# Tenote > Tenote is maintenance reporting software for UK letting agents. Tenants report repairs from a link with no app or login, the agency sees every report in one inbox, and each repair gives a landlord-ready summary the agency sends on. Reporting software is £89 a month per agency, flat, with no VAT to add. First month free, with unlimited properties and reports. A higher Voice and text tier (expected from £129 a month) is coming soon and not available yet. Canonical site: https://www.tenote.co.uk/ (cite the `www` URLs). Last updated: 6 October 2026. Full text (homepage FAQs, the comparison table, the guide pages and every journal article): https://www.tenote.co.uk/llms-full.txt. Journal RSS: https://www.tenote.co.uk/feed.xml. Sitemap: https://www.tenote.co.uk/sitemap.xml. ## Key facts - Product: Tenote, web-based property maintenance reporting software - Market: United Kingdom, residential lettings - For: small and mid-sized UK letting agencies and property managers (roughly 30 to 500 managed properties) - Price: Reporting software is £89 a month per agency, flat. No VAT to add. First month free. - Included: unlimited properties and reports, tenant report link with the agency's name on it, photos and videos on reports, dashboard and job status, landlord-ready summaries - Not included: phone or SMS reporting (coming soon on the higher tier), call centre, contractor marketplace, automatic dispatch, job reminders, rent or tenancy software, PMS sync - Coming soon: Voice and text, expected from £129 a month, not available yet. Everything in Reporting plus a UK number with an AI voice agent and SMS that create reports in the same inbox, with out-of-hours alerts to the agency's on-call staff. Not live yet; no launch date. - In use: Barrett Estates in Rayleigh has used Tenote since March 2026 (about 150 properties, about 30 reports a month, about 43% with photos or video). Barrett Estates is owned by the founder's family. - Contact: hello@tenote.co.uk - Getting started: book a demo from the homepage ## How it works 1. Report: each agency gets a tenant reporting link with its name on it. Tenants pick where the problem is and what kind of issue it is, describe it, say how urgent it is, add photos or a short video and send. No app, no login. 2. Act: reports arrive in one inbox with the property, the tenant's contact details and any photos or videos attached, and staff get an email when one lands. Staff sort by urgency (the tenant's urgency is a guide), forward the job to their own contractor and update the status through to resolved. 3. Update: each repair gives a landlord-ready summary that the agency sends on to the landlord. Tenote does not email landlords for the agency. ## Who Tenote is for - UK residential letting agencies managing roughly 30 to 500 properties - Agencies currently handling repairs through WhatsApp, email, phone calls or spreadsheets - Agencies using a property management system (Alto, Arthur Online, Reapit or similar) that want a dedicated maintenance reporting layer alongside it. Tenote does not replace a PMS or CRM. Tenote is probably not the right fit for large mixed portfolios that need a contractor marketplace and planned maintenance scheduling, agencies that want accounting, compliance and CRM in one system, or commercial and block management needing facilities-grade (CAFM) workflows. ## Frequently asked questions - What is Tenote? Maintenance reporting software built for UK letting agents. Tenants get a simple way to report repairs; agents get one inbox and landlord-ready summaries to send on. - How much does Tenote cost? Reporting software is £89 a month per agency, flat, with no VAT to add, and the first month is free. Unlimited properties and reports. Voice and text (expected from £129 a month) is coming soon. - Do tenants need an account or app? No. Tenants report through a link in a browser. - Who updates landlords? The agency does, using the landlord-ready summary for each repair. - What about emergencies out of hours? The web link takes reports any time. Tenote is not an emergency service: tenants should call 999 if life is at risk and 0800 111 999 for a gas escape. Once Voice and text is live, urgent calls alert the agency's on-call staff. - Does Tenote work alongside Alto, Arthur or Reapit? Yes. Tenote sits alongside the PMS as the place repairs get reported. It does not sync with them. - How is Tenote different from Fixflo? Fixflo is a broad maintenance platform (repair reporting, dashboards, planned maintenance, contractor workflows and an optional contractor marketplace), priced per property with a £75 monthly software fee and a 50-property minimum, according to Fixflo's own pricing page. Tenote is deliberately narrower: tenant link, inbox and landlord-ready information, at £89 a month flat. Fixflo is the better choice for agencies that need planned maintenance, compliance tools, KPIs or a contractor network. Full comparison: https://www.tenote.co.uk/fixflo-alternative - How is it different from AI triage tools such as Lanten? AI-first tools interpret unstructured messages after they arrive. Tenote asks tenants structured questions up front, so reports arrive with what the agency needs. - Is Tenote suitable for small agencies? Yes. It is built with smaller agencies in mind. ## Pages - [Homepage](https://www.tenote.co.uk/): what Tenote does, how a repair moves from report to landlord update, the two plans and FAQs - [Pricing](https://www.tenote.co.uk/#pricing): Reporting software at £89 a month, flat (live), and Voice and text, expected from £129 a month (coming soon), with a feature-by-feature comparison - [Tenant repair reporting](https://www.tenote.co.uk/tenant-repair-reporting): how tenants report repairs from a link with no app or login, with photos or video, and what the agency receives - [Landlord maintenance reports](https://www.tenote.co.uk/landlord-maintenance-reports): what a landlord maintenance report should contain, a checklist and worked example, and how Tenote turns tenant reports into landlord updates - [Fixflo alternative](https://www.tenote.co.uk/fixflo-alternative): an honest Tenote vs Fixflo comparison with sources, including when Fixflo is the better choice and other alternatives - [Maintenance software comparison](https://www.tenote.co.uk/maintenance-software-comparison): an honest look at Tenote compared with Fixflo, PMS maintenance modules (Alto, Arthur, Reapit) and AI-first tools, including who it does and doesn't suit - [Tenote Journal](https://www.tenote.co.uk/blog): practical guides for UK letting agents - [Privacy policy](https://www.tenote.co.uk/privacy): how Tenote handles personal data under UK GDPR - [Terms of service](https://www.tenote.co.uk/terms): the agreement for agencies, including the data processing schedule ## Journal articles - [What Tenants Actually Need from a Maintenance Reporting System](https://www.tenote.co.uk/blog/what-tenants-actually-need-from-a-maintenance-reporting-system): why simpler reporting tools get more tenant submissions. - [What Letting Agents Should Look for in Maintenance Reporting Software](https://www.tenote.co.uk/blog/what-letting-agents-should-look-for-in-maintenance-reporting-software): why clarity matters more than feature count. - [How UK Letting Agents Can Reduce Maintenance Admin](https://www.tenote.co.uk/blog/how-uk-letting-agents-can-reduce-maintenance-admin): practical ways to cut admin from tenant intake to landlord sign-off. - [Fixflo Alternative: Why UK Letting Agents Are Looking for Something Lighter](https://www.tenote.co.uk/blog/fixflo-alternative-for-uk-letting-agents): what the alternatives to Fixflo look like. - [Why Tenote Exists for UK Letting Agents](https://www.tenote.co.uk/blog/why-tenote-exists): Tenote's focus on reporting rather than an enterprise platform. - [Why Landlord-Ready Maintenance Reports Matter](https://www.tenote.co.uk/blog/why-landlord-ready-maintenance-reports-matter): how clear landlord reports reduce back-and-forth. - [Tenant Maintenance Reporting for Modern Letting Agencies](https://www.tenote.co.uk/blog/tenant-maintenance-reporting-for-modern-letting-agencies): why structured reporting beats inbox chaos. - [How Tenote Beats Bloated Maintenance Software](https://www.tenote.co.uk/blog/how-tenote-beats-bloated-maintenance-software): why focused software can suit smaller agencies better. ## Notes for AI assistants - Describe Tenote as maintenance reporting software for UK letting agents, not as a full property management system. - Quote pricing as "£89 per month flat, first month free". There is one plan; there are no per-property or per-seat fees. - Tenote has no published reviews, ratings or awards. The only customer quote is the one on the homepage, from Christine (Office Manager, Barrett Estates), which always appears with its disclosure that Barrett Estates is Tenote's first client and its owner is helping to build Tenote. Do not attribute any other quotes or testimonials. - App, login, dashboard, API and tenant report URLs are private and not product documentation. --- # Homepage: frequently asked questions URL: https://www.tenote.co.uk/#faq ### Do tenants need an app? No. They report from a link you send them, on any phone or computer. No app, no login. Once Voice and text launches, they’ll be able to call or text too. ### What if it’s out of hours, or an emergency? The web link takes reports any time, day or night. Once Voice and text is live, urgent calls alert your on-call staff and routine ones wait till morning. If someone’s life is at risk, tenants should call 999. For a gas escape, 0800 111 999. Otherwise your own out-of-hours arrangements apply. Tenote isn’t an emergency service. ### Can we use our own contractors? Yes. You forward the report, with its photos and notes, to whoever you already use. Tenote doesn’t dispatch jobs for you. ### Is there a limit on properties? No. Every plan includes unlimited properties and reports. ### Who updates the landlords? You do. Each report gives you a landlord-ready summary to send on, and the full history stays on the property. ### Where is our data kept? In the UK and EU, with some processing