Written by
Emma Collins
Published on
Jan 30, 2026
"Why did the repair cost that much?"
Every letting agent has fielded this question. A landlord sees an invoice and wants to understand what they're paying for. Without clear reporting, even reasonable costs can feel excessive — and trust erodes.
Good maintenance reporting isn't just about sending invoices. It's about giving landlords visibility into what's happening with their property, why decisions were made, and how their money is being spent. Done well, it builds confidence. Done poorly, it creates friction and suspicion.
Why maintenance reporting matters
Landlords are investors. They want to understand their returns, and maintenance is often their largest variable cost after mortgage payments.
When reporting is poor, landlords:
Question every invoice
Suspect they're being overcharged
Second-guess your recommendations
Micromanage decisions that should be yours to make
Eventually move to a different agent
When reporting is good, landlords:
Trust your judgment on repairs
Approve work quickly without extensive back-and-forth
Feel informed rather than surprised
Stay with you longer
Refer other landlords
The difference often isn't the actual costs — it's how those costs are communicated.
What landlords want to see
Clear breakdown of what was done
Landlords want to understand what they're paying for. A line item that says "boiler repair - £350" raises questions. A breakdown that explains the work answers them before they're asked:
Vague:
Boiler repair: £350
Clear:
Boiler repair (Worcester Bosch 30i):
Diagnosed fault: faulty diverter valve causing E9 error code
Replaced diverter valve (part: £85)
Labour: 1.5 hours @ £65/hr
Total: £350
12-month warranty on parts and labour
The second version costs the same but feels justified.
Context for why work was needed
Don't just report what was done — explain why it was necessary:
What did the tenant report?
What did the contractor find?
Why was this the right solution?
Were there alternatives considered?
Context transforms an invoice from "money spent" to "problem solved."
Comparison to expectations
Landlords build mental models of what things should cost. When reality differs from expectation, they need to understand why.
If a repair cost more than typical:
Explain the complicating factors
Note any unusual circumstances
Compare to what a standard job would have cost
If a repair cost less than might be expected:
Highlight the saving
Explain how it was achieved
Timeline of events
Especially for larger or more complex issues, landlords appreciate understanding the sequence:
Tenant reported issue (date)
Initial assessment (date)
Quote obtained (date)
Work approved (date)
Work completed (date)
Issue resolved (date)
This demonstrates that things were handled promptly and professionally — or explains why there were delays.
Photos and documentation
Visual evidence is powerful:
Before and after photos
Photos of the issue that was fixed
Photos of worn parts that were replaced
A photo of a corroded pipe section explains why it needed replacing better than any description.
Reporting formats that work
Per-job reporting
For individual repairs, send a brief summary when work is completed:
Subject: 14 Oak Street - Boiler repair completed
The boiler issue at 14 Oak Street has been resolved.
Issue: Tenant reported no hot water on Monday 15th. Boiler displaying E9 error code.
Diagnosis: Faulty diverter valve preventing hot water flow.
Work done: Diverter valve replaced. Boiler tested and operating normally. [Photo attached]
Cost: £350 (breakdown attached)
Warranty: 12 months on parts and labour.
Brief, clear, complete. The landlord knows what happened without having to ask.
Monthly summaries
For landlords with multiple properties or ongoing maintenance, monthly summaries provide the bigger picture:
Property: 14 Oak Street
Total maintenance spend: £485
Issues addressed: 2
Boiler repair (diverter valve): £350
Dripping tap repair: £135
Outstanding issues: None
Upcoming: Annual gas safety check due next month
Property: 27 Maple Avenue
Total maintenance spend: £0
Issues addressed: 0
Outstanding issues: Tenant reported slow drain in bathroom (plumber scheduled for Tuesday)
Upcoming: EICR due in 3 months
Monthly summaries help landlords track spending over time and anticipate upcoming costs.
