Property manager not responding? We ring and ask for you
A property manager not responding to a repair request is one of the slow miseries of renting. You have emailed twice about the hot water. The office line goes to a queue, then a voicemail, and your lunch break is over.
Let us make that call. Give us the agency, your first name, the property address and what you are waiting on. A real person rings, says they are calling on behalf of the tenant, asks for an update, and texts you a name and a timeframe.
The problem
Why getting hold of the agency is such hard work
Emails vanish into the inbox
You sent the request, then a follow-up, then a photo. No reply. You can’t tell whether it was read, forwarded to the owner or lost, and a third email feels like shouting into a cupboard.
They are only there when you are at work
The office is open during the hours you are least able to sit on the phone. You try at lunch with everyone else, wait in the queue, and run out of break before a person picks up.
The person you need is always out
Inspections, viewings, meetings. Reception takes a message and promises a call back. When it comes, you are on a job or in class, and the two of you start missing each other in turns.
You don’t want to be the difficult tenant
You will need a reference one day, and a lease renewal before that. So you stay polite, wait a bit longer than you should, and the tap keeps dripping while the email sits unanswered.
The fix
What you get when we ring the agency
Someone gets through in office hours
We call while they are open and you are busy. If it rings out or the right person is at an inspection, we try again until we speak to someone who can look up your request.
A name and a timeframe
We ask who is handling it, where it is up to and when you should expect to hear. You get that in a text, so your next follow-up goes to a person, not an inbox.
A polite call that keeps things friendly
We ask a simple question in a calm voice and say plainly that we are calling on your behalf. No complaints and no pressure, just a request for an update.
An example
What it looks like
You tell us
Can you ring Harbourview Realty about 4/12 Wattle Street? I’m the tenant, Priya. The hot water has been running lukewarm for two weeks. I emailed on the 3rd and the 10th and nobody has replied.
We text you back
Spoke to Megan, who manages your property. She has your emails and was waiting on the owner to approve a plumber. Approval came through yesterday. Coastline Plumbing will ring you to book a time, and she expects that by Friday.
An example only, with made-up names, to show the kind of answer you get.
Three steps
How it works
- 1
Tell us who to call
The business or person, and what you want to ask, book or find out. Thirty seconds on the form below.
- 2
We ring them
A real person makes the call and says they are ringing on your behalf. No answer? We try again until there is one.
- 3
We text you the result
What they said, in plain words, sent to your mobile. The recording and a written transcript too, if you asked for them.
Good to know
We ask for an update and report what we are told. We don’t give legal or tenancy advice, negotiate rent, argue your case or deal with disputes, bond claims or tribunal matters. Some agencies will only discuss a tenancy with the tenant. If so, we tell you who to ask for and when they are in. For anything urgent or unsafe, ring the agency yourself.
Free while we’re getting started
Who do you want us to ring?
Give us the who and the what. We make the call, keep trying if nobody answers, and text you what they said.
- A real person makes the call, not a robot
- We say we’re ringing on your behalf
- No answer? We try again, and again
- The answer lands on your phone as a text
Leave it with us.
We’ll make the call and text you what they said. Now go and do something better with your day.
Questions people ask
Will the agency talk to you?
Usually, for a simple update. We say we are calling on behalf of the tenant and give your first name and the property address. If they will only speak to you, we find out who to ask for and the best time to call.
Does this count as a formal repair request?
No. A phone call from us is a nudge, not a notice. Keep your written requests going and keep copies of them. We can’t advise on your rights as a tenant. Your state’s tenancy advice service can.
Can you ask about things other than repairs?
Yes, as long as it is a question and not a negotiation. When the inspection is, whether a lease renewal has been sent, who to give notice to. We bring back the answer and you take it from there.