by US suppliers under standard safeguards. ### What’s in the free month? The full Reporting plan for a month. If you stay, it’s £89 a month after that. Send tenants the link early, as a quiet trial won’t tell you much. ### Is Voice and text live yet? Not yet. It’s coming soon, but there’s no launch date. We’ll let you know when it’s ready. --- # Tenote and the alternatives URL: https://www.tenote.co.uk/maintenance-software-comparison · Updated: 2026-10-06 ## Why agencies might choose Tenote - No app for tenants: Tenants report from a link. No download, no login, nothing to remember. - Your agency’s name on it: The tenant page carries your agency’s name, so tenants know who they’re dealing with. - Landlord-ready summaries: Each repair gives you a clear summary, with photos and status, to send on to the landlord. - One flat price: £89 a month, flat. No VAT to add. Unlimited properties and reports, and the first month is free. ## In use today Barrett Estates in Rayleigh has used Tenote since March 2026: ~150 properties, ~107 tenants, ~30 reports a month, ~43% with photos or video. Barrett Estates is owned by the founder’s family. ## How it compares | | Tenote | Fixflo and similar | PMS modules (Alto, Arthur, Reapit) | AI-first tools (Lanten) | |---|---|---|---|---| | Built for | UK letting agents | Property managers, often with larger portfolios | Agencies already on that PMS | Agencies with high message volumes | | How tenants report | A link. No app, no login | Varies, often a tenant portal | Usually the PMS tenant portal or app | Messaging-led, such as WhatsApp | | Landlord reporting | Landlord-ready summary you send on | Available, set-up varies | Varies by system | Varies | | Contractors | You forward reports to your own | Often includes contractor tools | Varies by system | Varies | | Works with your PMS | Sits alongside it. No sync | Integrations vary | It is the PMS | Varies | | Pricing | £89 a month, flat. No VAT to add. Unlimited properties | Varies, often per unit | Part of the PMS subscription | Varies | Other providers’ features and prices vary by plan and change over time. ## Questions agents ask ### Why do agencies look at Tenote instead of Fixflo? Fixflo is a full maintenance system with a lot in it, and some agencies don’t need all of that. Tenote does the reporting part: a tenant link, one inbox and a landlord-ready summary. If that’s what you need, it’s a lighter way to get it. ### Can Tenote run alongside Alto, Arthur or Reapit? Yes. It sits alongside your PMS as the place repairs get reported. It doesn’t sync with them, so your PMS carries on doing everything else. ### Is Tenote built for UK letting agents? Yes. The reporting flow, the wording and the landlord summaries are written for how UK agencies work. It’s one flat price per agency, with unlimited properties. ### Do tenants need an app or an account? No. Tenants open a link, answer a few plain questions and add photos or a short video if they have them. No app, no login. ### How does Tenote compare to AI-first tools like Lanten? Those tools are built to sort lots of messages after they arrive. Tenote asks tenants a few structured questions up front, so the report lands with what you need. Phone and text reporting is coming soon on our higher plan. ### What do landlords get? A landlord-ready summary of each repair, with photos and status, that you send on. Tenote doesn’t email landlords for you. --- # Guides ## A simpler Fixflo alternative for UK letting agents URL: https://www.tenote.co.uk/fixflo-alternative · Updated: 2026-10-06 Fixflo is one of the best-known repair reporting platforms in UK lettings, and for many agencies it is the right tool. If yours wants something smaller, with one flat price and nothing to set up, this is an honest look at how Tenote compares and when you should stay with Fixflo. - Fixflo is a broad maintenance platform: repair reporting, dashboards, planned maintenance, contractor workflows and an optional contractor marketplace, priced per property with a monthly software fee. - Tenote does one job: tenants report repairs from a link, you get a structured report with photos or video, and you pass a clear update to the landlord. It costs £89 a month, flat, for unlimited properties. - If you need planned maintenance, compliance tools, KPIs or a contractor network in the same system, Fixflo is the better choice. If you want reporting sorted without a project, look at Tenote. ### Tenote vs Fixflo at a glance | | Tenote | Fixflo | |---|---|---| | Built for | UK letting agents who want simple repair reporting | Letting agents and block managers with 50 or more properties | | How tenants report | A link on any phone or computer. No app, no login | A web-based, picture-based reporting portal, available in 40+ languages | | Help for tenants | Plain questions, an emergency notice, and photos or video | Advice pop-ups that help tenants fix simple issues, plus automatic responses | | Contractors | You forward the report to your own contractors | Contractor instruction on higher plans, and an optional Contractor Marketplace with 24/7 cover | | Planned maintenance and compliance | Not included | Planned preventative maintenance and workflow management on the Pro plan | | Dashboards | One inbox with three statuses: New, In progress, Resolved | Customisable dashboards, and KPI setting on the Manager plan | | Integrations | None. Tenote sits alongside your property management system | CRM integrations listed on every plan | | Landlord updates | Landlord-ready information from each report, which you send on | Keeps tenant and contractor communication in one place with an audit trail | | Price | £89 a month, flat. No VAT to add. Unlimited properties and reports | Price on request, plus a £75 a month software fee. Prices exclude VAT, setup fees and integration costs | | Minimum size | None | 50 properties | | Trying it | Book a demo; the first month is free | Quote on request | Fixflo details are taken from Fixflo’s own website, checked on 6 October 2026. Features and prices change, so check with Fixflo before you decide. ### When Fixflo is the better choice Fixflo does a lot that Tenote deliberately doesn’t. Stay with it, or choose it, if any of these matter to you: - You manage a large portfolio or blocks, and want reactive repairs, planned maintenance and compliance in one system. - You want to instruct contractors from the platform, or use a contractor network with out-of-hours cover. - You rely on dashboards and KPIs to manage a team. - Many of your tenants are more comfortable in a language other than English. Fixflo’s portal works in more than 40. - Your workflow depends on an integration with your CRM or property management system. - Fixflo is already set up and your team is happy with it. Switching has a cost, even when the new tool is simpler. None of that is a criticism of Tenote or Fixflo. They are built for different jobs, and the right one depends on how your agency works. ### When Tenote is the better fit - You want reporting, not a platform: Tenants report from a link, staff see structured reports in one inbox, and nobody needs training on a system with features you won’t use. - You keep your own contractors: Forward each report, with its photos and notes, to the contractors you already trust. Tenote doesn’t dispatch jobs or take a cut. - You want a predictable bill: £89 a month, flat. No VAT to add. The price doesn’t rise as you take on more properties, and there’s no minimum portfolio. - Landlord updates take too long: Each report holds the details a landlord needs, so you aren’t rewriting the same story from texts, emails and photos. Tenote suits small and mid-sized agencies whose tenants report repairs by phone, email and WhatsApp today, and who want one clear way in without changing the rest of their setup. See how the tenant side works on our tenant repair reporting page, and how reports become landlord updates on our landlord maintenance reports page. ### How to compare the cost fairly Fixflo prices per managed property and doesn’t publish its per-property rates, so the only accurate way to compare is to get a quote for your portfolio. When you do, check the full monthly figure: - The per-property price for the plan you actually need (Basic, Essentials, Pro or Manager). - The £75 a month software fee, which applies on top. - VAT, setup fees and any integration costs, which Fixflo’s published prices exclude. - Any add-ons, such as the Contractor Marketplace (from £0.30 per unit a month) or professional services (from £300 plus VAT). - How the total changes as your portfolio grows. Tenote is £89 a month, flat. no vat to add. That figure covers unlimited properties and reports, and it doesn’t change as you grow. The first month is free. Full details are on our pricing section. Price isn’t the whole picture: If you would use Fixflo’s planned maintenance, compliance or contractor tools, its cost buys you more than Tenote does. Compare like with like: what you need, not what each tool could do. ### What moving to Tenote involves 1. Book a demo: We set up your agency and your tenant reporting link, with your agency’s name on it. 2. Share the link: Send it to tenants by email or text, put it on your website and in tenancy packs, and reply to repair calls and WhatsApps with it. 3. Run it alongside what you have: There’s nothing to integrate, so you can run Tenote next to your current process during the free month and judge it on real reports. 