What the agreement should say about maintenance approvals

Most property owners find out too late that a vague maintenance approval clause costs them thousands. Your agreement with a property manager needs to spell out exactly who approves what, at what cost, and when—or you'll spend months untangling disputes while your tenant waits for repairs.

Permission thresholds must be crystal clear

The agreement should state a specific rand amount below which the manager can approve maintenance without asking you first. This is usually called the "discretionary limit" or "emergency limit". Without one, you either give blanket approval (and lose control over spending) or demand approval for every R200 call-out (and create delays that frustrate tenants and expose you to liability). The agreement should say something like: "The manager may approve and arrange maintenance up to R[amount] without prior written approval." It should also specify what happens above that threshold—do you need email approval, a phone call, a formal quote review? How quickly must you respond?

Emergencies need a separate rule. Burst pipes, electrical faults, or security breaches can't wait for email approval. The agreement should define what counts as an emergency (usually immediate safety or habitability risks) and allow the manager to act first and notify you after, within a set timeframe. This protects your tenant, your property, and your liability profile.

Quote and supplier rules prevent creeping invoices

Your agreement should require the manager to get competitive quotes for jobs above a certain amount—often around R2,000 to R5,000. It should also specify whether you approve the supplier or just the cost. Some owners insist on choosing tradespeople to avoid inflated markups or poor work quality; others delegate this entirely to the manager in exchange for accepting the manager's standard contractor list. Either way, the agreement must say which applies to you.

The agreement should also define what "quote" means. Is it a written estimate, a verbal quote logged in writing, or a binding specification? When does the manager send it, and how long do you have to approve before work starts? If the manager has discretion to proceed if you don't respond within, say, 5 business days, that should be stated explicitly. Vague language here is where surprise invoices breed.

Approval documentation protects both of you

The agreement should require the manager to keep a record of every approval—including your written sign-off, the quote, the work order, and the final invoice. You should be able to see this trail in the manager's reporting system or on request. This isn't bureaucracy; it's evidence that both parties agreed to the expense and the work was completed as specified. When you query an invoice months later, documentation is your only defence.

It should also say how the manager communicates quotes and approvals to you. WhatsApp screenshots might feel quick, but they're hard to track and easy to lose. Email or a portal-based system creates a searchable record that either of you can reference later. If the manager insists everything happens via WhatsApp, that's a sign the approval process isn't mature.

What happens when you disagree

Your agreement should address disputes clearly. If you reject a quote and the manager thinks it's fair, or if you discover work was approved without proper justification, what's the next step? Does one of you have final say, or do you escalate to mediation? Can you withhold payment pending resolution, or must you pay and dispute later? These clauses protect you from a manager who bulldozes through approvals or from stalling a repair because you and the manager can't agree.

The agreement should also state whether the manager can bill you for the cost of obtaining quotes if you reject all of them, or whether rejected quotes are absorbed as part of the management service. This prevents the manager from requesting five expensive quotes, charging you for each one, then walking away when you decline them all.

When you're ready to book a property manager, use Strove to compare verified providers and review their standard agreements side by side. A manager willing to discuss and customise their approval clauses before you sign is one worth hiring.