How does a not to exceed approval limit work on a maintenance job?

Three things, before the first job:

• The limitThe amount a job can reach without a call to you.
• The approverWho signs off above the limit, and who covers when they are away.
• Work that cannot waitWho approves, and up to what amount, when water is coming in or a vital service is out and your approver cannot be reached.

The limit has to sit inside the spending authority your management agreement with the owner gives you. A limit higher than your own authority moves the approval problem to the invoice.

The scope and the price go to your approver in writing. The job shows as waiting on approval, so you can see what is holding it up. If the job changes on site, the change waits for approval too. The invoice matches the scope that was approved.

Some faults cannot be priced until a trade looks. At Roundhouse that visit is a service call of $150 plus HST, credited to the job when the work goes ahead with us. Decline the quoted repair and only the service call applies.

The Residential Tenancies Act does not define an emergency. Section 26 allows entry without written notice in cases of emergency, and the lost vital services, such as heat in season, water or power, are the clearest markers. Agree the rule for work that cannot wait before you need it, not during the call.

An approval limit decides who signs off on the money. It does not change the landlord's duty under section 20 to keep the unit in a good state of repair. If a repair stalls waiting for approval, the tenant can still apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board, and under section 30 the Board can order the repair, a rent abatement or the tenant's reasonable costs.

Your limit and your approver are set before the first booking, and every job is run against them. See how quotes and billing work, how a job runs or send your approval rules.