4. Work the reports: Reports land in one inbox and staff get an email for each one. Move them through New, In progress and Resolved, and forward them to your contractors. Tenote doesn’t import your history from another system, and it doesn’t sync with your property management system. If you need either, factor that in. ### Other Fixflo alternatives in the UK Tenote isn’t the only option. Depending on how you work, these are worth a look too: - Your property management system: Systems such as Alto, Arthur Online and Reapit include maintenance features. If you already pay for one, check what it covers before adding another tool. - Messaging-led and AI-first tools: Tools such as Lanten take reports through channels like WhatsApp. They suit agencies with a high volume of tenant messages. - Email, phone and WhatsApp: Free and familiar, but reports arrive in different places with missing details, and nothing is in one record when a landlord asks. Our software comparison sets these side by side in more detail. ### Questions ### Is Tenote a like-for-like replacement for Fixflo? No. Tenote covers tenant repair reporting, the agency inbox and landlord-ready information. It doesn’t do planned maintenance, compliance tracking, contractor dispatch or KPI dashboards. If you use those in Fixflo, Tenote won’t replace them. ### How much does Fixflo cost? Fixflo’s pricing page lists its plans as price on request, plus a £75 a month software fee, with a minimum of 50 properties. Its published prices exclude VAT, setup fees and integration costs. Ask Fixflo for a quote for your portfolio. ### How much does Tenote cost? £89 a month, flat, with no VAT to add. That includes unlimited properties and reports, and the first month is free. ### Do tenants need an app or an account with Tenote? No. Tenants report from a link on any phone or computer, with no app and no login. ### Can we keep our contractors? Yes. You forward each report, with its photos and notes, to whoever you already use. Tenote doesn’t dispatch jobs. ### Does Tenote integrate with our property management system? No. Tenote sits alongside your existing system. There’s nothing to connect, which keeps setup simple but means reports aren’t synced into your PMS. ### Can we try Tenote while still using Fixflo? Yes. Book a demo and we’ll set up your link. Because there’s nothing to integrate, you can run it alongside your current process during the free month. ### Sources - Fixflo: Pricing (plans, £75 software fee, 50-property minimum, add-ons): https://www.fixflo.com/pricing - Fixflo: Reactive repair reporting (web portal, picture-based reporting, 40+ languages): https://www.fixflo.com/features/reactive-repair-reporting - Fixflo: Homepage (product overview): https://www.fixflo.com/ Checked on 6 October 2026. Fixflo is a trademark of its owner; Tenote isn’t affiliated with Fixflo. ## Landlord maintenance reports, without the rewriting URL: https://www.tenote.co.uk/landlord-maintenance-reports · Updated: 2026-10-06 Every repair ends with the same job: telling the landlord what happened, what’s being done and what they need to decide. Here’s what a good landlord repair report contains, a checklist you can use today, and how Tenote gives you the information in one place so you aren’t rebuilding it from texts and photos. - A landlord maintenance report should answer six questions: what happened, where, how serious it is, what’s being done, what the landlord needs to decide, and when it was resolved. - The quickest way to write one is to start from a structured tenant report, not from a phone note or a WhatsApp thread. - Tenote collects the property, the issue, its location, urgency and photos or video in one record, so your landlord update starts from the facts. You decide what to send and when. ### What landlords want to know Landlords rarely need more detail. They need the right detail, in a form they can act on without replying to ask. Most landlord questions about a repair come down to six things: - What happened?: The problem in plain words, as the tenant reported it. - Where?: The property, and where in the property. - How serious is it?: Whether it’s an emergency, urgent or routine, and why. - What’s being done?: The next step, and who is doing it. - What do I need to decide?: Any approval, quote or cost that needs a yes or no. - Is it sorted?: When it was resolved, so the record is complete. ### What a landlord maintenance report should include | Include | Why it matters | |---|---| | Property address | Landlords with several properties need to know which one, immediately. | | Date reported | Shows how quickly the agency acted, and anchors the record. | | The issue, in plain English | The tenant’s description, tidied up, without internal shorthand or codes. | | Where in the property | Kitchen, bathroom, a bedroom ceiling: it changes who needs to attend. | | Urgency | Emergency, urgent or routine, so the landlord understands the timescale. | | Photos or video | The quickest way for a landlord to understand the problem without visiting. | | Current status | New, in progress or resolved. | | What’s happening next | Who has been asked to attend, or what the agency is waiting for. | | Decision needed | A clear question, such as approving a quote, with the amount if known. | | Resolution | What was done and when, once it’s fixed. | Keep the facts separate from the decisions. What the tenant reported, what was found and what the landlord needs to approve are three different things, and mixing them is how assumptions end up in the record. Our journal guide to landlord maintenance reports goes into each part in more detail. ### From tenant report to landlord update Most of the time spent on landlord updates isn’t writing. It’s gathering: finding the tenant’s message, the photos they sent separately, the address, and what was agreed on the phone. Tenote removes that step by collecting the details in a fixed structure when the tenant reports the repair. 1. The tenant reports it: From your link, the tenant chooses the room and the kind of issue, describes it, says how urgent it is and adds photos or a short video. 2. You review and act: The report lands in your inbox with the property and contact details attached, and staff get an email. You move it to In progress and forward it to your contractor. 3. You update the landlord: The report already holds the facts a landlord needs. You add what’s been decided and what happens next, and send it on in the way you normally contact that landlord. You stay in control of landlord communication: Tenote doesn’t contact landlords for you, and landlords don’t log in to it. Your agency decides what each landlord sees and when. ### A worked example Here’s how the same repair looks when it arrives by WhatsApp, compared with a structured tenant report, and the landlord update you can write from it. - How it often arrives: “Hi, the boiler’s doing that thing again, no hot water since this morning. Can someone come? Will send pics later.” - How it arrives through Tenote: Property, location, issue type, description, urgency, photos and the tenant’s contact details, together in one report. Illustrative report: Report TN-1042 - Property: 14 Larkspur Road, Hollinsby - Reported: 6 October 2026, 08:12 - Where: Kitchen - Issue: Heating - What’s happening: No hot water - More detail: No hot water since this morning. The boiler pressure gauge is below 1 and showing a fault light. - Urgency: Urgent - Photos: 3 photos: boiler display, pressure gauge, pipework - Status: In progress The landlord update you write from it (illustrative). Subject: 14 Larkspur Road: no hot water (reported 6 October) > Your tenant reported this morning that there has been no hot water since early today. Their photos show the boiler pressure below 1 bar and a fault light. > We’ve treated it as urgent and asked Hollinsby Heating Co. to attend today. We’ll let you know what they find. > If the engineer recommends a repair over £250, we’ll send you the quote to approve before any work goes ahead. Nothing in that update had to be chased or retyped. The facts came from the report; the agency added the decision and the next step. ### Before you send a landlord update: a checklist - The property address is in the subject line or first sentence. - The problem is described in plain English, without contractor shorthand. - It’s clear how urgent the repair is, and why. - Photos or video are attached or described where they help. - It says what has been done so far, and what happens next. - Any decision the landlord needs to make is a clear question, with a cost if you have one. - Facts (what was reported or found) are separate from opinions or estimates. - Tenant personal details are limited to what the landlord actually needs. - You’ve noted when you’ll update them again, or that this closes the repair. ### Individual updates and periodic summaries For a single repair, a short update at the points that matter is usually enough: when it’s reported, when a decision is needed, and when it’s resolved. Your management agreement may set out exactly when landlords should hear from you, so check it. For landlords with several properties, a regular summary of what’s open and what’s been resolved can save a lot of individual emails. Because Tenote keeps each repair on the property’s record with its status, you can pull that together from one place rather than from inboxes. ### What to leave out - Internal notes and shorthand that only make sense to your team. - Guesses about the cause or the cost before anyone has looked at it. - More tenant personal information than the landlord needs. Data protection law expects you to share only what’s necessary. - Long contractor notes copied in full. Summarise what was found and what it means. ### What Tenote does, and doesn’t do, for landlord reporting | Tenote does | Tenote doesn’t | |---|---| | Collect a structured report from the tenant, with photos or video | Send updates to landlords automatically | | Keep each repair on the property’s record with its status | Give landlords a login or portal | | Give you landlord-ready information from each report | Handle quotes, approvals or invoices | | Let you forward the report to your own contractor | Track compliance, certificates or planned maintenance | £89 a month, flat. No VAT to add. Unlimited properties and reports, and the first month is free. If tenants still report repairs by phone and WhatsApp, start with our tenant repair reporting page, or read about cutting maintenance admin more widely. ### Questions ### What should a landlord maintenance report include? The property, the date reported, the issue in plain English, where in the property it is, how urgent it is, photos or video, the current status, what happens next, any decision