The short version
- An emergency is a condition that threatens life, safety or serious property damage, or makes the unit unlivable. Everything else can wait for business hours.
- Write a short list of emergencies and give it to tenants at move-in, with the after hours number and what to do first.
- Set response targets for each priority level and measure against them. A target you never check is only a wish.
- Some states set deadlines for repairs that affect habitability, such as heat or water. Your targets should be faster than the law.
- The first response to an emergency is often to stop the damage, not to finish the repair.
Not every repair request is an emergency, but every tenant who calls at 11 pm thinks theirs might be. Without a clear definition, you either send a plumber at overtime rates for a dripping faucet or leave a real leak running until morning. A simple priority system solves both problems: it tells tenants what to report and how, and it tells you and your vendors how fast to move.
This guide covers how to define each priority level, set response targets, handle after hours calls and communicate the policy.
Define three or four levels
Most landlords do well with three or four priority levels. The definitions matter more than the names.
| Level | Definition | Examples | Target response |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emergency | Threat to life or safety, serious ongoing property damage, or the unit cannot be lived in | Fire, gas smell, active flooding, sewage backup, no heat in freezing weather, no water, total power loss not caused by the utility, broken exterior door lock, CO alarm sounding | Acknowledge within an hour, someone on site or damage stopped within a few hours |
| Urgent | Significant problem that affects use of the unit but does not threaten safety or cause rapid damage | Only toilet clogged when there is a second toilet, refrigerator not cooling, AC out in hot but not extreme weather, water heater out | Acknowledge same day, repair within 24 to 48 hours |
| Routine | Inconvenience or minor issue | Dripping faucet, running toilet, slow drain, broken blind, loose cabinet door, one burner out | Acknowledge within one business day, repair within several business days |
| Scheduled | Planned work or cosmetic items | Repainting, replacing worn carpet, preventive maintenance | Scheduled at a convenient time |
Adjust the examples to your properties and climate. If a building has only one bathroom, a clogged toilet moves up to emergency. A broken AC in Phoenix in July is a different matter from one in Seattle in October.
What makes something an emergency
When a request does not fit neatly, ask four questions:
- Is anyone in danger? Gas, fire, CO, exposed live wiring, a broken stair railing. If yes, it is an emergency, and the tenant may need to call 911 or the utility first.
- Is damage spreading right now? Water coming through a ceiling, a burst pipe, a sewage backup. If yes, the first job is to stop it.
- Can the tenant live there tonight? No heat in winter, no water, no working toilet, no way to lock the door.
- Will waiting until morning make it much worse or much more expensive?
If the answer to all four is no, it can wait for business hours.
Habitability and legal deadlines
Many states and cities set deadlines for repairs to conditions that affect habitability, such as heat, hot water, plumbing, electricity and security. Some set specific timelines after written notice, and some give tenants remedies such as repair and deduct or rent withholding if you miss them. Under the implied warranty of habitability, a unit must be fit to live in, and emergencies usually involve exactly those conditions.
Your internal targets should be faster than any legal deadline, so a slow vendor does not push you into violation. Our state pages, such as Texas landlord tenant rights and Ohio landlord tenant rights, summarize repair remedies where we have them.
Tell tenants what to do first
The first minutes of an emergency often matter more than how fast your plumber arrives. Give tenants a one page sheet at move-in, and post it in the unit.
Call 911 first for fire, a gas smell strong enough to be dangerous, a CO alarm with symptoms, or anyone hurt.
Call the gas utility for a gas smell, after leaving the building.
For water leaks, shut off the water at the fixture valve or the main shutoff, then call the emergency line. Show tenants where the main shutoff is during the move-in walkthrough.
For electrical problems, check the breaker panel. If a breaker trips again right away, leave it off and call.
For a clogged toilet, stop using it and use the shutoff valve behind it if it is overflowing.
For anything else after hours, ask: is it on the emergency list? If not, submit a regular request and it will be handled the next business day.
Our tenant welcome letter template is a good place for this information, and our move-in process guide shows how to cover it during the walkthrough.
