From "The Thingy Is Leaking" to Work Order: How to Turn Vague Tenant Requests Into Actionable Repairs

The Translation Problem 

"Hey, the thingy under the sink is dripping." 

That's a real maintenance request. You've probably received something very similar. And before you can do anything with it, you need answers to at least five questions: Which sink? Kitchen or bathroom? What exactly is leaking — the pipe, the disposal, the faucet connector, the shut-off valve? How fast is it dripping? Is there water damage? When did it start? 

Without these details, you have two options. Call the tenant back and play twenty questions, which takes time and often results in equally vague answers. Or send a handyman for a diagnostic visit, which costs $75 to $150 just to determine what you're dealing with. 

Neither option is efficient. And across a portfolio of ten or more units with three to five maintenance requests per month, the translation problem — converting vague tenant descriptions into actionable contractor work orders — consumes hours of landlord time. 

Why Tenants Are Bad at Describing Problems (And Why That's OK) 

This isn't a criticism of tenants. Most people don't know the difference between a P-trap and a shut-off valve. They don't know whether the noise coming from their HVAC system is a failing compressor or a loose duct. They describe what they observe — a leak, a noise, a smell — in the language they have available, which is often imprecise. 

"The thingy is leaking" actually contains useful information. You know there's a leak. You know it's "under the sink," which narrows it to plumbing. And "thingy" probably means a visible component, not something behind a wall. With the right follow-up questions, you can turn this into a complete work order in two minutes. 

The problem isn't that tenants can't describe issues. It's that most landlords don't have a structured process for extracting the information they need. 

The Five Questions That Turn Anything Into a Work Order 

Every maintenance request, regardless of how vague, can be made actionable with five pieces of information: 

What is happening? Not the diagnosis — the observable symptom. Leaking, making noise, not working, smells bad, looks damaged. Tenants can answer this reliably because it's what they're experiencing.

Where exactly is it? Room, fixture, and location within the room. "Kitchen sink, underneath, on the left side" is specific enough for a plumber to prepare for the visit. "The sink" is not. 

When did it start? This helps determine urgency. A leak that started this morning is different from one that's been going on for two weeks. 

How severe is it? For leaks: dripping or flowing? For noise: constant or intermittent? For temperature: slightly off or significantly hot/cold? For smells: faint or strong? Severity determines whether this is a Tier 1 emergency or a Tier 3 routine repair. 

Can you send a photo or video? A ten-second video of the problem is worth more than five minutes of back-and-forth text description. Photos show the actual condition, help the contractor prepare the right tools and parts, and create documentation for your records. 

Creating a Standardized Request Process 

The most effective landlords don't wait for tenants to describe problems in their own words. They provide a structured format that guides tenants through the information gathering. 

This can be as simple as a text template that tenants fill out: "Please describe the issue in one sentence. Which room and which fixture? When did you first notice it? Is this an emergency (water flowing, no heat in freezing weather, gas smell)? Please send one or two photos." 

Some landlords include this process in their lease addendum as the official method for submitting maintenance requests. Others provide a one-page guide at move-in. The format matters less than the consistency. 

When every maintenance request arrives with the same five pieces of information, you can create a work order for your contractor in under two minutes. The contractor arrives prepared, completes the work faster, and the total cost per repair drops because there's no diagnostic visit or back-and-forth communication wasted on clarification. 

From Tenant Language to Contractor Language 

Once you have the structured information from the tenant, the next step is translating it into language your contractor can act on. 

Tenant says: "The thingy under the kitchen sink is dripping on the left side. Started yesterday. Slow drip. Here's a photo." 

Work order for plumber: "Kitchen sink — leak at supply line connection, left side (hot water). Slow drip, started [date]. Photo attached. Tenant available [days/times]. Auto-approved up to $200." 

That work order gives the plumber everything they need to prepare: the right tools, the likely replacement part, and the authorization to proceed. They can often complete the repair in a single visit instead of making a diagnostic trip first. 

The contractor who receives clear, complete work orders becomes a more reliable partner. They can estimate costs more accurately, schedule more efficiently, and resolve issues faster. Over time, this quality

of communication builds the kind of vendor relationship that gives you priority scheduling and fair pricing. 

When AI Handles the Translation 

The pattern here is consistent: tenant provides symptoms, system asks structured questions, responses get translated into contractor-ready work orders. This is exactly the kind of workflow that AI handles well. 

An AI-powered maintenance system can receive the tenant's initial message ("the thingy is leaking"), automatically ask the five diagnostic questions in conversational language, interpret the responses and photos, categorize the issue by trade and urgency, generate a complete work order, and dispatch it to the appropriate contractor from your vendor list. 

The tenant experiences a fast, responsive, professional interaction. The contractor receives a clear, complete work order. And you receive a notification that a plumbing repair has been scheduled at Unit 3 for Thursday at 2 PM, estimated cost $150, with full details available if you want to review them. 

Your involvement: optional review of the notification. Time spent: thirty seconds. 

That's the difference between being the translator and having a system that translates for you. One requires you to be available, responsive, and knowledgeable about plumbing terminology. The other requires you to have set up the system once and let it handle the repetitive work.