Property Manager vs Tenant Needs Decision Tree

Why this matters

On a rental, the person standing in front of you (the tenant) is not the person who hired you or pays you (the property manager). The tenant wants the problem fixed, often wants more than the work order covers, and sometimes wants something the PM has not authorized. Get this wrong and you either do unauthorized work you will not be paid for, or you make a tenant angry and the PM hears about it. The discipline is simple: the PM is your customer, the tenant is your access and your eyes. This tree keeps you out of the trap of taking direction from the wrong person.

Safety first: a genuine hazard does not wait for authorization

Before any of the authorization logic, one thing overrides everything. If you encounter an immediate danger to life or property, act on the hazard first, then sort out who approves the repair.

• If you find a gas leak, live electrical hazard, active flooding, or anything that endangers the occupants, make it safe immediately: evacuate if needed, shut off the gas or water, de-energize the circuit, and call the appropriate emergency line. You do not wait for the PM to approve stopping a hazard.
• Then notify the PM right away with what you found and what you did. An emergency you made safe is a call the PM will back you on; an injury because you waited for approval is not.
• Document the hazard with photos and a written note. This protects the tenant, the PM, and you.

Safety is never a budget decision. Stabilize first, get authorization for the full repair second.

Start here: the PM authorizes, the tenant does not

Once there is no immediate hazard, the chain of authority is the whole answer.

• You take direction on scope and money from the PM, not the tenant. The tenant reported the problem; the PM hired you and pays the bill.
• The work order defines what you are there to do. If the tenant asks for that and only that, proceed.
• The tenant is your access and your information source. Be courteous and professional with them; they control your entry and they know the history of the unit. A good tenant relationship makes the job easier, but it does not change who authorizes the work.

Branch one: the tenant wants work beyond the order

This is the most common friction point. Sort it cleanly.

• If the extra request is small and clearly within reason, still confirm it with the PM before doing it. "While I am here the tenant also wants X, do you want me to handle it?" A quick call protects your payment.
• If the extra request is significant (added scope, a different repair, an upgrade), do not do it on the tenant's say-so. Tell the tenant it needs the PM's approval and that you will check. Then call the PM.
• Never let a tenant authorize work. A tenant cannot commit the owner's money. Work you do on a tenant's word alone is work you may eat, and it can put you in the middle of a PM-tenant dispute.

Branch two: the tenant disputes what you are there to do

Sometimes the tenant says the order is wrong, or that more was promised.

• If the tenant says the PM promised more than the order shows, do not argue and do not assume. Call the PM and confirm the actual scope. The tenant may be right, or may be hoping.
• If the tenant refuses the work as written or will not give access until you do something else, do not force it. Document the refusal, leave, and report to the PM. The PM sorts out their tenant; that is not your job.

Branch three: the tenant is difficult, hostile, or absent

People problems on occupied units need care.

• If the tenant is hostile or the situation feels unsafe, you do not have to tolerate it. Leave, document why, and let the PM handle the tenant. Your safety and your composure come first.
• If the tenant is not home and access was supposed to be arranged, do not force entry and do not let yourself in without the agreed authorization. Document the failed access, note any trip-charge agreement, and notify the PM.
• If the tenant tries to redirect you to a different unit or a different problem, stick to the work order and confirm any change with the PM first.

Branch four: protect everyone with documentation

The middle-man structure makes documentation your shield.

• Photograph the unit's condition before and after, especially on occupied units. A tenant claiming you caused damage is a fast way to sour a PM relationship; photos end it.
• Report to the PM in plain language they can pass to the owner: what you found, what you did, what the tenant wanted, and what still needs approval.
• Get significant authorizations in writing. A verbal PM approval can be forgotten when the owner sees the bill. An email or work-order note protects you.

Ordered recap

1. Handle any genuine hazard first: make it safe, then notify the PM and document.
2. Default rule: the PM authorizes scope and money; the tenant is access and information only.
3. Tenant wants more than the order: confirm with the PM before doing anything beyond it.
4. Tenant disputes or refuses the work: do not argue, document, and report to the PM.
5. Hostile, absent, or redirecting tenant: stay safe, stick to the order, document, escalate to the PM.

References

• Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) vendor and maintenance practices
• Standard commercial property-management authorization concepts
• OSHA general guidance on hazardous conditions and worker safety
• See related: The Property Manager as a Repeat Client