The guide below assumes you have an understanding of the planned maintenance feature. If you need to learn this first, please click here.

The landlord approval feature - if turned on for a particular service event - automatically sends an email to the landlord of the property at the selected date, asking for approval for you to carry out the required works. This is particularly useful for statutory requirements such as CP12s and EICRs, and shows the landlord that you are on top of your compliance. The landlord can decide to approve the works, or request to complete the service event themselves.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Switching on landlord approval
• Configuring landlord approval on service events
• What will my landlords see?
• What will I (the agent) see?
• What statuses are in place for landlord approval?

Switching on landlord approval

The landlord approval workflow can be switched on at agency-level via Setup > Settings > Planned maintenance:

This also allows you to set the default approval interval prior to the service event instructing the job. Please note, even if the setting is switched on here, you can manually configure each service event to decide if landlord approval is required.

You also have the ability to apply landlord approval to all existing Pending events in your system. If you tick this box, a pop-up will check that you're happy to continue. Please note you will need to select 'Apply to all' and then hit save to action this.

• If you apply to all service events, the system will back-track any Pending events within the approval interval, and ask for landlord advice for these events
• If you then switch off the landlord approval feature in this section, any events that were awaiting landlord approval will move back to 'Pending', and the landlord will not be able to respond to any approval request emails already sent out. Please note all events in the status of 'Pending' will also have landlord approval switched off

Configuring landlord approval on service events

At service event level - regardless of the global setting - you will see the option to configure landlord approval. If the works do not require landlord approval - for example, property visits or gardening works - then do state 'No' using the flag below:

If, however, landlord approval is required, then do keep the setting switched to 'Yes'. You can manually amend the approval interval if necessary, and the 'Approval date' field will populate from this, X days/weeks/months prior to the due date.

You can also add landlord approval notes that will be sent to the landlord via email, which will allow you to send different approval information depending on the type of service event. 

Naturally, the landlord approval interval will need to be prior to the instruction date, so the landlord has time to provide their approval and indicate whether they are happy for the works to go ahead, or if they'd prefer the job to be allocated to them.

What will my landlords see?

On the approval date, the primary landlord of the property on which the service event has been created will receive an email. 

This email can be edited by going into Setup > Content edit > Email - Service event - Landlord approval. 

This email will provide them with the title of the service event, and the property in question; they are able to click through from the email (no password required) to provide their advice:

This will take the landlord to the service event on the landlord portal, whereby they can decide if they would like to approve the works or allocate it to themselves:

The landlord will have two options available:

- They can approve the works, which will be logged on the service event. Once the instruction date comes around, you can award the job to a contractor (or have the system do this automatically) in the knowledge that your client has agreed you complete the job as necessary.

- They can ask that the work be allocated to them. If they choose this option, a banner will inform them that they will be allocated the issue upon instruction date - this will happen automatically:

If the request remains open, the landlord will receive a weekly reminder email notifying them that the service event(s) are awaiting their approval:

There is also a landlord-facing guide available for you to share with your landlords.

Please note, if the landlord does not approve the request within the time-frame, the service event will still instruct the associated issue on the instruction date, similar to any 'Pending' service event.

What will I (the agent) see?

If a service event requires landlord approval, Fixflo will automatically send the landlord an email to request this. In Fixflo, the service event itself will move to the status of 'AA' (Awaiting Approval). From here, two things can happen:

1) The landlord approves the work

If this happens, the service event will move back to 'Pending' (Grey P), and a field will populate on the event indicating that the event has been approved; this will be time and date stamped:

The 'Assigned agent' flagged on the service event will also receive an email notification informing them that the event has been approved:

If there is no 'Assigned agent', the system will send the email to the reviewing agent; if this is not present, the email will be triggered to the central reporting email address.

2) The landlord requests the job be allocated to them

Should the landlord select 'Allocate to me', the service event will go to the status of 'Instruction requested' (IR). The system will automatically allocate the associated issue to the landlord on the instruction date; alternatively, you have the button available to 'Instruct to landlord' if you wish to:

At any stage of the workflow, you can always visit the service event and scroll to the bottom of the page, whereby the landlord approval status will be clearly indicated above the 'Save' button:

Alternatively, you can also see it on the 'Next Steps' tab on the associated maintenance issue itself:

As an agent user, you have the ability to manually progress landlord approval. If you ever want or need to bypass the automation and request landlord approval prior to the system doing it automatically, a button will be available to do so on the service event when it's in the status 'Pending':

This will move the event to the status 'AA' (see below). 

Similarly, if the landlord approves the works via a medium outside of Fixflo (eg phone), you can progress the service event on their behalf. Simply go to the event when in the status 'AA' (see below) and use the button 'Mark approved' to manually progress it:

What statuses are in place for landlord approval?

During the landlord approval feature, service events will switch between differing statuses. These are defined as follows:

Pending - P

This status is common in planned maintenance, and will be in place:
- Prior to the system requesting landlord approval
- If the landlord has approved the works, prior to the system instructing a job

Awaiting approval - AA

This status indicates that the service event lies with the landlord to approve or request the works themselves. If the landlord does not perform any action, Fixflo will still create the job as necessary on the instruction date.

Instruction requested - IR

This status tells you that the landlord has requested they would like the complete the works. It is recommended that you manually instruct the job to the landlord when this happens.

As part of our Contractor Marketplace service, we have partnered with contractor networks that can perform different service events for your agency, helping you stay compliant. Please find more information in this guide.