After hours coverage
Someone has to answer emergencies outside business hours. Options:
- You or a staff member on call, with a rotating schedule for teams
- An answering service that screens calls and escalates true emergencies
- Vendors with emergency service agreements for plumbing, HVAC, electrical, locksmith and water mitigation
Whatever you choose, make sure the person answering has the emergency list and authority to dispatch. Agree on after hours rates with vendors in advance. Our vendor management guide covers setting up those agreements.
In TenantLoop, a tenant request lands in your requests list with the tenant’s photos and notes whenever it is sent. On Premium, the Maintenance Ops agent reads each new request from the portal and judges its priority and maintenance type from what the tenant wrote. If nobody needs to come out, it makes an internal task instead of a work order. The Receptionist agent, also on Premium, answers tenant emails, portal messages and texts from your own policies. When a tenant reports a fire, gas or flooding, it tells them to get safe and call 911 first, and any repair becomes a tenant request with the conversation attached for your review.
Stop the damage, then repair
For emergencies, separate stabilizing from repairing. The plumber who arrives at midnight should stop the leak and make the unit safe. Drywall, flooring and paint can wait for business hours and a proper quote. This keeps after hours costs down and lets you compare bids for the larger repair.
Worked example
At 9:40 pm on a Saturday, a tenant reports water coming through the kitchen ceiling from the unit above.
- 9:45 pm Your on call person acknowledges and tells the upstairs tenant to shut off the water under their sink, and tells the downstairs tenant to move belongings and put down buckets.
- 10:00 pm Upstairs tenant finds the dishwasher supply line leaking and shuts the valve. The leak stops.
- 10:15 pm You dispatch your water mitigation vendor to set fans and a dehumidifier in the downstairs ceiling cavity.
- Monday Plumber replaces the supply line. Drywall vendor quotes the ceiling repair after the cavity is dry.
- Following week Ceiling repaired and painted. You photograph it and close the work order.
Time to stop the damage: about 20 minutes, mostly by phone. Total after hours vendor cost: one mitigation visit. Everything else happened at regular rates. Drying wet materials within 24 to 48 hours also lowers the risk of mold, which our mold and moisture guide covers.
Measure response times
Set targets, then check them. For each priority level, track:
- Time to acknowledge: from request to first response
- Time to start: from request to someone on site
- Time to complete: from request to the work order closed
- Reopened requests: problems that came back
Review monthly. If routine requests regularly take two weeks, the fix may be a second vendor, a handyman on retainer, or better triage. Our work order process guide covers how to track these through each stage.
Common mistakes
- No written emergency list, so every call is treated the same way
- Tenants who do not know where the water shutoff is
- Paying after hours rates for routine work
- Finishing a full repair at midnight instead of stabilizing
- Targets that are never measured
- Treating heat or water outages as routine because the request came in on a weekend
A quick checklist
- Written priority levels with examples
- Emergency sheet given to tenants at move-in
- Water shutoffs shown at the walkthrough
- After hours coverage and vendor agreements in place
- Response targets for each level
- Monthly review of response times
Repair deadlines, entry rules and habitability standards vary by state and city. This post is general information. Check your state and local law and set your targets to beat any legal deadline.
Worth checking before you start.
Is no heat a maintenance emergency?
In cold weather, yes. Many states and cities treat loss of heat as a habitability issue with short repair deadlines, and it can become a health risk quickly. In mild weather, it may be urgent rather than an emergency. Define it in your list by season or temperature.
Is a broken air conditioner an emergency?
It depends on the climate and the tenant. In extreme heat, loss of cooling can be dangerous, especially for older or medically vulnerable tenants, and some cities now set cooling requirements. In moderate weather it is usually urgent or routine. Decide in advance and say so in your policy.
Can I enter a unit without notice in an emergency?
Most states allow entry without advance notice in a genuine emergency, such as a fire, flood or gas leak. You should still tell the tenant as soon as possible afterward. Check your state's entry rules for the details.
What response time should I promise tenants?
Promise what you can reliably deliver. A common structure is a response within an hour or two for emergencies, within a day for urgent issues and within several business days for routine requests. Response means someone acknowledges and acts, which may be different from the repair being finished.