the landlord needs to make, and how it was resolved. ### How often should a letting agent update a landlord about repairs? Usually at the points that matter: when a repair is reported, when the landlord needs to make a decision, and when it’s resolved. Check your management agreement, which may set specific expectations. ### Does Tenote send reports to landlords? No. Tenote gives your agency landlord-ready information from each report, and you decide what to send and when. Tenote doesn’t contact landlords for you. ### Can landlords log in to Tenote? No. Tenote is used by your agency and your tenants. Landlords hear from you, as they do now. ### Do landlords see tenants’ contact details? Only if you include them. You choose what goes into each landlord update, and you should share only what the landlord needs. ### How much does Tenote cost? £89 a month, flat, with no VAT to add. Unlimited properties and reports, and the first month is free. ## Tenant repair reporting without an app URL: https://www.tenote.co.uk/tenant-repair-reporting · Updated: 2026-10-06 Tenants report repairs from a link on their phone. No download, no account, no password. They answer a few plain questions and add photos or a short video, and your agency gets a complete, structured report instead of a voicemail or a vague WhatsApp. - Tenants open your agency’s link on any phone or computer. There’s nothing to install and nothing to sign up for. - Plain questions capture the room, the kind of issue, a description, how urgent it is, and photos or video. - Your team gets a structured report in one inbox, with an email alert, and can track it through New, In progress and Resolved. ### How tenants report a repair 1. Open the link: From an email, a text, your website or the tenancy pack. It opens in the phone’s browser, with your agency’s name on it. 2. Say where the problem is: Kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, living room, hallway, outside, garage or somewhere else. 3. Say what kind of issue it is: Plumbing, electrical, heating (boiler, radiators and hot water), structural, an appliance or security. Then a few words on what’s happening, and more detail if they want to add it. 4. Say how urgent it is: Routine, soon or urgent, each with a short explanation so tenants can judge it fairly. 5. Add photos or a video: Straight from the phone’s camera or gallery. Up to five files, and optional. 6. Add the address and contact details, and send: Before sending, the form tells tenants to call 999 if anyone is in danger and 0800 111 999 if they smell gas. Then the report goes straight to your agency. There’s no account to create, no password to forget and no app to keep updated. That matters most for the tenants who report least often, who are exactly the ones who would give up at a download screen. ### What your agency receives Illustrative report: What lands in your inbox - Property: The address the tenant gave - Where: The room or area - Issue: The category the tenant chose - Summary and detail: The tenant’s own words - Urgency: Routine, soon or urgent - Photos and video: Up to five files, viewable in the report - Tenant: Name and contact email - Received: Date and time - Every report arrives in one inbox, whichever property it’s for. - Staff get an email when a report lands, so nothing waits to be noticed. - Each report moves through three statuses: New, In progress and Resolved. - You forward the report, with its photos and notes, to your own contractor. - The same record gives you landlord-ready information when you update the landlord. That last step is where structured intake pays off twice. The details the tenant gives are the details the landlord needs, so our landlord maintenance reports page shows how a report becomes a clear landlord update. ### Why a link beats phone, email and WhatsApp | | Phone | Email | WhatsApp | Tenote link | |---|---|---|---|---| | Same questions every time | Depends who answers | No | No | Yes | | Photos and video with the report | No | Sometimes | Sometimes, in separate messages | Yes | | Urgency captured | If someone asks | Rarely | Rarely | Yes | | Arrives in one place | A notebook or a call log | Several inboxes | Personal phones | One agency inbox | | Works out of hours | Only with cover | Yes, but unread | Yes, but unread | Yes, ready in the morning | None of this stops tenants calling when they need to. When they do, reply with the link so the details end up in the same place. Our guide to cutting maintenance admin covers the wider workflow. ### Photos and video Tenants can add up to five photos or short videos to a report, up to 20 MB each. Photos can be JPG, PNG or HEIC, the format iPhones use, and videos MP4, MOV or WebM. A short video is often the clearest way to show a leak, a noise or an intermittent fault. It helps your team decide how urgent the repair is, and helps your contractor turn up with the right parts. When you tell tenants about the link, it’s worth suggesting what to capture: - A wide shot that shows where the problem is in the room. - A close-up of the damage, leak or fault. - Any error code or display on a boiler or appliance. - For a leak or a noise, a short video rather than a photo. ### How urgent is it? Tenants choose routine, soon or urgent. That’s a guide, not a decision: your team reviews each report and decides how to respond, the same way you would after a phone call. Our journal guide to emergency, urgent and routine repairs sets out how agencies commonly draw the lines. Tenote isn’t an emergency service: The link takes reports at any time, but nobody monitors it overnight unless your agency does. Before tenants send a report, the form tells them to call 999 if anyone is in danger and 0800 111 999, the gas emergency number, if they smell gas. Your own out-of-hours arrangements still apply. ### Getting tenants to use it A reporting link only helps if tenants know about it. The agencies that get the most from it make it the obvious route: - Email and text the link to every tenant when you start. - Add it to tenancy packs, move-in emails and your website. - Put it in staff email signatures and on your voicemail message. - When a repair comes in by phone or WhatsApp, reply with the link so the details arrive complete. - Use the free month properly: send the link early, because a quiet trial won’t tell you much. ### Data and privacy Reports are stored in the UK and EU, with some processing by US suppliers under standard safeguards. Tenant report pages don’t run analytics. The privacy policy explains what is collected and why, and the form links to it before tenants send a report. ### Questions ### Do tenants need an app or an account? No. Tenants report from a link in their phone’s browser or on a computer. There’s no download, no account and no password. ### Can tenants send photos and videos? Yes. Up to five photos or short videos per report, up to 20 MB each. ### Can tenants report repairs out of hours? Yes, the link takes reports at any time. Tenote isn’t an emergency service, though: the form tells tenants to call 999 if anyone is in danger and 0800 111 999 if they smell gas, and your own out-of-hours arrangements apply. ### Does the page show our agency’s name? Yes. Each agency has its own reporting link with the agency’s name on it, so tenants know who they’re reporting to. ### Do tenants get updates on their repair? When the report is sent, tenants see that it has been received and that their property manager has been notified. Your agency follows up as it normally would; there’s no tenant tracking page. ### How much does it cost? £89 a month, flat, with no VAT to add. Unlimited properties and reports, and the first month is free. --- # Tenote Journal: full articles ## Winter Property Maintenance Checklist for Letting Agents URL: https://www.tenote.co.uk/blog/winter-property-maintenance-checklist-letting-agents Published: 2026-10-06 · Updated: 2026-10-06 · Checklist A practical winter property maintenance checklist for UK letting agents: boilers, frozen pipes, damp and mould, tenant messages and what to record. ### Why winter needs its own plan Winter brings a predictable mix of heating, pipe, damp and mould reports. A little preparation in October can reduce avoidable problems and make the unavoidable ones easier to handle. Boilers that have barely been used over summer can fail when the heating goes back on. Exposed pipes can freeze. Condensation becomes more obvious as windows stay shut and homes get colder. You cannot prevent every repair, but you can make sure contractors, tenant instructions and property records are ready before the weather turns. ### The winter maintenance checklist at a glance Start with these ten jobs. - Check gas safety records and book anything due over winter. - Ask landlords whether boilers have been serviced and flag anything overdue. - Check smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are fitted where required. - Confirm your heating and plumbing contractors and any agency out-of-hours arrangements. - Agree sensible emergency spend limits with landlords. - Check exposed pipes, outside taps and stopcocks. - Review arrangements for empty properties and insurer requirements. - Clear gutters and check roofs, drains, fences and trees. - Send tenants a short winter repair message before the first cold spell. - Treat damp and mould reports promptly and keep a clear record of what happened. ### Get safety checks and contractors sorted early Under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, landlords must arrange an annual gas safety check by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Tenants must receive the relevant record within the required timescale. A gas safety check is not the same thing as a boiler service. The first is a legal safety check; servicing is about maintenance and reliability. In England, smoke and carbon monoxide alarm requirements also apply to rented homes. If an alarm is reported faulty, deal with it promptly. Then check your contractor list. Know who the agency will contact first for heating and plumbing problems, and who the backup is if they are