
A garage door that "stopped working."
It turned out the emergency release cord had been pulled.
A GFCI outlet that had tripped.
A smoke detector chirping at three o'clock in the morning because it needed a new battery.
One resident even wanted us to remove every caterpillar from the outside of the home.
If you've lived in Florida for any length of time, you know that's a losing battle.
Then There Are the Real Emergencies
We've also responded to homes with water pouring through the ceiling.
Trees crashing through roofs after storms.
Burst pipes.
Sewer backups.
Gas odors.
Electrical burning smells.
Flooding.
Water heaters that failed unexpectedly.
Those are the situations where every minute matters.
That's when we drop what we're doing and start making calls.
The One That Always Surprises Me
One of the most frustrating situations isn't actually an emergency.
It's when someone notices something is wrong...
Waits several days...
Then submits a maintenance request and expects it to be fixed immediately.
We've had residents tell us the air conditioner stopped cooling three or four days ago.
When we ask why they waited, the answer is usually,
"I thought it might fix itself."
Unfortunately, most maintenance problems don't get better by waiting.
In fact, they usually get worse.
The sooner we know about an issue, the sooner we can start working toward a solution.
We Want to Help
One thing I hope every resident knows is this:
We want you to tell us when something is wrong.
Don't worry about bothering us.
If you're unsure whether something is an emergency, reach out.
We'd much rather answer a question than have you ignore a problem until it causes more damage.
Your resident portal is available 24 hours a day from your phone or computer, making it easy to submit maintenance requests whenever you notice something.
The more information, photos, and details you can provide, the better prepared our maintenance team will be when they arrive.
When Should You Call Immediately?
If you experience:
- A gas smell
- Active flooding or a burst pipe
- Water coming through the ceiling
- A tree damaging the home
- Smoke, fire, or an electrical burning smell
- A sewer backup
Please contact us immediately using our emergency procedures.
If your issue is something like a burned-out light bulb, a tripped outlet, or a cosmetic concern, submitting a work order through the resident portal is usually the fastest and most efficient option.
We're on the Same Team
Property management isn't about deciding whose problem is more important.
It's about making sure the biggest problems get addressed first while still taking care of the smaller ones.
Every maintenance request tells us something about the home.
Some simply need a little patience.
Others need immediate action.
Knowing the difference helps us take better care of both our residents and the homes we've been trusted to manage.
And if you're ever wondering whether something is an emergency...
Just ask.
We're always happy to point you in the right direction.
