Maintenance: how-to

Step-by-step instructions for every maintenance task, roughly in the order they happen. For what each option means, see Maintenance; for problems, see Maintenance: troubleshooting.

Find your task

If you’re here because…	Go to
A tenant, owner or someone using your link has reported an issue	Triage a new issue
A tenant phoned or emailed you about a repair	Add a maintenance issue
A tenant raised a repair in a message	Turn a conversation into an issue
An issue came in through the public link with only an address	Link an issue to a property
You need a contractor	Send an issue to a supplier
A supplier rejected a job (“Re-arrange Supplier” Action)	Send an issue to a supplier
An Action says an estimate needs review	Review a supplier’s estimate
The cost needs the owner’s say-so	Ask the owner to approve a job
An Action says the owner has responded	Ask the owner to approve a job
You need to set or approve a date	Schedule a job, or review a proposed date
You’re waiting for parts	Record that you’re waiting for parts
An Action says completed work needs approval	Review completed work
An Action says an invoice needs review, or you have the invoice yourself	Record an invoice and create a financial item
The Missing financial items filter shows an issue	Record an invoice and create a financial item
The work is done	Complete and archive an issue
The repair can wait	Defer an issue
A finished job has come back	Restart a job
You need to message the tenant, supplier or owner	Message people about an issue
A supplier needs a printout	Print a job sheet
Tenants need warning before a visit	Alert tenants about a visit
A colleague is taking over	Assign an issue to someone
You’re setting up maintenance	Set up maintenance settings
You want boiler services or checks logged automatically	Set up a recurring maintenance issue
You want a poster or QR code for reporting	Share the report-an-issue link
A tenant asks how to report a repair	Help a tenant report an issue
You need a list or report	Export or report on issues

Triage a new issue

Do this when a new report appears under Reported, or you get a “maintenance issue … has been added” Action.

Before you start: you need edit permission for Maintenance.

1. From your dashboard, click Menu > Maintenance. Click the Reported card.
2. Open the issue.
3. Read the Request message, check the photos under Public Files, and check Entry permission.
4. Check the Severity. Click Low, Medium or High to change it.
5. If the category is wrong, click the title, then Change category.
6. If it’s in a shared house and affects a particular room, click Set room.
7. Click Begin and Confirm to start investigating. If no one is assigned, this assigns you. Or click Assign to give it to a colleague.
8. Optionally set a Target date, and choose whether to share it with tenants.

What happens next: the issue moves to In progress with the status Investigating. The “added” Action clears. Next, send it to a supplier or schedule it yourself.

Add a maintenance issue

Do this when you hear about a repair outside COHO, or you spot one yourself.

Before you start: you need edit permission for Maintenance.

1. On the Maintenance panel (or a property’s Maintenance panel), click Add maintenance issue.
2. Choose a category, or type a title. Choose the Severity. Click Next.
3. Choose the Property (you can choose several; COHO creates one issue for each) and, for a multi-let or block, the Room or Unit. Click Next.
4. Add Manager Notes and any Images/Videos. Click Next.
5. For a multi-let property:
   • Create on behalf of a tenant? Choose Yes and pick Which tenant reported this?, or No.
   • Share issue with all active tenants: Yes or No.
   • If shared, choose whether to Send message along with issue? and write the Opening Conversation Message. Click Next.
6. Choose the Assignee, and click Add.

What happens next: COHO shows “1 new issue created successfully!” and See issue. A shared issue creates a conversation with tenants who have a COHO account.

Tip

The form tells you whether a conversation will be created, for example “No conversation will be created, since [name] doesn’t have a COHO account”.

Turn a conversation into an issue

Do this when a tenant has reported a repair in a message instead of through their dashboard.

1. In the Message Centre, open the conversation and choose Convert to maintenance issue.
2. Choose the category, the Severity, any Notes, the room (Any room in particular?) and the Assignee.
3. Click Convert.

What happens next: COHO shows “Maintenance issue created!”. The issue appears under Reported.

Link an issue to a property

Do this when someone used your general report link and typed an address, so the issue has no property.

1. Open the issue. The first step is Assign property, “Mandatory step before starting anything”.
2. Click it. The address the reporter gave is shown under “Address given”.
3. Choose the property, and click to confirm.

What happens next: the issue is linked to the property and you can work on it as normal. If the reporter’s email matches one of the property’s tenants, the issue shows their name.

Send an issue to a supplier

Do this when a contractor needs to do the work, or a supplier has rejected the job.

Before you start: add the supplier in Suppliers if they aren’t there yet (you can also add one from this form). To share the job with them you need their email address.

1. Open the issue and click Supplier (or Change supplier).
2. Choose a supplier.
3. Do you want to share this issue with the supplier?
   • Yes: “Send the issue to the supplier”. Then choose what to share: Create conversation between suppliers and the tenants?, Share public files?, Share manager notes?, Share request message?, access codes, tenants’ emails and phone numbers, Invoicing instructions and Share entry permission with supplier. Check the Email address and Contact number.
   • No: “Don’t send to the supplier”. Use this if you’ll phone them and update COHO yourself.
4. Has the supplier already accepted the issue? Yes if they’ve already agreed to do it, otherwise No.
5. Click Confirm.

