Most wasted maintenance money is not lost due to fraud. It is a vague bid approved in a hurry because the owner was rushing you and the request queue was long.

The fix is a repeatable review. Run every bid through the same nine checks and you will catch most problems before they become invoices. If you coordinate remotely, this matters even more. The bid and the photos are all you have.

1. Scope: could a stranger do this job from the bid alone?

Here is the test. If a different vendor showed up tomorrow with only this document, could they take over the work order? And could you confirm it was done?

A clear scope names:

Location. Unit, room, wall, fixture. "Bathroom" is not a location in a duplex with three bathrooms.

Action. Repair, replace, patch, prime, paint, haul away.

Quantity with a unit. 2 GFCI outlets. 140 sq ft of vinyl plank. One 40-gallon gas water heater.

Exclusions. What is not included. A good vendor will come prepared with their own exclusions on a quoted request, but you should not let your operation rely on the aptitude of your vendor.

Definition of done. What you should see when it is finished.

Weak: "Fix bathroom floor. $1,200."

Strong: "Pull toilet. Cut out and replace rotted subfloor around the flange. New wax ring and closet bolts. Reset toilet. Patch vinyl to closest available match. Excludes joist repair. If joists are damaged, stop and send photos with a price before continuing."

That last sentence can turn out to be the most valuable line in the bid.

2. Line items vs. lump sum

Lump sum is fine for small, known jobs. Replacing a faucet does not need a pricing breakdown.

Ask for line items when a job is over the owner's approval limit, involves more than one trade, or might get partially approved. Break out:

Labor

Materials

Disposal and haul-away

Permit fees

Trip or diagnostic charges

Without line items you cannot realistically compare two bids, approve part of the scope, or explain the invoice to an owner.

A workable middle ground is lump sum per task: "Replace 3 interior doors: $X. Patch and paint living room: $Y." You can negotiate or cut tasks one at a time.

3. Materials: specs, quantities and allowances

An allowance is a placeholder budget, like "flooring allowance $2.50/sq ft." It is useful when the finish is not chosen yet. It is also where invoices grow the most without appropriated change orders.

Check:

Is the product specified? "Water heater" tells you nothing. "40-gallon natural gas, 6-year tank warranty" does.

Is the quantity plausible? Compare it to the unit's square footage or your last inspection. Flooring needs a waste factor. Ask what they used.

Is the allowance realistic? Look up the retail price of what you actually want. If the allowance is below retail, the overrun is already baked in.

Who supplies it? If the owner supplies materials, decide in advance who pays for the wrong part and the second trip.

4. Labor: do the math, then question the hours

Multiply hours by rate. Then ask whether the hours make sense.

Crew size. "8 hours" with two people is 16 labor hours. Know which one you are paying for. A vendor that doesn't know their labor hours is a vendor that will either overcharge you or undercharge and underperform at your expense.

Minimums and trip charges. Normal. Just know them before you approve.

Your own history. Pull the last five similar work orders from AppFolio, Buildium or Property Meld. Your past invoices are a better benchmark than any national average.

Billed rate is not wage. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the May 2025 median pay for general maintenance and repair workers at $23.84 per hour. A vendor's billed rate also has to cover payroll taxes, insurance, vehicles, tools, scheduling and callbacks, so it will typically be above that. A billed rate near the bare wage deserves a question about insurance and who is actually doing the work.

5. Change orders: set the rules before work starts

Most surprise invoices are change orders nobody approved in writing. Put these rules in the bid or your vendor agreement:

No added work without written approval. A message in the work order counts.

Hidden conditions: stop, photograph, price, wait for approval.

A not-to-exceed (NTE) amount for diagnostic or uncertain work.

An emergency exception. Spell out what the vendor can do without approval to stop damage (shut off water, make it safe) and the dollar cap.

6. Photos: no photos, no approval

A bid without photos is an opinion. For anything over your threshold, require:

Before photos. One wide shot for context, one close-up of the problem.

After photos from the same angles.

Data plate photos of new equipment, with model and serial number, for warranty registration.

7. Permits and regulated work

Ask two questions: does this need a permit, and who pulls it?

Permit rules are local. The model International Residential Code (R105.2) exempts painting, papering, tiling, carpeting, cabinets, countertops and similar finish work. Structural, electrical, plumbing and mechanical work often needs a permit. Cleveland, for example, treats in-kind patching and replacement up to 10% of a wall, floor, ceiling or roof as a minor repair. Replacing a window unit is an alteration that needs a permit. Check your city.

If a permit is needed, confirm the fee is in the bid, the final inspection is included, and you hold final payment until it passes.

Lead paint. In housing built before 1978, the EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) rule applies to paid work that disturbs more than 6 sq ft of paint per room inside or more than 20 sq ft outside. Window replacement and demolition of painted surfaces are covered at any size. The firm must be certified, and EPA's list of covered firms includes rental property owners and managers. Ask for the firm certificate. HUD-assisted units have their own lead rules on top of this.

8. Warranty: get it in writing

"Warranty: yes" means nothing. The bid should state:

Labor warranty length and what it covers

Manufacturer warranty on equipment, and who registers it

What voids it (tenant damage, owner-supplied parts)

How to request warranty service and how fast they respond

9. Red flags

A one-line description with a total

A large deposit before materials are needed (special-order items are a fair exception; ask)

"While we were there" add-ons with no photos

The same price for every unit, regardless of size or condition

Pressure to approve today when nothing is actively leaking or unsafe

No certificate of insurance on file

Quantities that do not fit the unit, like 1,200 sq ft of flooring in an 850 sq ft apartment

Full replacement recommended with no explanation of why repair will not work

The vendor cannot tell you who will do the work

Copy-paste bid review checklist

☐ Location, action, quantity and exclusions are stated

☐ Line items (or per-task pricing) for anything over the approval limit

☐ Materials specified; allowance checked against retail

☐ Hours and crew size make sense against your history

☐ Change order and hidden-condition rules agreed

☐ Before photos attached; after photos required

☐ Permit need confirmed; fee and final inspection included

☐ RRP certification on file for pre-1978 paint work

☐ Written warranty terms

☐ Insurance certificate current

Work with a vendor who bids this way

At 48 Hour Property Maintenance, our bids come itemized, with proper exclusions and a stop-and-call rule for hidden conditions. Send one work order. If the response is not better than what you experience day to day right now, move on.

Sources

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: General Maintenance and Repair Workers (May 2025 median pay). https://www.bls.gov/ooh/installation-maintenance-and-repair/general-maintenance-and-repair-workers.htm

U.S. EPA, Renovation, Repair and Painting Program: Contractors. https://www.epa.gov/lead/renovation-repair-and-painting-program-contractors

International Code Council, 2021 International Residential Code, Section R105.2 (Work exempt from permit), as adopted locally. Example: https://up.codes/viewer/pennsylvania/irc-2021/chapter/1/scope-and-administration

City of Cleveland, Division of Code Enforcement (minor repairs and permits). https://www.clevelandohio.gov/city-hall/departments/building-housing/divisions/code-enforcement

City of Cleveland, Contractor Permits. https://www.clevelandohio.gov/city-hall/departments/building-housing/divisions/permits/contractor-permits