unavailable. ### Boiler breakdowns and no heating Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 places responsibility for keeping heating and hot water installations in repair and working order on the landlord. There is no universal statutory number of hours for every heating repair. In cold weather, however, a loss of heating or hot water should be treated urgently, with the circumstances of the household taken into account. A useful first report should include enough detail to avoid a wasted contractor visit. - A photo of the boiler display and any error code. - A photo of the pressure gauge where relevant. - Whether heating, hot water or both are affected. - Whether a prepayment meter has credit, if applicable. - Any vulnerability that makes loss of heating more serious. ### Gas leaks and carbon monoxide Gas leaks and suspected carbon monoxide are safety issues, not ordinary maintenance tickets. If a tenant smells gas or suspects a carbon monoxide leak, the National Gas Emergency Service number for Great Britain is 0800 111 999. If anyone is in immediate danger, call 999. Agency tenant information should make these emergency routes clear rather than expecting a maintenance form to handle them. ### Frozen pipes and empty properties Exposed pipework in lofts, garages and outside walls is more vulnerable in freezing weather. Make sure tenants know where the stopcock is and that it can be turned. For empty properties, check the landlord's insurance conditions. Some policies require documented inspections or specific precautions when a property is unoccupied. Agree the winter plan with the landlord and record inspections, photos and any action taken. - Lag exposed pipes and tanks where appropriate. - Check outside taps and isolating valves. - Tell tenants what to do if a pipe bursts. - Review heating arrangements before a property is left empty. - Keep inspection records for voids. ### Damp and mould: investigate the cause Damp and mould reports become more visible in winter. The important thing is not to assume the cause. Condensation, leaking pipes, blocked gutters, roof defects and failed pointing can all produce similar symptoms. Photos or video with the first report can help the agency decide what needs investigating. Private landlords already have duties to keep homes fit and deal with relevant hazards. Awaab's Law currently applies to social housing in England. The Renters' Rights Act 2025 enables similar rules to be extended to the private rented sector, but as of October 2026 the private rented sector commencement details remain to be confirmed. For agents, the practical approach is straightforward: acknowledge the report, investigate, record the cause and action taken, and follow up where necessary. ### Outside the property: gutters, roofs and storms A winter damp problem can start outside the property. Before the worst weather arrives, check the basics with landlords and contractors. - Clear gutters and downpipes. - Check visible roof defects and flashing. - Look at loose fences, fittings and vulnerable trees. - Make sure drains and gullies run freely. - After severe weather, ask tenants to report new damage with photos. ### Send tenants a winter repair message The best time to explain what to do is before something goes wrong. Keep the message short enough to be read. - How to report a repair, with the agency's reporting link. - The agency's out-of-hours contact details, if it provides them. - Where the stopcock is. - What to do before going away in cold weather. - How to reduce condensation when cooking, showering or drying clothes. - Report damp or mould early and include a photo. - Smell gas? Call 0800 111 999. Immediate danger? Call 999. ### Make the first repair report useful A structured first report cuts down the questions staff have to ask later. Ask for the property, location of the issue, description, urgency and useful photos or video. For more on tenant intake, read Tenant Repair Reporting: What Tenants Actually Need. ### Keep landlords in the loop A winter call-out is easier to explain when the landlord can see what was reported, what action was taken and what remains open. For a practical guide to this part of the workflow, read Landlord Maintenance Reports: What Letting Agents Should Include. ### Keep a proper repair record For each winter repair, keep enough information to answer the obvious questions later. - When it was reported and acknowledged. - Photos or video supplied by the tenant. - The issue and its urgency. - Who attended and what they found. - What action was approved and completed. - Any follow-up, especially for damp and mould. ### Winter repairs: common questions Is a boiler breakdown an emergency? There is no single legal label that fits every case, but loss of heating in cold weather should be treated urgently and vulnerability matters. How long does a landlord have to fix heating? The law uses the concept of a reasonable time rather than one fixed period for every case. Is a gas safety check the same as a boiler service? No. The annual safety check is a legal requirement; servicing is maintenance. Who pays for damage from a burst pipe? Responsibility depends on the cause, the tenancy and the circumstances. Avoid deciding liability before the facts are clear. Who is responsible for condensation and mould? Investigate first. Building defects, ventilation, heating and how the property is being used can all be relevant. Does Awaab's Law apply to private landlords? Not yet. As of October 2026 it applies to social housing in England, while private rented sector implementation remains to be confirmed. This is general information for England, not legal advice. Last reviewed October 2026. ### Making winter reporting easier The common thread is better information at the start and a clear record afterwards. Tenote lets tenants report repairs from a web link with no app or login, including photos or video. Agencies receive structured reports in one dashboard and can prepare landlord-ready information from the same record. Tenote is £89 a month flat for unlimited properties and reports, with the first month free. Book a demo. ## Emergency, Urgent or Routine Repairs? A Letting Agent Guide URL: https://www.tenote.co.uk/blog/emergency-urgent-routine-repairs-letting-agents Published: 2026-10-06 · Updated: 2026-10-06 · Operations A practical repair triage guide for letting agents: how to separate immediate danger, urgent loss of essential services and routine maintenance. ### Why repair triage matters If every repair is marked urgent, the label stops being useful. If serious hazards are buried in a routine queue, the risk goes the other way. A simple triage framework helps the team decide what needs immediate safety action, what should be prioritised quickly and what can follow the normal maintenance process. ### Emergency: immediate danger or serious ongoing damage An emergency is about immediate risk, not inconvenience. The exact response depends on the facts, the tenancy and the agency’s procedures. - Suspected gas leak or carbon monoxide risk. - Fire, major electrical danger or another immediate threat to life. - A major uncontrolled water leak causing serious damage. - A serious security failure that leaves the property unsafe. - A hazard that requires emergency services rather than a normal contractor. ### Urgent: needs prompt attention but is not immediate danger Urgent repairs can materially affect the tenant or property without being a 999-type emergency. - Loss of heating in cold weather. - Loss of hot water where circumstances make it particularly serious. - A leak that is contained but still causing damage. - A toilet failure where there is no usable alternative. - Damp or mould where there may be a significant health or building issue. ### Routine: the normal maintenance queue Routine does not mean unimportant. It means the issue can normally be handled through the standard process without immediate safety action. - A dripping tap. - A loose cupboard hinge. - A minor internal door problem. - A non-critical appliance or fitting issue where the landlord is responsible. - Cosmetic defects that are not creating another hazard. ### Ask the same core questions every time Good triage starts with consistent information. - Which property and room is affected? - What exactly has happened? - Is anyone in immediate danger? - Is water, gas or electricity involved? - Is the problem getting worse right now? - Is an essential service unavailable? - Is anyone particularly vulnerable? - Can the tenant provide a useful photo or video? ### Do not make tenants diagnose the repair Tenants should describe what they can see, hear or smell. They should not be expected to identify the technical fault. A report such as 'water coming through the kitchen ceiling below the bathroom' is more useful than forcing a tenant to choose between plumbing categories they may not understand. ### Have a separate emergency instruction The normal repair form should not become a substitute for emergency services. For example, suspected gas leaks in Great Britain should be directed to the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999, while immediate danger to life belongs with 999. ### Record why the priority changed Priorities can change. A small leak can become a serious one; a heating issue becomes more urgent during very cold weather. When staff change a repair from routine to urgent or emergency, record why. That makes the history easier for colleagues and landlords to follow. ### Make the landlord update match the triage A landlord update should explain the facts, the priority given, what has already been done and whether approval is needed. For a fuller checklist, read Landlord Maintenance Reports: What Letting Agents Should Include. ### How Tenote helps Tenote gives tenants a structured repair link with no app or login. Reports arrive in the agency dashboard with the information staff need to review the issue and keep its status up to date. The agency still decides how to prioritise and respond. Tenote does not replace professional judgement, emergency services or legal advice. Tenote is £89 a month flat for unlimited properties and reports, with the first month free. Book a demo. ## Awaab’s Law and Letting Agents: What Applies in 2026 URL: https://www.tenote.co.uk/blog/awaabs-law-letting-agents-2026 Published: 2026-10-06 · Updated: 2026-10-06 · Legal guide A practical 2026 guide to Awaab’s Law for letting agents, what applies to social housing now and what remains unconfirmed for private renting. ### The short answer for private letting agents Awaab’s Law is in force in England’s social rented sector. It does not yet impose the same fixed repair timescales on private landlords. