Landlord repair brief template
Use this to turn a messy tenant message into a contractor-ready scope before you ask plumbers, electricians, engineers or surveyors to quote.
By the FixQuotes editorial team
- Published
- Reading time
- 6 min read
Key takeaways
- A useful repair brief states the symptom, urgency, access, photos, known risks and what outcome you want priced.
- Same scope means each contractor sees the same facts and quote fields, so you compare the job rather than several guesses.
- Photos help, but access, isolation steps, appliance details and tenant availability often matter just as much.
- Multiple quotes are not guaranteed; category, postcode, urgency and contractor availability decide what is realistically possible.
Copy this repair brief template
Property: postcode area or full postcode when you are ready to instruct; property type; occupied or vacant; tenant, agent or landlord access.
Reported issue: tenant's original message, then a plain-English summary of what is broken, where it is, when it started, and whether it is getting worse.
Urgency: emergency, urgent or routine; state why. For example: active leak, no heating or hot water, only WC blocked, electrical burning smell, damp spreading, roof leak during rain.
Access: who can open up, best time windows, key collection, parking, permits, pets, vulnerable occupants, and whether the contractor can contact the tenant directly.
Evidence: photos, video, make/model labels, previous reports, certificate expiry dates, failed EICR codes, boiler fault code, leak location or damp survey notes.
Quote needed: diagnostic visit, fixed repair, inspection/certificate, remedial estimate, making-good, materials allowance, VAT, callout, attendance window and exclusions.
Example filled brief
Tenant message: “There is water dripping through the kitchen light when the bathroom is used. I turned the bathroom taps off but it still drips for a few minutes. There is a brown patch on the ceiling.”
Repair brief: active leak affecting kitchen ceiling below bathroom; drip appears when bathroom is used; visible staining around light fitting; possible bath waste, shower seal or pipework issue; tenant has photos and can give access weekday evenings after 6pm; landlord needs leak trace and repair quote, with electrical safety/making-good noted separately if required.
Quote fields: callout fee, labour rate or fixed diagnostic price, likely first-visit scope, parts excluded or included, whether return visit is charged, VAT, earliest attendance, and any requirement to isolate electrics before plumbing work.
Photo, access and urgency checklist
Photos: wide shot of the room, close-up of damage, appliance label or boiler fault code, pipework or valve position, outside view for roofs or gutters, and any previous contractor report. Do not ask tenants to touch unsafe electrics, gas appliances or anything at height.
Access: confirm who has keys, whether a tenant must be present, parking or permit constraints, lift/stair access, pets, and any quiet hours. A quote without access assumptions is often not comparable.
Urgency: mark true emergencies clearly, but avoid calling everything urgent. Contractors price and prioritise active leaks, no heating in cold weather, unsafe electrics, gas concerns, only-WC blockages and serious damp hazards differently from routine repairs.
When multiple quotes may not be available
A good brief improves the chance of useful quotes, but it does not create contractor availability. Thin supply is common for out-of-hours work, small jobs in low-density postcodes, jobs needing specialist credentials, urgent certificate renewals, or repairs where the tenant cannot offer access windows.
In those cases, an honest outcome may be one credible quote, a diagnostic-first quote, or a clear note that the job needs more information before it can be priced. That is better than pretending every repair can be turned into three neat options.
Use FixQuotes for the next step
If you are a landlord, start with landlord repair quotes: paste the tenant report and FixQuotes will structure the brief before seeking comparable quotes where local supply supports it.
If you manage repairs for owners, use letting agent repair quotes: send one tenant report and get a landlord-ready quote summary without adding another portal.
Need quotes for any of this?
FixQuotes writes the job up once and returns three quotes from independent local trades. Free for landlords, letting agents, and property managers.