TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Overview of 'Allocate to landlord'
• The 'Next steps' tab
• Selecting 'Allocate to landlord'
• Assigning a landlord to an issue through the 'Detail' tab:
• Assigning a landlord to a job when allocating a job to a landlord:
• Updates made on the 'Next steps' tab:
• The email sent onto the landlord:
• How the landlord progresses the issue:
• Back on the agent's side of the system and closing the issue:

Overview of 'Allocate to landlord'

You may have some landlords who prefer to deal with issues themselves or through their own contractors or other channels.

One of the workflows available on Fixflo; is to allocate the job to the landlord. Essentially this will treat the landlord like a contractor, but without the invoicing section. 

The 'Next steps' tab

To use this workflow select the issue as usual and remain on the 'Next steps' tab. This is the place you will need to be in order to use a works flow and progress the issue. The issue will begin with the issue status 'Reported'. This can be found towards the top of the page on the left hand side of the screen:

Underneath the 'Reminder date' you will be able to see everyone involved with the issue and who the issue lies with:

It is important that you take a look at both the issue status and whole the issue lies with when you first of all click onto an issue. These two aspects will give you a good understanding as to where the job lies and who's responsibility it is to continue progressing the job. Both the issue status and the 'Task to do' will automatically update as you begin to progress the issue. 

Before you progress the issue from the 'Reported' status we would recommend that you check to see if there are any notes on the issue. Notes can be made about:

- The Property
- The Occupier
- The Landlord
- The Contractor

The notes which have been made may change the way a maintenance issue is dealt with and therefore could alter the works flow you choose to choose next. Notes will sit directly underneath the parties involved with issue on the left hand side of the screen:

To expand the note, please click on it and a pop up will appear, displaying the entire notes:

You can make any changes to the note here as well. 

Please click here to find out more about adding landlord notes. 

Selecting 'Allocate to landlord'

The work flows can be found on the right hand side of the page, underneath 'Next step'. You will want to select 'Allocate to landlord':

Please note that a landlord must be associated with the issue in order for this instruction to work. You can easily check to see if a landlord is associated as all of the parties are displayed on the 'Next Steps' page:

If no landlord is associated with the issue then one can easily be added by either clicking on the 'Detail' tab and assigning one here, or when allocating an issue to them.

Assigning a landlord to an issue through the 'Detail' tab:

Click on the 'Detail' tab which is next to the 'Next steps' tab, and underneath the 'Address information' you will see that there is no landlord added. Simply click on 'Change' on the right hand side of the empty field. 

You can then select the correct landlord and press save:

Assigning a landlord to a job when allocating a job to a landlord:

On the 'Next step' tab simply click on 'Allocate to landlord':

A pop up box will appear where it will show that there is no landlord in the 'Landlord' field:

Simply click on 'Change' and you will start typing the landlord's name or email address and then you can press save. You must ensure that you have a landlord in this field before you allocate the job to the landlord:

Once you have a landlord allocated to the issue, you can then type in a message to the landlord and click "Proceed to next step".  

This will update certain information on the 'Next Steps' tab and also send the landlord an email asking them to resolve the issue.

Updates made on the 'Next steps' tab:

You will notice that the issue status will have automatically updated from 'Reported' to 'Job awarded, awaiting appointment date', the 'Reminder date' will have updated to a date and time in the future and the task to do has now moved to 'Waiting for' landlord:

The 'Reminder date' is showing you the date that this issue will come back into your 'Issues requiring action', allowing the issue to not fall through the cracks. This can be changed by clicking on the 'Reminder date'. 

Please note that you can click on 'Waiting for Landlord' where you will be able to resolve the issue on their behalf. It is recommended that the landlord resolves the issue by logging in themselves or you will find that they may start relying on you to progress their issues. The system works best if each party logs in and resolves their own issues.

The email sent onto the landlord:

The landlord will receive an email which looks similar to the below:

The landlord will need to click on 'Enter job start date', where they will log into Fixflo and resolve the issue. 

How the landlord progresses the issue:

The landlord will be able to see a screen which looks similar to the screenshot below:

Here they can see the issue status, that there is a comment (this will only be shown if you added a message when you allocated the job to the landlord) and they can see that the next step is to set an appointment date. 

They also have the option to mark the job as complete or decline the job if they wish. If they decline the job then the issue will go back to the agent to choose an alternative works flow. 

The first thing which they should do in this scenario is to click on the 'Comments' tab to see the message which you have sent them. Here you can see that they can reply:

Next they should click on the 'Detail' tab to see all of the details about the job. Once they are happy they can click on the 'Next steps' tab to 'Set appointment date'. Before they do this it's important that they look at the information on the left hand side of the 'Next steps' tab as this shows whether the occupier would like to be present or not:

When the set an appointment date they will be asked whether the appointment time and date has been agreed with the occupier. Essentially here there are four possible scenarios:

1. The occupier doesn't want to be present and the landlord has agreed the start time with the occupier

2. The occupier doesn't want to be present and the landlord has not agreed the start time with the occupier

3. The occupier does want to be present and the landlord has agreed the start time with the occupier

4. The occupier does want to be present and the landlord has not agreed the start time with the occupier

In scenarios 1, 2 and 3 the occupier will receive an email to say that the work is due for completion with a time and date. 

In scenario 4, the occupier receives an email where they have to login to the system to either accept or decline the proposed date and time. 

Once they have set the appointment date, they click on 'Save appointment date'. 

The landlord will now see that the issue status has automatically updated to 'Awaiting job completion' and the next step is to mark the job as complete. This button is sitting on the right hand side of the screen. 

The appointment will be sitting in the 'Appointments' tab, where the landlord can cancel the appointment and add a follow up appointment if necessary:

Back on the 'Next steps' tab the landlord would click on 'Mark as complete' where they can add the job completion details. The 'Job completion date' must be added, and this will pull through based on the appointment date which the landlord gave before.

The feedback to the agent, the issue photos, the completion documents and the certificate documents are optional:

The landlord will then see a pop up asking if they are sure they would like to mark the job as complete:

Once they have clicked 'Confirm' then they have done everything that they need to do. The issue status will have updated to 'Job completed, ready for closure'. The job will need to be closed by the agent.

The landlord's 'Next step' tab will show that they currently have no actions, however if needs be they can click on 'Undo job complete', taking the issue back to the issue status, 'Awaiting job completion'.

Back on the agent's side of the system and closing the issue:

When closing the issue, you will need to provide a close reason. This can be selected from the drop down available. Close reason notes and sending an FYI to the occupier, landlord or another email address are optional. 

The issue status will now update to 'Closed' and then include the close reason you included. This example is 'Closed. Works completed'. Comments can be sent on a closed issue.

If you would like to reopen an issue, this can be done through the 'Actions' button: