A maintenance visit happens whether or not anyone from ownership is in the building. For the owner who was not there, the visit is whatever it leaves behind. An invoice that says a visit took place tells you time was spent. It does not tell you what changed.
The fix costs almost nothing once it is a habit: every item touched on a visit is recorded with what was done, where it is, its status, and a photograph. This guide covers what that record should hold and how to judge whether the photos in it are doing their job.
What each item should carry
- What it was. The request or finding in plain words: the restroom door that will not latch, the loose cover plate in the break room.
- Where it is. Building, floor, room, or suite, written so someone else could walk to it.
- What was done. One or two sentences. "Adjusted the closer and tightened the strike plate" is a record. "Fixed" is not.
- Its status. Done, in progress with the next step, or referred to a licensed trade.
- A photograph. The finished work, and the before view where it helps a reader see the change.
Before and after: the same view, twice
A before and after pair is only convincing when the two photos show the same spot from the same angle. A wide shot of a room before and a close-up of a fixture after shows nothing about either. The useful habit is simple: take the before photo close enough to show the problem, then stand in the same place for the after.
Close crops beat wide shots. The reader is looking for the drain grate, the outlet cover, or the ceiling tile, not the room around it. If the space contains anything sensitive, such as a screen, a posted document, or people, frame it out before the shutter, not afterward.
Items that go to a licensed trade
Some items found during a visit belong to a licensed electrician, plumber, or mechanical contractor. A good record says so clearly, describes what was seen, and stops there. The item is noted for ownership, and nothing is scheduled or quoted unless ownership asks. That keeps the owner in control of what gets spent, and it keeps the visit record honest about what the visit did and did not do. Our piece on when a maintenance visit should hand a problem to a licensed trade covers where that line usually sits.
What a photo is, and what it is not
A photograph documents the work as it stood on the day it was done. It is not an inspection of the system behind it, and it does not say how long the repair will last. Read that way, it is exactly as strong as it needs to be: proof that the item was addressed, where, and how, with a date attached.
Small things done in passing, such as a quick adjustment a staff member asks for in a hallway, may not all make it into the record. A trustworthy record does not pretend otherwise. What matters is that the items ownership asked for, and the findings the visit was meant to work, are all there.
Who this matters to most
Owners who are not on site get their only view of the building through the record. But the record matters just as much to owners who are on site and manage by seeing things handled. A photographed list lets them see the work without standing over it, which is often the difference between trusting a maintenance program and quietly doing the follow-up themselves.
Questions to ask any maintenance provider
- Does every completed item get a photo, or only some?
- Can I see the record by item, not only a total of hours or visits?
- How are items marked when they need a licensed trade?
- Where does the record live, and can I open it without asking for it?
How Proportional FM handles it
On Scheduled Recurring General Maintenance, the technician works from an open list and closes each item in the field app with a note and a photograph. Items that need a licensed trade are marked and left for ownership to decide. The resulting record, with before and after views where they help, is described on our client reporting page. For how those records add up over time, see the service-history log.
