Anyone using (or wishing for) a “maintenance coordination” service instead of full pr

Anyone using (or wishing for) a “maintenance coordination” service instead of full pr

New to Real Estate · San Diego, CA · Member since 2024 · 16 posts · 14 votes

Hey BP community,

I’m a small investor/landlord and keep running into the same issue:
I don’t mind self-managing, but coordinating maintenance across multiple trades (plumbing, electrical, HVAC, pest, etc.) is a constant time drain — especially when vendors no-show, communication breaks down, or I’m managing properties remotely.

I’m exploring the idea of a standalone property services coordination business that sits between DIY landlords and full property management. The concept would be:

  • One point of contact for maintenance issues

  • Vetted local service providers (licensed/insured)

  • Coordination, scheduling, and follow-up handled

  • No leasing, rent collection, or tenant management

  • Pay per job or optional monthly care plan

Basically: keep control of your properties, but outsource the coordination headaches.

Before going any further, I’m trying to poke holes in this idea, so I’d appreciate candid feedback from people actually in the game.

Questions I’m hoping to get input on:

  1. As a landlord/investor, would you ever pay for coordination without full management? Why or why not?

  2. What would make this useful vs. annoying?

  3. Where do you see this breaking down operationally?

  4. What would you worry about from a liability or pricing standpoint?

  5. Does this already exist in a form I’m missing?

Not selling anything — just looking to learn from people who’ve already made the mistakes.

Appreciate any honest feedback.

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Most Popular Reply

Drew SygitBusiness Member
Property Manager · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2012 · 12k+ posts · 9k+ votes
9mo

Believe Porch, THumbtack, Houzz, TaskRabbit and a few other companies do exacly that.

See this reply in the discussion

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  • Nathan FisherBusiness Member
    Property Manager · Cleveland, OH · Member since 2020 · 305 posts · 261 votes
    9mo

    I have a sister company doing exactly that. Repair My Rentals.

    Basically, I'm offering my Property Management contractors to other landlords and PMs, running the scheduling/billing through me, and taking a cut. The vendors know they're getting paid and don't have to bid/ prospect. The clients have a trustworthy result at a reasonable price. 

    It's working out thus far, but would like to dedicate more time to it. And of course, the biggest issue is Accounts Receivable. Landlords are cheap, will question every penny spent, and then try to get discounts. 

     Take a look at my website for inspiration.

    www.rmrneo.com

  • Colleen F.Pro Member
    Investor · Narragansett, RI · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    9mo

    @Mark Torrefiel  I think you would need a number of qualified vendors on call. For small jobs its great to use the same 3-4 vendors but for the larger ones like for example roofing or a big plumbing job you would want multiple bids and people with the time to do the repair.   And of course that one or two guys that do relatively small jobs like changing a lightbulb, smoke detector.  The question will be what is the price point that this service works at for you and the landlord relative to a PM or a handyman service. 

  • Drew SygitBusiness Member
    Property Manager · Royal Oak, MI · Member since 2012 · 12k+ posts · 9k+ votes
    9mo

    Believe Porch, THumbtack, Houzz, TaskRabbit and a few other companies do exacly that.

  • James JonesPro Member
    Investor · Collierville, TN 38017 · Member since 2017 · 595 posts · 445 votes
    9mo

    I’ll give you the straight answer from someone managing a large remote portfolio.

    Yes, there is demand for this, especially from small investors and out-of-state owners. The problem is execution and liability, not the concept.

    Where this works:

    • Single point of contact

    • Strict vendor vetting and written scopes

    • Clear spend caps with owner pre-approval

    • Zero markup games or hidden fees

    Where it breaks:

    • Emergency calls at 2 a.m.

    • Vendors no-showing and pointing fingers

    • Owners blaming the coordinator when the repair itself fails

    • Gray area liability when something goes wrong

    In practice, this is why most property managers bundle maintenance inside full management. Coordination alone quickly turns into decision-making, and decision-making creates liability.

    If you pursue this, ironclad contracts and very tight boundaries are non-negotiable.

  • Tamara KilgorePro Member
    Member since 2023 · 15 posts · 8 votes
    8mo

    Hey Mark, I am presently coping with your exact issue. I'm a single door investor, for now, and I've self-managed for the past 2-3 years, remotely. When my PM terminated her services, that's when I determined I could self-manage. Self-Management has been going swimmingly, except for a hiccup here and there. For the past few years, I have used home warranty companies for maintenance. It has worked relatively well. This past year, my companies procedures and processing have become less friendly. In fact, the diminished transparency and cumbersomeness has me looking for another approach by April 2026. 

    I am presently, trying to determine how RentRedi's maintenance coordination might work. 

    Have you looked into their maintenance coordination?  

    All in all, I totally concur with James Jones's evaluation of the situation. My greatest concern in the cost management of independent contractors.  

  • Tamara KilgorePro Member
    Member since 2023 · 15 posts · 8 votes
    8mo

    Hey Mark, 

    I continued my research into RentRedi's maintenance collaboration and found they partner with Latchel. Since Latchel is another subscription, it would be more costly. If you're interested, I posted the RentRedi maintenance help center link and screenshot some platform integration instructions. As I suspected, this approach does not allow me to control my maintenance cost effectively. 

    I hope this gives you more information from which to base your decision.

    https://help.rentredi.com/en/collections/922087-landlord-hel...

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