It is 2am. A tenant wakes to find water pouring through the kitchen ceiling. In a panic, they open the property manager's website. They need to know, in seconds, who to contact. If the emergency number is right there, they call. If it is buried, they lose time while the damage spreads.
Emergency repairs are the most important moments a property management website handles.
What the website must show
- What counts as an emergency
- The emergency contact number, available out of hours
- What to do while waiting, such as turning off water or electricity
- When to contact emergency services or suppliers first, such as for a gas smell
This should be visible on every page, not only in the tenant handbook.
Dangerous situations come first
Some situations are dangerous: a gas smell, electrical sparking, flooding near electrics, a fire. The website must direct tenants to the appropriate emergency service or supplier first. A website assistant must share this information immediately, before anything else.
Decision guide for an assistant
If a tenant describes a dangerous situation, share the emergency service information immediately and tell them to follow safety guidance. No further questions first.
If a tenant describes an urgent repair, such as a major leak or lockout, share the out-of-hours emergency number and capture the details for the property team.
If a tenant describes a routine repair, capture it with the property, the problem and access details for normal handling.
If a tenant is unsure whether it is urgent, share the emergency number and encourage them to call and ask.
Tenant: I can smell gas in my flat. Assistant: Please leave the property, don't use any switches or flames, and contact the gas emergency line right away. The number is on the emergency page. Once you're safe, you can also call the property team's emergency number.
Tenant: Water is coming through my ceiling. Assistant: If you can do so safely, turn off the water at the stopcock and avoid electrics near the leak. Then call the emergency repairs number on the tenant page. I'll also log the details for the property team.
The principle of routing, never assessing, is covered in after-hours emergency triage. Vet clinics follow the same approach, described in emergency pet enquiries and where to send them.
What tenants should do while waiting
The minutes between reporting an emergency and help arriving matter. Publishing simple guidance, such as where the stopcock usually is, how to turn off the electricity at the consumer unit and how to keep safe during a lockout, helps tenants limit damage. Many tenants do not know where their stopcock is until they need it, so including this information in the move-in pack as well as on the website is worth the effort.
Routine repairs still matter
Most repair requests are not emergencies. They need proper capture and normal handling, as described in tenant questions that swamp property managers.
Landlords care about this too
Landlords judge property managers on how emergencies are handled. A clear emergency process is a selling point, as described in landlords looking for a manager and what they ask.
How SpideyChat handles it
SpideyChat for property management companies shares your emergency information straight away when a tenant describes something urgent, and captures details for the team. It does not dispatch contractors or assess risk. You can see handover on the demo.
Testing the emergency route
Open your website on a phone, as a panicking tenant would, and check that the emergency number is visible within seconds. Ask the assistant a few emergency questions and check it responds correctly. Plans are compared on the pricing page.