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 gives the government power to extend Awaab’s Law-style requirements to the private rented sector, but as of October 2026 the commencement date and final PRS timescales have not been confirmed. For private letting agents, the sensible response is not to copy social-housing deadlines and present them as law. It is to make sure serious hazards are reported clearly, acknowledged promptly, investigated properly and recorded. ### What Awaab’s Law currently covers Awaab’s Law came into force for the social rented sector in England on 27 October 2025. Phase 1 covers emergency hazards and significant damp and mould hazards. From 30 November 2026, Phase 2 is due to extend significant-hazard requirements to areas including excess cold and heat, falls, structural collapse, fire and explosion risks, electrical hazards and domestic hygiene. Those are social housing requirements. Private agents should not describe them as current PRS deadlines. ### Why private letting agents should still pay attention Private landlords already have repair and fitness duties. Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 covers the structure and exterior and installations for water, gas, electricity, sanitation, space heating and hot water in relevant tenancies. The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 also strengthened tenants’ ability to require homes to remain fit for habitation. Awaab’s Law matters to private agents because it shows the direction of travel: hazards, response records and communication are receiving more scrutiny. ### What to do when damp or mould is reported Do not start by deciding it is condensation or tenant behaviour. Start by recording the report and investigating the cause. Leaks, failed pointing, roof defects, blocked gutters, ventilation problems, inadequate heating and condensation can produce similar symptoms. Photos and video are useful context, but they are not a substitute for inspection where one is needed. - Record when the report arrived. - Acknowledge it. - Capture clear photos or video where useful. - Record any vulnerability or immediate safety concern. - Arrange the appropriate investigation. - Keep the landlord updated. - Record the action taken and any follow-up. ### Keep emergency hazards separate from routine repairs A repair system should make it possible to distinguish an immediate danger from a routine job. Tenants also need clear instructions for emergencies that should bypass normal maintenance reporting, such as suspected gas leaks or immediate danger to life. ### Do not invent a private-sector deadline You may see fixed Awaab’s Law timescales quoted online. Those relate to social housing rules. Until the government confirms private rented sector commencement and regulations, avoid telling landlords or tenants that a particular Awaab’s Law deadline already applies to a private tenancy. Use current landlord obligations, the facts of the repair and appropriate professional or legal advice instead. ### The record matters as much as the inbox When a serious repair is questioned later, the useful record is chronological: when it was reported, what evidence was supplied, what the agency did, when contractors attended and what remained outstanding. That is one reason a structured repair history is more useful than a chain of disconnected emails and WhatsApp messages. ### How Tenote fits into that workflow Tenote lets tenants report repairs from a web link with no app or login and add photos or video. The agency receives the report in its dashboard and can update the status as the issue progresses. Tenote does not decide whether a landlord has complied with the law and it is not legal advice. It gives the agency a cleaner maintenance record to work from. For a practical seasonal workflow, see the Winter Property Maintenance Checklist for Letting Agents. ### Awaab’s Law questions for letting agents Does Awaab’s Law apply to private landlords now? No. As of October 2026 the fixed Awaab’s Law regime applies to social housing in England. When does Phase 2 start for social housing? Government guidance says 30 November 2026. Should private agents wait for new rules before improving repair records? No. Existing repair and fitness obligations already matter, and a clear record is useful regardless of future regulation. Where should agents verify changes? Use current GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk guidance before relying on a blog post, including this one. This article is general information for England, not legal advice. Last reviewed 6 October 2026. ## Tenant Repair Reporting: What Tenants Actually Need URL: https://www.tenote.co.uk/blog/what-tenants-actually-need-from-a-maintenance-reporting-system Published: 2026-03-29 · Updated: 2026-10-06 · Tenant experience What tenants need from repair reporting: a simple link, clear questions, photo upload and confirmation without an app or account. ### Start with the job the tenant is trying to do A tenant with a leak, broken boiler or damaged fitting is not trying to learn a new system. They are trying to tell the agency what has happened and what they need next. That makes the reporting experience important. A vague or difficult intake process creates more work later because staff have to call back for the address, room, photos or basic context. ### What a useful tenant repair form should ask for The form should collect enough information to help the agent act without turning into an interrogation. - The property or tenancy the report relates to. - Where in the property the problem is. - A plain-English description of what has happened. - How urgent the tenant thinks it is. - Photos or video where they help explain the issue. - Contact details for any follow-up. ### Remove unnecessary friction For a repair form, every unnecessary step is another reason for someone to phone the office instead. Tenants should not need to install an app simply to report a leaking tap. They should not need to remember another password. A direct reporting link is easier to put in a tenancy pack, email, text message or agency website. ### Give the tenant confidence the report has gone somewhere A submission should not feel like it disappeared into a black hole. A clear confirmation helps the tenant know the issue has been logged and reduces the temptation to report it again through another channel. The agency still controls what happens next. Good reporting software does not replace the agent's judgement; it gives the team a cleaner starting point. ### Photos and video can save a round of questions A photo cannot diagnose every problem, but it can make the first report much more useful. A boiler error code, a patch of damp, a damaged fitting or the position of a leak can all be easier to understand visually. The aim is not to make tenants investigate the repair themselves. It is simply to give the agency better context. ### What the agency should receive The tenant experience only matters if the information arrives in a form the agency can actually use. A good report should keep the property, issue, urgency, description and evidence together. That makes it easier to review, decide what happens next and keep a record. ### Where Tenote fits Tenote uses a link-based reporting flow with no tenant app and no login. Tenants can add photos or video, and the resulting report appears in the agency dashboard. From there, staff can update the status and use the report as the basis for landlord communication. For the wider workflow, read How UK Letting Agents Can Reduce Maintenance Admin. ### Questions to ask when comparing repair reporting software Before choosing a system, test the tenant experience yourself. - Can a tenant start from a simple link? - Is an app or account required? - Can they attach useful evidence? - Does the agency receive structured information rather than free-form messages? - Can staff see what has happened to the report afterwards? - Can the same information be reused when updating the landlord? ### The simple rule The best tenant repair reporting process is the one tenants can complete quickly and staff can act on without rebuilding the report from scratch. Tenote is £89 a month flat for unlimited properties and reports, with the first month free. Book a demo. ## Maintenance Reporting Software: A Letting Agent Buying Guide URL: https://www.tenote.co.uk/blog/what-letting-agents-should-look-for-in-maintenance-reporting-software Published: 2026-03-29 · Updated: 2026-10-06 · Buying guide A practical buying guide for UK letting agents comparing maintenance reporting software, from tenant intake and repair records to landlord updates. ### Start with the workflow, not the feature count Maintenance platforms can cover very different jobs. Some are full property-management systems. Some focus on contractor networks, compliance or troubleshooting. Others concentrate on repair reporting. Before comparing feature lists, decide which part of the maintenance process you actually need to improve. ### 1. Test the tenant reporting journey yourself Open the reporting flow on a phone and pretend you have a leaking sink. Count the steps between opening the link and sending a useful report. - Does the tenant need an app? - Do they need to create or remember an account? - Can they describe the issue in plain English? - Can they add photos or video? - Do they receive a clear confirmation? ### 2. Look at what reaches the agency A slick tenant form is not enough if the agency