Quarterly or annual reviews
For portfolio landlords, periodic reviews show patterns and trends:
Total maintenance spend across portfolio
Spend per property
Comparison to previous period
Major works completed
Upcoming compliance requirements
Properties with higher-than-average maintenance
Recommendations for preventive work
This level of reporting demonstrates strategic thinking about their investment, not just reactive repair handling.
Handling difficult conversations
When costs are higher than expected
Don't hide from it — address it directly:
"I know this repair came in higher than you might have expected. Here's why..."
Then explain the specific factors:
Complexity of the issue
Parts that needed replacing
Access challenges
Emergency/out-of-hours rates if applicable
Proactive explanation is always better than defensive response to a complaint.
When you recommend significant work
For larger expenditures, present options with pros and cons:
Option A: Repair the current boiler (£400)
Pros: Lower immediate cost
Cons: Boiler is 15 years old, may need further repairs, less efficient
Option B: Replace with new boiler (£2,200)
Pros: 10-year warranty, more efficient, unlikely to need repairs for years
Cons: Higher upfront cost
Our recommendation: Given the boiler's age and repair history, replacement offers better long-term value. However, repair is viable if you prefer to defer the larger expense.
Giving landlords informed choices respects their role as property owner while providing your professional guidance.
When tenant behaviour is a factor
Sometimes maintenance issues stem from tenant behaviour — poor ventilation causing damp and mould, for example.
Report factually:
What the issue was
What the contractor found
What action has been taken (including tenant communication)
What ongoing monitoring is in place
Avoid blaming tenants unnecessarily, but don't hide relevant information from landlords.
Building trust through transparency
Share contractor relationships
Landlords sometimes worry that agents mark up contractor costs or use expensive preferred suppliers. Address this by being transparent:
Explain how you select contractors
Note that you don't take commissions from contractors (if true)
Offer to share direct quotes if landlords want to compare
Transparency eliminates suspicion.
Acknowledge mistakes
If something was handled poorly — a repair took longer than it should, a cheaper option was missed — acknowledge it:
"In hindsight, we should have explored repairing the unit before replacing it. We've updated our process to ensure we always get repair quotes first."
Owning mistakes builds more trust than pretending they didn't happen.
Show your process
Landlords trust systems more than promises. Show them how maintenance works:
How issues are reported and logged
How urgency is assessed
How contractors are selected
How approvals work
How completion is verified
When landlords understand your process, they're more confident in outcomes.
Proactive communication
Don't wait for landlords to ask. Send updates at natural milestones:
When a significant issue is reported
When a quote is obtained (before approval if needed)
When work is scheduled
When work is completed
Landlords who feel informed don't feel the need to chase.
Documentation for compliance
Beyond landlord relationships, good maintenance records matter for compliance. Under Awaab's Law, you may need to demonstrate that:
Issues were reported and acknowledged within required timescales
Investigations were completed promptly
Remedial work was carried out appropriately
Communication with tenants was documented
Your reporting to landlords can serve double duty — keeping them informed while building the audit trail you need for compliance.
Technology that supports better reporting
Manual reporting is time-consuming, which is why it often gets skipped. Technology helps by:
Automatically logging all maintenance activity
Capturing photos and documentation at source
Generating reports without manual compilation
Providing landlord portals with real-time visibility
Creating audit trails automatically
When reporting is easy, it happens consistently. When it's hard, it gets deprioritised under time pressure.
The competitive advantage
Agencies that report well stand out. Most landlords have experienced poor communication — invoices without explanation, surprises on statements, lack of visibility into what's happening.
Clear, proactive maintenance reporting:
Differentiates you from competitors
Reduces landlord churn
Generates referrals from satisfied landlords
Supports higher management fees (value is visible)
It's not just good practice — it's good business.
Lanten documents every maintenance interaction automatically — from initial tenant report through to completion — giving you complete records for landlord reporting and compliance. Book a demo to see how it works.
