The short version
Repair software does three jobs: get the report in, get a contractor there, and keep a record you can show someone. Every tool on the market does all three. What separates them is how much friction sits in each step — and how much you pay for features you will not use.
| Agency | Best fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Large, multi-branch, high job volume | A repairs specialist such as Fixflo | Triage, contractor networks and integrations earn their cost at volume. |
| Already on a full property management platform | Its built-in repairs module | One system beats two if the module is good enough. |
| Small or mid-sized, wants repairs, rent and compliance in one place | Proplio | Link or QR reporting, contractor dispatch and tenant updates, on one flat price. |
| Under a dozen properties | Email and a shared inbox — for now | Until you miss one. |
Why the reporting route matters more than the software
The repairs you never hear about are the expensive ones. A tenant who has to download an app, remember a password or phone during office hours will put up with the drip under the sink — until it is a ceiling.
So the first test for any repair tool is not the dashboard. It is: how many steps between the tenant noticing and you knowing? The best answer is one — open a link, describe it, attach a photo, send. We cover the full workflow, from triage to sign-off, in our tenant repair reports guide.
The second test is whether the tenant can find the route in month eleven, not just in the welcome pack.
What to compare
1. How tenants report
- Link, QR code, app, portal login, or email?
- Can they attach photos from a phone without shrinking them first?
- Is the route still findable when the boiler dies at 9pm in January?
2. How jobs reach contractors
- Is it one click to send a job with the address, tenant contact and photos?
- Does the contractor need an account, or does an email do?
- If the email fails, does the job still look "sent"? It must not.
3. What keeps the tenant informed
- Do they hear back when you have the report, when someone is booked, and when it is done?
- Unanswered tenants report again, phone the office, and complain. A receipt costs nothing.
4. What stops jobs going quiet
- Does anything tell you a repair has been sitting for three days with nobody sent?
- Is an urgent job flagged faster than a normal one?
5. What the landlord sees
- Do repair costs reach the landlord statement without re-typing?
- Can you add your mark-up and VAT?
6. What it costs as you grow
- Per unit, per job, per user, or flat? A per-unit price that looks small at 50 doors looks different at 400.
Fixflo
Fixflo is the best-known repairs specialist in UK lettings and is widely used by larger agencies and build-to-rent operators.
Good at
- Guided tenant reporting with troubleshooting that can stop a call-out before it is booked.
- Contractor management at scale, with integrations into the major lettings CRMs.
- Depth — reporting, SLAs and workflows built for high volume.
Watch for
- Pricing is quote-based, typically per managed unit, so cost rises with the portfolio.
- It is a repairs platform. Compliance and rent live elsewhere, which means another system and another login.
Right for: agencies with enough job volume that triage and contractor networks pay for themselves. Our Proplio vs Fixflo comparison covers where the two overlap.
Property management platforms
Examples: Arthur Online, and the maintenance modules in lettings CRMs such as Reapit and Alto.
Good at
- Repairs sit next to the tenancy, the accounts and the documents — no re-typing.
- Tenant and contractor apps on the fuller platforms.
Watch for
- Apps are friction. A tenant portal login is one more thing to forget. Check whether a tenant can report without one.
- Depth varies. Some modules are a form and a status field. Ask to see a job go from report to invoice.
Right for: agencies already on the platform whose repairs module passes the tests above.
Proplio
Proplio handles repairs alongside compliance and rent tracking, for one flat price.
How reporting works
- Every property gets its own report link. No app, no account, no password — the tenant opens it, describes the problem, marks it urgent if it is, and adds photos. Photos are shrunk on the phone, so they upload on a weak signal.
- Four ways to get the link to tenants: it is already in every email Proplio sends a tenant; copy it; email it to a tenant in one click; or print QR cards, six to an A4 sheet, for the kitchen cupboard. The card is the one that is still there when the boiler dies.
What happens next
- Everyone in the agency is emailed with the report and the photos attached.
- Send to a contractor in one click — address, tenant contact for access and photos, from your agency's name, replies to you. If the email fails, nothing changes.
- The tenant is told when you have it, who is coming, and when it is done. Never the cost, never your notes.
- Nothing goes quiet. A repair nobody has sent to a contractor after three days — one day if urgent — earns you one email. Once per repair, ever.
- Mark it done with the cost, and it appears on that landlord's statement, with your mark-up and VAT if you set them.
Watch for
- No AI triage or contractor marketplace. You pick the contractor from your own list; Proplio suggests the right trade first.
- No tenant app. That is deliberate, but if your tenants expect one, look elsewhere.
Pricing: £49 a month or £490 a year, flat — unlimited properties and users, with compliance tracking and rent in the same subscription. See pricing.
Right for: small and mid-sized agencies that want repairs working this week, not after an onboarding project.
Email and a shared inbox
It works — until two people answer the same tenant, or nobody does. There is no clock, no chase, no photo that stays attached to the job, and no way to show a council what happened in March. Fine for a handful of properties; a risk past that.
The Awaab's Law question
Awaab's Law is in force in social housing and is expected to reach private lettings no earlier than 2027. When it does, its clocks run from the moment you become aware of a hazard — not when you decide to act.
That makes the timestamped report, the contractor instruction and the tenant updates your whole defence. Any of the tools above can hold that record; an inbox cannot find it again. See Awaab's Law for letting agents for what to have in place now.
Key takeaways
- The best repair software is the one tenants actually use — count the steps between the problem and the report.
- Test the whole job: report, contractor, tenant update, cost on the landlord statement.
- Something must chase you when a repair sits untouched.
- Match the tool to your volume: a specialist earns its cost at scale; a bundled tool wins for small and mid-sized agencies.
This article is general guidance for letting agents in England as of September 2026. Product details for other vendors are summarised from their public materials and change over time; confirm with each vendor before you buy. Proplio is our product.