Vacation rental maintenance approvals are the part of management that owners worry about most and ask about least, usually because nobody explains the rules up front. Then a $400 charge appears on a statement and trust erodes. We'd rather spell it out before you sign anything. Here's how repair decisions work when we manage your home, what you approve, what we just handle, and how it lands on your monthly statement.
Three tiers, one simple rule
Every repair falls into one of three buckets:
- Routine and small. Under an agreed threshold, typically a few hundred dollars. Think a replacement toaster, a running toilet, a dead smoke detector battery, a stuck lock. We fix it, we photograph it, and you see the receipt on your statement. No call needed, no delay for the guest.
- Larger and non-urgent. Over the threshold, but the house is functional. A water heater nearing the end of its life, deck boards that should be replaced this year, a hot tub pump that's getting loud. We send you the issue, photos, one or more quotes, and a recommendation. You approve, decline, or ask questions. Nothing happens until you say go.
- Emergency. Something that threatens the property or a guest's safety or ends a stay: a burst pipe, no heat in January, a sewage backup, a failed lock. We act immediately to stop the damage and restore the essentials, then call you as soon as it's stable. You'd make the same call; the water doesn't wait for a text back.
The threshold is set with you at onboarding. Some owners want it low so they see everything. Some want it higher so they hear from us less. Either is fine. Once set, we stick to it.
How we communicate
Approvals come by text or email, whichever you prefer, with photos and a plain description: what's wrong, why it matters, what it costs, how urgent it is. We try to give you a recommendation, not just a menu. If a repair can wait for shoulder season when the house is empty anyway, we'll say so. If a guest is arriving in six hours, we'll say that too. You can always call and talk it through.
Who does the work
We use vendors we've worked with across our own homes and our managed homes: plumbers, electricians, hot tub techs, handypeople, roofers, arborists. On the coast and the mountain, good tradespeople are scarce and busy, and having relationships means we get on the schedule faster. You pay the vendor's actual invoice. We don't mark up repairs, and we don't take a cut from vendors. If you have a contractor you love, we're happy to use them.
What about a maintenance reserve?
Many managers hold a reserve, often $500 or more, from your payouts to cover repairs. We don't. Small repairs are paid from that month's rental income and shown as a line item. Larger approved repairs are handled the same way, or invoiced directly if it's a big job. Your money stays yours until something actually needs fixing. It's one of the differences we spell out on our owners page.
Guest damage versus wear and tear
This is where judgment matters. A broken wine glass is wear and tear; we restock it. A stained couch or a hole in the drywall is guest damage; we document it with photos at inspection, file a claim through the booking platform's damage protection or the guest's deposit, and keep you informed. Most platforms have deadlines for claims, so the turnover inspection is critical. In our experience, most guests are decent and most damage is honest accident, but we pursue the cases that warrant it.
Preventive maintenance we do without asking
Some things are just part of the job and included in our management fee:
- Inspection at every turnover, with a checklist and photos of anything unusual.
- Hot tub water testing and chemical balancing, plus scheduling of drain-and-fill cycles (see how we keep tubs guest-ready).
- Smoke and CO detector checks, furnace filter reminders, gutter checks in fall.
- Restocking consumables like soap, paper goods, and light bulbs, billed at cost.
What the statement looks like
Each month you get a statement showing gross bookings, platform fees, lodging taxes collected and remitted, our 20% management fee, cleaning fees passed through, and any maintenance line items with vendor names and receipts. Nothing is bundled into a mystery "operations" line. Your owner portal shows the same information in real time, so the statement is a summary, not a revelation.
Why we do it this way
Because we own rental homes too, and we know how it feels to open a statement and find a charge you didn't expect. Clear thresholds, real quotes, clear terms. That's it. If you'd like to see how this works for your home, start with a earnings review and we'll walk you through the maintenance side while we're at it.