---
id: 6d6b0010
title: Maintenance Requests from Start to Finish
summary: Tenants report a problem with a photo in seconds; landlords reply, move it from Pending to Ongoing to Completed, and find trusted repair businesses nearby.
audience: Landlords and tenants
order: 10
keywords: maintenance, repairs, requests, tickets, fundi, plumber, electrician, status
updated: 2026-10-23
cover: ../media/maintenance-tenant-request.gif
---

# Maintenance Requests from Start to Finish

> **In one sentence:** when something breaks, the tenant reports it in Mkodisha with a photo, the landlord sees it straight away, and both can follow it until it's fixed.

## The simple version

1. **The tap is leaking.** The tenant opens **Maintenance**, clicks **New Request**, says what is wrong, how urgent it is, and adds a photo.
2. **The landlord is told.** It appears in their list of **Maintenance Tickets**.
3. **They talk.** The landlord replies: "A plumber is coming on Friday."
4. **It moves along.** The landlord changes the status: **Pending** (waiting) → **Ongoing** (being fixed) → **Completed** (done).
5. **Everyone can see it.** Nothing is forgotten in a phone call.

## Why Mkodisha does this better

- **Nothing gets lost.** Every request is written down with the date, the house and a photo.
- **Urgent things stand out.** Tenants mark how urgent it is and what kind of job it is (emergency, routine…).
- **One conversation per problem.** Comments stay with the request, not scattered across WhatsApp.
- **Trusted repair people.** Find verified businesses near your buildings, with ratings.
- **See where the problems are.** A chart shows which building has the most requests.

## Where to find it

| What | Link |
|------|------|
| Maintenance page | [mkodisha.com/app/dashboard/maintenance-request](https://mkodisha.com/app/dashboard/maintenance-request) |
| Maintenance tickets | [mkodisha.com/app/dashboard/maintenance-request#maintenance-tickets](https://mkodisha.com/app/dashboard/maintenance-request#maintenance-tickets) |
| Trusted professionals | [mkodisha.com/app/dashboard/maintenance-request#find-trusted-maintenance-professionals](https://mkodisha.com/app/dashboard/maintenance-request#find-trusted-maintenance-professionals) |
| All verified businesses | [mkodisha.com/app/dashboard/maintenance-request/verified-business](https://mkodisha.com/app/dashboard/maintenance-request/verified-business) |
| Tickets per building chart | [mkodisha.com/app/dashboard/maintenance-request#distribution-of-tickets-per-property](https://mkodisha.com/app/dashboard/maintenance-request#distribution-of-tickets-per-property) |

## Step 1 (tenant): Report a problem

![Achieng reports a dripping kitchen tap with a photo](https://tarticles.mkodisha.com/guides/media/maintenance-tenant-request.gif)

1. Open **Maintenance** in the menu and click **New Request**.
2. **Description**: say what is wrong in your own words, for example *"The kitchen tap drips all night and the sink cupboard is wet."*
3. **Priority**: **Low**, **Medium** or **High**.
4. **Category**: pick the kind of job:
   - 🔥 **Emergency**: urgent, needs attention now (no water, sparking socket, burst pipe).
   - 🔑 **Routine**: normal repairs (a dripping tap, a broken latch).
   - 🛡️ **Preventative**: keeping things in good condition (fumigation, servicing).
   - 🪄 **Cosmetic**: looks only (paint, small marks).
5. **Maintenance Photo** (optional): **Choose File** and pick a photo (PNG or JPG, up to 5 MB). It uploads straight away.
6. Click **Submit Request**.

Your landlord is notified, and the request appears in your list with its status.

## Step 2 (landlord): Read, reply and update

![Wanjiru opens Grace's urgent request, replies, and sets it to Ongoing](https://tarticles.mkodisha.com/guides/media/maintenance-landlord-update.gif)

1. Open **Maintenance**. **Maintenance Tickets** lists every request: who raised it, the building, the house, the category, the photo, the status and when.
2. Click **View** to read the request and its comments.
3. Type a reply in **Write a comment** and press Enter. The tenant sees it.
4. Close the window and change the **Status**:

| Status | Meaning |
|--------|---------|
| **Pending** | Received, not started yet |
| **Ongoing** | Someone is working on it |
| **Completed** | Fixed |
| **Rejected** | Not going ahead (say why in a comment) |

Only landlords (and mini landlords with read & write access) can change the status. Landlords can also raise a request themselves with **New Request**, for example to repaint a corridor.

## The summary boxes

![Counts of requests by type and by status](https://tarticles.mkodisha.com/guides/media/maintenance-overview.png)

The boxes at the top count requests by **type** (routine, preventative, emergency, cosmetic) and by **status** (pending, ongoing, completed), so you see at a glance how much is waiting.

## Find a trusted repair business

![Browsing verified maintenance businesses](https://tarticles.mkodisha.com/guides/media/maintenance-professionals.gif)

**Find Trusted Maintenance Professionals** lists verified businesses near you (plumbers, electricians, cleaners, pest control, carpenters, security) with their location and rating. Use **Filter** to narrow by type, and **Book** to open a business's profile and contact them.

## Which building needs the most work?

![Chart of requests per building](https://tarticles.mkodisha.com/guides/media/maintenance-distribution.png)

**Distribution of Tickets per Property** shows how many requests each building has. A building with many requests may need a bigger repair or a better caretaker.

## Quick answers

**I'm a tenant. How do I report a repair?**
**Maintenance → New Request**, describe it, choose how urgent and what kind, add a photo, **Submit Request**.

**How will I know it's being fixed?**
Watch the status: *Ongoing* means someone is working on it. Your landlord's replies appear in the request's comments.

**Can a tenant change the status?**
No. Only the landlord (or their mini landlord with read & write access) can.

**Is the photo required?**
No, but it helps a lot. PNG or JPG, up to 5 MB.

**It's an emergency.**
Choose **Emergency** and **High**, and also call your caretaker. Landlords can list emergency contacts under [Contacts](community.md#the-contacts-directory).

## Words to know

| Word | Meaning |
|------|---------|
| Request / ticket | One reported problem |
| Priority | How urgent it is |
| Category | What kind of job it is |
| Status | Where the job is: pending, ongoing, completed or rejected |
| Fundi | A repair person (Swahili) |

## Related guides

- [Community and Contacts Chat](community.md)
- [Notifications](notifications.md)
- [Adding Tenants and Managing Them](tenant-management.md)
- [Insights and Analytics](insights-and-analytics.md)