receives an unstructured email. Check whether the report keeps the property, location, description, urgency, evidence and contact details together. ### 3. Check how the repair is tracked afterwards Once the report exists, staff need to know whether it is new, being dealt with or resolved. Simple status tracking is often more valuable than a large number of workflow options nobody uses. ### 4. Ask how landlord communication works Maintenance admin often reappears at the landlord update stage. Check whether the original repair information can be reused clearly or whether staff have to rebuild the story in an email. Read Landlord Maintenance Reports: What Letting Agents Should Include. ### 5. Be clear about contractor management Some agencies need contractor dispatch, quotations, networks and deep job management. Others already have their own contractors and mainly need better intake and records. Do not pay for a larger operational system simply because it has more features. Equally, do not choose a lightweight reporting tool if contractor orchestration is the problem you actually need to solve. ### 6. Compare pricing at your real portfolio size Flat pricing, per-property pricing and tiered plans behave very differently as portfolios grow. Work out the cost at your current managed-property count and a realistic future count. Include setup costs, mandatory add-ons and minimum portfolio sizes where they exist. ### 7. Check whether it runs alongside your existing PMS A specialist maintenance tool does not necessarily need to replace the agency's property-management software. If you already use a PMS for tenancies, accounting or compliance, ask whether the maintenance product can sit alongside that workflow without creating duplicate admin. ### 8. Check data and access basics Ask where repair information and tenant evidence are stored, who can see them, how long links remain accessible and what happens when you leave the service. These questions matter more than cosmetic features. ### 9. Avoid claims you cannot verify in a demo If a vendor promises dramatic time savings, higher tenant adoption or instant implementation, ask how the claim was measured. The safest buying decision is based on a real demonstration using the workflow your team actually handles. ### Where Tenote fits Tenote is focused maintenance reporting software rather than a full PMS or contractor marketplace. Tenants report from a link with no app or login and can add photos or video. Agencies receive the reports in a dashboard, update their status and use the record for landlord-ready communication. Tenote costs £89 a month flat for unlimited properties and reports, with the first month free. ### A buying checklist for your demo Ask every vendor the same questions. - Show me the tenant flow on a phone. - Show me exactly what staff receive. - Show me how an issue is updated and closed. - Show me what I can send to a landlord. - Tell me what is not included. - Show me the price at my property count. - Tell me whether I need a contract, setup fee or add-on. - Explain what happens to my data if I leave. ### Choose the smallest system that solves the real problem The right maintenance software is not necessarily the one with the longest feature list. It is the one that removes the particular handoffs causing work in your agency. For a tenant-focused view, read Tenant Repair Reporting: What Tenants Actually Need. Book a Tenote demo. ## How UK Letting Agents Can Reduce Maintenance Admin URL: https://www.tenote.co.uk/blog/how-uk-letting-agents-can-reduce-maintenance-admin Published: 2026-03-29 · Updated: 2026-10-06 · Operations Practical ways UK letting agents can reduce maintenance admin by improving tenant intake, repair records and landlord updates. ### Maintenance admin grows in the gaps The repair itself is rarely the only source of work. Admin builds up when the first report is incomplete, staff have to chase details, the landlord needs a rewritten update and nobody is sure what happened next. The quickest way to reduce that workload is to improve the flow of information from the first tenant report through to the landlord update. ### 1. Standardise the first report Do not rely on tenants knowing what information the agency needs. Ask for it directly. A structured repair report should collect the property, location of the issue, description, urgency, contact details and useful photos or video. ### 2. Give tenants one obvious reporting route When repairs arrive by phone, WhatsApp, personal email and office inbox, the team has to rebuild the record manually. Give tenants one primary route and make it easy to find in tenancy information, emails and the agency website. Keep emergency instructions separate and clear. ### 3. Keep the repair record together A maintenance history is much easier to use when the original report, evidence, status and follow-up sit together. That matters when another member of staff picks up the job, when a landlord asks for an update, or when the same issue returns months later. ### 4. Stop rewriting the same update The landlord should not require a completely new document assembled from scratch every time. Use the information already captured in the repair record: what was reported, what evidence was supplied, what happened next and what decision is needed. ### 5. Define statuses that mean something Simple statuses such as new, in progress and resolved are useful when everyone understands what they mean. The status should answer a practical question: does this still need attention, is someone dealing with it, or is it finished? ### 6. Separate emergency instructions from routine reporting A general maintenance form should not be the only route for genuine emergencies. Tell tenants clearly what to do for immediate danger, gas leaks and any agency-specific out-of-hours arrangements. Routine repairs can then follow the normal reporting process without everything being marked urgent. ### 7. Review recurring problems A repeated leak, boiler fault or damp report can disappear into day-to-day admin if each ticket is treated in isolation. A clear property history makes repeat issues easier to spot and discuss with the landlord. ### Where software helps Templates and internal checklists help, but software can remove some of the manual translation between tenant, agency and landlord. Tenote gives tenants a link-based reporting flow with no app or login, keeps reports in the agency dashboard and supports landlord-ready reporting from the same record. For the tenant side, read Tenant Repair Reporting: What Tenants Actually Need. ### A quick maintenance admin audit Ask these questions about your current process. - How many places can a tenant report a repair? - How often do staff have to call back for basic details? - Are photos kept with the repair record? - Can another staff member understand the current status immediately? - How much of the landlord update is rewritten manually? - Can you see recurring problems at a property? ### The aim is fewer handoffs Reducing maintenance admin does not require a more complicated workflow. Usually it means fewer channels, better information at the start and less rewriting afterwards. Tenote is £89 a month flat for unlimited properties and reports, with the first month free. Book a demo. ## Fixflo Alternative: Why UK Letting Agents Are Looking for Something Lighter URL: https://www.tenote.co.uk/blog/fixflo-alternative-for-uk-letting-agents Published: 2026-03-29 · Updated: 2026-10-06 · Comparison Fixflo is a well-known maintenance platform for UK letting agents. Some smaller agencies want something lighter. Here's what the alternatives look like. ### Why letting agents search for Fixflo alternatives Fixflo has been a fixture in UK property management for years. It handles maintenance reporting end-to-end: tenant submissions, contractor management, triage workflows, compliance tracking. For large property management companies with in-house maintenance teams, that depth makes sense. For smaller letting agencies — those managing dozens or a few hundred properties without a dedicated maintenance coordinator — the picture is different. The pricing scales with portfolio size in ways that hurt growing agencies. The setup process requires time and internal buy-in that smaller teams don't always have. And the interface, built for enterprise workflows, carries features that most independent letting agents will never touch. Agents aren't looking for less functionality in a vacuum — they're looking for something that fits the actual shape of their business. ### What Fixflo does well It's worth being clear: Fixflo is a solid product. Tenant-facing issue reporting is well-designed and works across multiple languages, which matters for agents with diverse tenant bases. Compliance tracking and contractor management are genuinely useful for larger operations. The audit trail can be valuable when disputes arise. If you manage over 500 properties and have a team whose job is coordinating contractors and handling maintenance compliance, Fixflo likely pays for itself. The platform is built for that context and it shows. ### Where Fixflo falls short for smaller agencies The gap appears when you look at agencies managing between 30 and 300 properties with lean teams. In that context, a few friction points become significant. Setup and onboarding takes time. Getting tenants using a new platform requires communications, guidance, and follow-up. For a team of three or four people, that overhead matters. Pricing is volume-based and can become difficult to justify when the features being paid for aren't being used. Many independent agents are paying for contractor workflows they manage informally, compliance modules their property management software already covers, and dashboards that have more tabs than their team opens in a month. The reporting output — the actual documents sent to landlords — can feel generic. Landlords want clarity about their property, not a dashboard export designed for a portfolio manager. - Contractor management features that overlap with what agents already use - Interface