Property Manager vs Tenant: Who Decides Decision Tree
Why this matters
You get called to a rental. The tenant has the problem and is standing right there. The property manager or owner controls the money but is somewhere else. Do the work on the tenant's say-so and the owner refuses to pay because they never approved it. Refuse the tenant entirely and you look unhelpful and may lose the account. The entire problem is separating who experiences the issue from who is authorized to approve and pay for the fix. Get the chain right and you get paid every time.
Start here: who is the actual customer?
Your customer is whoever pays, and on a rental that is almost never the tenant. Establish this on the first call before you roll a truck.
- The property manager or owner is the customer. They authorize, they pay, they get the invoice.
- The tenant is the occupant and your point of access. They report the problem, let you in, and describe symptoms. They do not approve paid work unless someone with authority delegated it.
If you took the call from the tenant directly, your first move is to find out who manages or owns the unit and confirm the work with them, not the tenant.
If the property manager dispatched you
Cleanest case. The PM called, gave you the address, and described the scope. Confirm the scope back to them, do exactly that, and bill them. Two cautions:
- Stay inside the authorized scope. If you arrive and find a second, bigger problem, that is a new authorization, not a freebie. Call the PM before touching it.
- Get a cap or a not-to-exceed in writing if they want you to "just handle it." A blank check by phone becomes a disputed invoice later.
If the tenant called you directly
Pause. The tenant feeling the pain does not put money behind your work. Branch on what the tenant can show you.
- Ask: did the landlord or PM tell you to call us? If yes, get a name and number and confirm directly. A tenant relaying "they said call somebody" is not authorization.
- If the tenant has written delegated authority (the lease says they handle repairs up to a limit, or the owner texted them "get it fixed"), get a copy of that text or clause. Now you have a paper trail to the real payer.
- If the tenant has nothing, do not do paid work on their word. Diagnose, secure any hazard, and tell the tenant you need the owner or PM to approve before repair. Then reach out to them yourself.
The tenant is not lying to you. They simply cannot bind a payer who has not agreed.
Decision table: who can authorize what
| Situation | Tenant can approve? | Who you bill | What to capture |
|---|---|---|---|
| PM dispatched the job | No, PM already did | Property manager | PM scope confirmation |
| Tenant called, owner texted "fix it" | Yes, owner delegated | Owner or PM | Copy of the owner's message |
| Lease gives tenant a repair allowance | Up to the allowance only | Often tenant, confirm | The lease clause |
| Tenant called, no delegation, emergency | Stabilize only | Owner or PM after the fact | Photos + hazard reasoning |
| Tenant called, no delegation, routine | No | Nobody yet | Quote left for owner approval |
If it is an emergency and you cannot reach the owner
Active leak, gas, no heat in a freeze, anything that damages the property or endangers the occupant. Do the minimum to make it safe and stop further damage, document the condition, and bill the stabilization to the owner with your photos and notes. Owners almost always cover emergency mitigation because the alternative is a flooded unit. Hold the full repair for their approval.
If the tenant and the owner disagree
Sometimes the tenant wants more than the owner will pay for, a nicer fixture, a faster fix. You serve the payer. Do the authorized scope, document what you did, and stay out of the landlord-tenant dispute entirely. "I can only do what the owner approved, you would need to take the upgrade up with them." Never get pulled into refereeing their relationship.
Protect yourself: document the chain
For every rental job, your file should answer: who authorized this, what is their relationship to the property, and where is the proof. A PM email, a forwarded owner text, a lease clause. When payment stalls, the question is always "who told you to do this," and your answer needs to be a document, not a name.
References
- General landlord-tenant law: repair authorization flows from the owner or their agent.
- Trade-standard practice: written scope confirmation before billable work on third-party property.
- See related: The Absentee Customer: Decisions by Phone.
- See related: The Customer Who Won't Pay.