What maintenance coordination costs, and how markups work

When you get a maintenance coordination quote, the number on the page often masks what's actually baked into it. A manager charging R800 a month might include something entirely different from one charging R1,200—the difference usually comes down to what's actually covered in the fee, not which one is more trustworthy. Understanding the components of maintenance coordination pricing, and how markups function, means you can spot what you're really paying for and avoid the invoices that arrive as shocks.

What sits inside the coordination fee

Maintenance coordination is not a single service. It's a cluster of tasks, and how a manager structures their fee determines which ones you cover upfront and which ones appear later as add-ons or hidden percentages.

The core function—receiving tenant calls, triaging emergencies, and routing jobs to tradespeople—is labour. A manager must be reachable, log the issue, assess urgency, and decide whether to call a plumber at midnight or schedule them for next Tuesday. Some managers bundle this into a flat monthly fee. Others charge you the labour cost separately, or fold it into a percentage markup on the actual work.

Then there's vetting and relationship management. Reliable tradespeople don't appear by magic. A good manager has tested electricians, plumbers, and handymen, knows their quality and speed, and maintains those relationships. This work—checking references, getting competitive quotes, negotiating rates—either costs you directly or is subsidised by the markup the manager takes on each job.

Some managers hold themselves responsible for quality control: if a job fails within a warranty period, they chase the tradesperson for a callback rather than leaving you to argue. That accountability has a cost. Others hand off the invoice and step back.

Communication and documentation also vary. A basic service might mean a WhatsApp message confirming a job is done. A thorough one includes photos, signed work orders, and an itemised invoice explaining what was fixed and why. If you want to compare quotes across three plumbers before approving work, that takes time. If the manager pre-approves everything and you simply pay, that's a different cost structure.

How markups hide the true price

Markups on tradesperson invoices are where coordination pricing gets cloudy. A manager might charge you no monthly fee but take 10%, 15% or 20% on every invoice they process. A lower quote and a lower total cost aren't always the same thing, so it's worth confirming exactly what's included before comparing numbers.

Markup structures matter because they change incentives. A flat fee means a manager wants jobs done efficiently—they earn the same whether a call takes an hour or a day. A percentage markup means the manager earns more when invoices are larger. That doesn't necessarily make them corrupt, but it creates a hidden pressure: a R2,000 invoice generates more revenue than a R1,000 fix.

Some managers mark up only labour and call-out fees, not materials; others add percentage to everything. Some negotiate bulk discounts with tradespeople and pocket the difference without telling you. That's not always dishonest—the manager may argue they've earned a rate discount through volume—but you won't know what the tradesperson would charge if you hired them directly.

When comparing quotes, ask explicitly: is this a flat monthly fee, a percentage markup, or both? If it's a percentage, does it apply to labour only, materials, or the full invoice? Does the manager pre-approve work or do you? What happens if the invoice seems high—do you get a quote-check before approval, or a surprise invoice afterward?

A manager offering no upfront fee but taking 20% markup might cost you far more over a year than one charging R500 monthly with 5% markup, depending on how many calls you get and the average size of jobs. The only way to know is to ask the right questions and do the mental math on a typical month.

A quote that doesn't spell out its scope can leave something out: no clarity on quality checks, no clarity on how markups are applied, or no clarity on who manages disputes once work is underway. Ask each manager to itemise these specifics before comparing prices. The clearest pricing is usually the most honest one, because there's nowhere for unpleasant surprises to hide. On Strove, you can compare quotes side by side and ask each manager to itemise exactly what their fee includes and how they handle tradesperson costs, so you're comparing actual apples to apples.