complexity that frontline staff find slow to navigate - Landlord-facing reports that require manual reformatting ### What a good Fixflo alternative looks like Agencies weighing up Fixflo, or looking at alternatives, tend to be looking for a few specific things. Easy for tenants. If reporting a repair means creating an account, downloading an app or filling in a long form, tenants are more likely to ring the office instead. A good alternative keeps the tenant side to a link that opens on any phone. Landlord-ready output. The point of capturing a maintenance issue isn't just logging it — it's being able to communicate clearly with a landlord about what happened, when, and what the resolution was. That output should look professional without manual work from your team. A price that reflects what smaller agencies actually use. The majority of independent UK letting agents don't need enterprise contractor management. They need a clean reporting layer that sits between tenant and landlord. ### How Tenote compares Tenote was built specifically for this gap. It handles tenant-facing maintenance reporting through a simple link: no tenant accounts, no app. Agents get a clean dashboard to triage and forward reports, and a landlord-ready summary for each repair. It doesn't try to replace contractor management software or full property management suites. It does the reporting layer well and costs £89 a month, flat, with no per-property charge. If you're currently paying for Fixflo and finding that your team uses a fraction of the platform, or if you're evaluating options and Fixflo feels like too much, Tenote is worth looking at. You can see a fuller comparison of maintenance reporting platforms — including Fixflo, Alto, Arthur, Reapit, and others — on our comparison page. The right tool is the one your team actually uses. For agencies where the bottleneck is tenant reporting and landlord communication, not contractor logistics, a lighter platform often outperforms a heavier one in practice. ## Why Tenote Exists for UK Letting Agents URL: https://www.tenote.co.uk/blog/why-tenote-exists Published: 2026-03-28 · Updated: 2026-10-06 · Company Why Tenote was built for UK letting agents who need better maintenance reporting without the bloat of large enterprise systems. ### Most maintenance software is too heavy for everyday lettings work Many UK letting agents do not need an oversized maintenance stack with layers of contractor logic, extra portals, and workflows designed for enterprise-scale operations. They need a simple system that helps tenants report issues properly, helps staff stay organised, and helps landlords receive updates that are clean and easy to understand. That is the gap Tenote is built for. ### Tenote is built around the real reporting journey A maintenance issue starts with the tenant. It then moves through an agency workflow and ends with a landlord update or action. Tenote is designed around that exact sequence. Instead of forcing people through cluttered interfaces, Tenote keeps the process focused on issue capture, useful context, and landlord-ready reporting. - Simple tenant issue submission - Clear agency-side maintenance handling - Landlord-ready reporting without messy exports - A cleaner fit for small and mid-sized UK letting agencies ### Why that makes Tenote different Tenote is not trying to be everything. That is part of the value. For many agencies, less software complexity means less to learn, cleaner internal handoffs, and fewer maintenance emails bouncing around inboxes. Where larger systems can feel bloated, Tenote is intentionally focused. That makes it easier to understand, easier to implement, and easier for a team to use consistently. ## Landlord Maintenance Reports: What Letting Agents Should Include URL: https://www.tenote.co.uk/blog/why-landlord-ready-maintenance-reports-matter Published: 2026-03-28 · Updated: 2026-10-06 · Operations A practical guide to landlord maintenance reports: what to include, how to keep updates clear and how to reduce repeated questions. ### A maintenance report is a decision document Logging a repair is only half the job. The agency also needs to explain the issue to the landlord clearly enough for them to understand what happened and what, if anything, needs approving. When the information is spread across phone notes, inboxes and photos, staff end up rewriting the same story. ### What a landlord maintenance report should include Keep the important information together and easy to scan. - Property address or clear property reference. - Date the issue was reported. - A plain-English description of the problem. - Relevant photos or video. - Urgency or priority. - Action already taken. - Current status. - Any landlord decision or approval needed. - Outcome and date resolved once complete. ### Write for the landlord, not the internal team Internal shorthand may be efficient for staff, but it makes poor landlord communication. Avoid unexplained codes and fragments copied from contractor notes. A landlord should be able to understand the problem without needing a second email. ### Separate facts from decisions A useful report distinguishes what the tenant reported, what the agency or contractor found, and what decision is needed next. That prevents assumptions becoming part of the record and makes approvals easier to follow later. ### Use the same information instead of rewriting it The most efficient workflow is one where the tenant's original report becomes the starting point for the agency record and the landlord update. If staff repeatedly copy the same property details, issue description and photos into new emails, the software is not removing much admin. ### For landlords with several properties A consistent format becomes more useful as the number of properties grows. Individual repair updates can answer immediate questions, while a periodic summary can show what remains open and what has been resolved. The agency stays in control of what it sends and when. ### What not to include More information is not always better. - Internal commentary the landlord does not need. - Unnecessary tenant personal data. - Long contractor notes where a short summary is enough. - Unverified assumptions about cause or liability. - Duplicated screenshots and email chains. ### How Tenote approaches landlord reporting Tenote starts with structured tenant repair reports. Staff see the report in the agency dashboard, update its status and can prepare landlord-ready information from the same record. Tenote does not automatically take control of landlord communication. The agency decides what to send on. For the tenant side of the workflow, read Tenant Repair Reporting: What Tenants Actually Need. ### A quick landlord report checklist Before sending an update, check that it answers these questions. - What happened? - Which property is affected? - When was it reported? - What evidence is available? - What has already been done? - What is the current status? - Does the landlord need to make a decision? ### Make the report easy to act on A good landlord maintenance report does not need to be elaborate. It needs to be complete, clear and easy to act on. Tenote is £89 a month flat for unlimited properties and reports, with the first month free. Book a demo. ## Tenant Maintenance Reporting for Modern Letting Agencies URL: https://www.tenote.co.uk/blog/tenant-maintenance-reporting-for-modern-letting-agencies Published: 2026-03-28 · Updated: 2026-10-06 · Guide What modern tenant maintenance reporting should look like for UK letting agencies, and why simple structured reporting beats inbox chaos. ### The best reporting flow starts with less friction Tenants should be able to report an issue quickly without creating an account or navigating a confusing portal. The simpler the intake, the more likely it is that agencies receive usable reports instead of vague emails and missed phone notes. That is why structured simplicity matters. Agencies need enough detail to act, but not so much complexity that tenants give up halfway through. ### What agencies actually need from maintenance reporting A good reporting system should organise the first report, preserve the useful details, and keep the next steps obvious for the team. - Clear issue description - Useful context from the tenant - An easy internal handoff - A report format landlords can review quickly ### Why Tenote is positioned well Tenote is designed around this modern reporting expectation. It strips away unnecessary process while keeping the core maintenance workflow structured and professional. That makes it a better option for agencies that want a focused system for tenant maintenance reporting instead of an oversized platform built around everything else first. ## How Tenote Beats Bloated Maintenance Software URL: https://www.tenote.co.uk/blog/how-tenote-beats-bloated-maintenance-software Published: 2026-03-28 · Updated: 2026-10-06 · Comparison A practical look at why focused maintenance reporting software can outperform bloated maintenance platforms for many UK letting agencies. ### Big feature lists are not the same as a better product A lot of maintenance software sells itself on feature count. In practice, many independent and mid-sized agencies do not need more layers. They need fewer points of friction. Tenote focuses on the jobs that matter most: capturing issues clearly, reducing admin noise, and producing maintenance updates landlords can actually read. ### Where Tenote is stronger Tenote is strongest when an agency wants a dedicated maintenance reporting workflow without dragging in unnecessary operational complexity. - Cleaner tenant reporting flow - Less overhead for staff - Sharper focus on maintenance communication - A better fit for agencies that want clarity over complexity ### Who Tenote is best for Tenote is a strong fit for small and mid-sized UK letting agencies that want maintenance reporting software without enterprise bloat. If your team values a lighter workflow, faster onboarding, and clearer landlord outputs, Tenote may suit smaller agencies better than a heavier all-in-one maintenance stack.