What happens next: the issue is With supplier. If you shared it, the supplier gets an email, and an SMS if you gave a UK mobile number, with a link to the job. When they accept, the status changes to Supplier Gathering Information.

Tip

To resend the link, open the supplier section and click Copy link, then send it yourself. On a completed job, use Send to supplier.

Caution

Choosing No records the supplier but doesn’t contact them.

Review a supplier’s estimate

Do this when you get an “estimate … requires review” Action.

1. Open the issue and click Review estimate. Check the amount and any attached document.
2. Choose Approve estimate or Reject estimate.
3. If you approve, choose Should the job be scheduled?: Yes, propose a date (enter When will the work be done?), Yes, supplier picks date, or Don’t know yet.
4. If you reject, choose Send back to supplier (with a Message to supplier) or Unassign supplier.
5. Click Confirm.

What happens next: the supplier is told the estimate was accepted or rejected.

Tip

If the owner needs to agree the cost first, ask the owner to approve the job before approving the estimate.

Ask the owner to approve a job

Do this when the owner must agree a repair or its cost.

Before you start: the property needs an owner. To ask them through COHO, the owner needs a COHO account.

1. Open the issue and click Owner approval.
2. If the owner has a COHO account, enter What are you requesting approval about?. COHO will share the issue with the owner and message them with this reason.
3. Click Request.

What happens next: the status is Awaiting Owner Approval (the With owner card). When the owner responds, the status changes to Processing Owner Response, the page shows “Owner response:” with their answer, and you get an Action. Then carry on, for example by approving the estimate.

Note

If the owner has no COHO account, COHO only changes the status. Contact the owner yourself. COHO doesn’t chase owners who don’t respond.

Schedule a job, or review a proposed date

Do this when you’ve agreed a date, or the supplier has proposed one.

To set a date:

1. Open the issue and click Schedule Job (or Change Date).
2. Enter When will the work be done?. Optionally Set end time.
3. If a supplier is assigned, tick Skip requesting date confirmation from supplier if they’ve already agreed.
4. Click Set date.

To review a date the supplier proposed:

1. Click Review schedule.
2. Choose Approve scheduled date or Reject scheduled date.
3. If you reject, choose Propose a date or Let the supplier pick the date, and add a Message to supplier.
4. Click Confirm.

What happens next: once both sides agree, the status is Maintenance Scheduled. Active tenants in the issue’s conversation get an email, “Maintenance issue scheduled”. To warn every tenant at the property, alert tenants.

Record that you’re waiting for parts

1. Open the issue and click Awaiting parts.
2. Optionally set the due date. Click Confirm.
3. When the parts arrive, click Update parts due, choose Parts received (or Modify due date), and click Confirm.

What happens next: the issue shows Parts due and appears under the Awaiting parts card.

Review completed work

Do this when the supplier has marked the job complete and you get an approval Action.

1. Open the issue and click Review maintenance. Read the Completion notes and check any photos.
2. Choose Approve job or Reject job.
3. If you approve and there’s no invoice yet, choose Invoice required or Invoice not required.
4. If you reject, choose Send back to supplier (with a Message to supplier) or Unassign supplier.
5. Click Confirm.

What happens next: if an invoice is required, the status is Awaiting Invoice and the supplier is asked for it. Otherwise the job is Completed and tenants in the conversation get “Maintenance issue completed”.

Tip

To chase an invoice later, click Request invoice. To reject the work without the review step, click Reject the job.

Record an invoice and create a financial item

Do this when a supplier has uploaded an invoice, or you have one to record yourself.

Before you start: to create a financial item you need edit permission for Finances.

To review an uploaded invoice:

1. Open the issue. Under Invoices, open the invoice and check the amount, VAT and document.
2. Click Accept, or Reject and write a message to the supplier.

To add an invoice yourself:

1. Under Invoices, click Add invoice.
2. Enter the amount and VAT, the Invoice date and Invoice number, and upload the document if you have it.
3. Tick Approve invoice directly if you’ve checked it. Tick Complete maintenance issue to close the job at the same time.
4. Click Add invoice (or Add invoice & Complete).

To charge it or record payment:

1. On the accepted invoice, click Create financial item.
2. Check the details COHO fills in from the invoice, choose who pays the cost and who the invoice is made out to, and save.

What happens next: the financial item appears in Finances and on the invoice under Existing Financial Items, showing “Organisation to pay supplier” and “Property owner to pay”. The issue leaves the Missing financial items filter.

Note

COHO fills in the financial item from the invoice, including its date, number, amounts and attached document. Check them before saving.

Complete and archive an issue

Do this when the work is finished.

