What building maintenance software has to deliver
Maintenance technicians work on the move, under time pressure and for many clients at once. Software for them therefore has to be one thing above all: faster than the scrap of paper. These features make the difference:
- Damage reports by QR code: tenants, users or employees scan a code in the stairwell or on the equipment and report the damage right away – no app, no login. Location and equipment are linked automatically.
- Work order list on the smartphone: all open tickets by urgency, with photo, location and on-site contact.
- Time tracking on the work order: start, pause, stop – with a short note on what was done. The time goes straight into the documentation.
- Recurring tasks: maintenance, inspection rounds, cleaning schedules and meter readings appear automatically when they are due.
- Key tracking: which key is with whom? Issue and return with a date.
- Records for property management: every completed task is documented with time, person and note – ideal for billing and follow-up questions.
Benefits for building maintenance services and property managers
| For the maintenance technician | For property management and owners |
|---|---|
| All work orders in one place instead of call lists and scraps of paper | See at any time what is open, in progress and done |
| Location, equipment and photo come with every report | Fewer follow-up questions and duplicate reports |
| Time is captured on the side | Traceable billing per property |
| Upcoming maintenance reminds itself | Operator obligations demonstrably met |
How to set up a building maintenance app in one hour
- Create the properties. In Maintably, enter the buildings you look after under Buildings (Gebäude), adding rooms only where reports are expected (stairwell, basement, laundry room, underground garage).
- Capture important equipment. Heating, elevator, gates, pumps, ventilation – under Equipment (Geräte), with a photo of the nameplate.
- Print QR codes. Under QR codes (QR-Codes), generate labels for rooms and equipment, print them and attach them where they are easy to see. A notice at the entrance saying "Damage? Scan the code!" helps.
- Create recurring tasks. Maintenance under Maintenance plans (Wartungspläne), the cleaning rotation under Cleaning schedules (Reinigungspläne), and meters for readings under Meters (Zähler).
- Invite the maintenance technicians. Create users with the building technician role (Haustechniker). Using "Install as app" (Als App installieren), the web app can be placed on the smartphone's home screen like a regular app.
- Define the way of working. Every job is handled in the ticket: start the clock, pause if needed, note what was done when you stop, and set the status.
A free building maintenance app – is that possible?
For individual maintenance technicians, there are simple task apps that cost nothing. Once several properties, property managers or employees are involved, though, you need roles, records and maintenance planning. You can try Maintably for free and test it with your real properties before you decide.
What to look for when choosing
- Does reporting by QR code work without installing an app or logging in for the person reporting?
- Can the maintenance technician do everything on the smartphone – including attaching photos and tracking time?
- Can several clients or customer accounts be kept cleanly separate?
- Are there maintenance and cleaning plans, or only tickets?
- Where is the data stored, and is a data processing agreement possible?