1. Open the issue and click Complete.
2. Enter When was the maintenance carried out? and any Completion notes.
3. Choose which conversations to archive: Archive conversation with tenant(s), Archive conversation with supplier, Archive conversation with supplier & tenant(s).
4. Anything left? Choose No, all good!, Awaiting invoice or Awaiting other.
5. Click Confirm.
6. When nothing is left, click Archive and confirm.

What happens next: the issue is Completed (or waiting under Awaiting invoice or Awaiting other). Tenants in the conversation get “Maintenance issue completed”. Once archived, it moves to the Archived only list and its conversations are archived.

Tip

To archive several issues at once, use select all on the list, tick the issues, and click Archive.

Defer an issue

Do this when a repair will be done later, for example a non-urgent job waiting for a void period.

1. Open the issue and click Defer.
2. Optionally set On hold until. If a supplier is assigned, choose whether to Unassign the supplier?.
3. Click Confirm.

What happens next: the issue moves to Deferred and shows “Job is on hold”. Tenants see it as Reported. COHO doesn’t reopen it automatically on the date; check the Deferred card. Click Update to change the date.

Restart a job

Do this when a completed or stuck job needs to start again.

1. Open the issue and click Restart job.
2. If a supplier is assigned, choose whether to Unassign the supplier?.
3. Click Confirm.

What happens next: the status goes back to Investigating.

Message people about an issue

Do this to keep every message about a repair in one place.

1. Open the issue. On the right, choose a tab: Housemates (or the tenant’s name), Supplier, Supplier & House, Owner or WhatsApp.
2. Type your message, or open it in the Message Centre.

If there’s no conversation yet:

• Tenants: click the Housemates tab with the add icon. Sharing the issue creates a conversation with all housemates who have a COHO account.
• Owner: click the Owner tab with the add icon, then Share & Create. The owner needs a COHO account.
• Supplier & tenants: created when you share the issue with the supplier and choose Yes to Create conversation between suppliers and the tenants?.

Print a job sheet

1. Open the issue and click Job sheet.
2. Use Compact View or Full View, and hide what the supplier doesn’t need, such as Reduce tenants personal info, Hide access codes or Hide ALL conversations.
3. Print or save it.

For several issues at one property, open the property’s Maintenance panel, select two or more issues (up to 50) and click Job sheet.

Alert tenants about a visit

Do this once a date is approved, to tell everyone at the property that someone will visit.

1. Open the issue and click Alert tenants (“Serve notice of passage”).
2. Confirm.

What happens next: every active tenant at the property gets an email. You can only do this once per issue. Suppliers can also do it from their link.

Assign an issue to someone

1. Open the issue and click Assign (or Change assignment), or use Reassign in the assignee section.
2. Choose the team member and confirm.

What happens next: they get a notification, and Actions for the issue go to them. The change is recorded under Assignment History.

Set up maintenance settings

Do this before tenants start reporting, and whenever your process changes.

1. On the organisation Maintenance panel, click the settings cog.
2. Under Maintenance Categories, add or edit categories. For each item set the default severity, Do you want to set a specific auto-response for this message?, Do you want to require image upload when reporting this issue? and Do you want to require video upload when reporting this issue?.
3. In a category, click Add troubleshooting card to show tenants steps to try first.
4. Under Default Troubleshooting Cards, click Read more and Add default cards to add COHO’s set.
5. For one property’s auto-response, open the property’s Maintenance panel settings cog, choose Would you like to auto-respond to new maintenance issues? and write the response.

Caution

Adding COHO’s default cards again overwrites any changes you’ve made to them.

Set up a recurring maintenance issue

Do this for regular jobs, such as an annual boiler service or monthly alarm tests.

1. In Maintenance Settings, open Recurring Maintenance Issues and click Add recurring issue.
2. Choose the category or title and severity, the frequency and the Start date.
3. Choose Specific properties (leave blank for all) or By property tag.
4. Optionally add Manager Notes, sharing with tenants, a supplier (and whether to share with them), Assign to and Tags.
5. Click Save.

What happens next: COHO creates the issue for each property when it’s due and shows Next due in the list.

Share the report-an-issue link

1. In Maintenance Settings, open Shareable maintenance link and QR code.
2. For one property, click Individual property link and choose it. Otherwise leave All properties.
3. Click Copy link, or save the QR code for a poster or welcome pack.

What happens next: anyone with the link can report an issue without a COHO account. With the All properties link they type the property address, and you’ll need to link the issue to a property.

Help a tenant report an issue

Tell the tenant to:

1. Log in to COHO and open Report maintenance issue on their dashboard.
2. Choose a category. If troubleshooting cards appear, try them, then click I still need to report an issue if the problem remains.
3. Choose the severity, describe the problem and add photos or a video.
4. In a shared house, choose whether it’s in their room and whether to share it with housemates.
5. Answer whether you may enter, if asked, and submit.

They’ll see updates and can message you from the issue.

Export or report on issues

• CSV: on the Maintenance panel click Export (CSV), choose Open issues or Archived issues, and download. “This will export records for the whole organisation.”
• Report: click Generate Report, choose properties or owners, Open or a Date Range, and open the Maintenance Report.