Overview
Property maintenance is sold as ongoing care, and the customer's biggest fear is the unbudgeted repair
Property maintenance is the trade booked by homeowners, landlords, and small letting agencies who want a single contractor to handle the property's running repairs rather than ringing a plumber, an electrician, and a handyman in succession. The customer is buying convenience: one phone number, one invoice cycle, one record of what's been done. The product is response time and predictability, not a single repair. A flat 'maintenance services, $80/hr' quote without a retainer structure, a list of included tasks, and a clear sub-contractor referral path doesn't communicate the relationship the customer is actually buying.
QuoteGenio gives property maintenance contractors a quoting shape built for the ongoing relationship. Monthly retainer as a recurring record covering a set number of hours and a committed response window, additional work over the retainer billed at the agreed hourly rate, materials at supplier price with a small mark-up, specialist sub-contractor work (gas, electrical, structural) referred and coordinated as named lines, and an annual property review with a recommendations list. Send via WhatsApp or email to the homeowner or landlord, take the retainer monthly, and each visit closes against the same record. The customer sleeps better because the property has a single point of accountability.
Who it is for
Who uses QuoteGenio
Built for the contractors who keep rentals, holiday lets, and commercial properties running.
The problem
The quoting headaches every property maintenance crew knows
Between landlord approvals, agent sign-offs, and chasing tenants for access, your quoting process can't be the bottleneck.
Approvals stall the work
Agents and landlords need a written quote before they approve. Every hour you spend writing one is an hour the tenant waits without hot water.
Retainer scope is murky
What's covered by the monthly retainer and what's chargeable on top is the single biggest source of payment disputes in this trade.
Reactive jobs eat your margin
A 'quick fix' becomes a half-day with travel, materials, and a return trip. Without itemised quotes, you absorb the difference.
The fix
QuoteGenio keeps the work moving
A clean workflow for both retainer contracts and ad-hoc reactive jobs, designed around how property maintenance actually works.
The payoff
What you get with QuoteGenio
The everyday wins that add up across a year of quoting and invoicing.
Built for property work
Line items for retainer, ad-hoc, materials, call-outs, and after-hours premiums. Structured the way agents and landlords expect to see them.
Quote from any property
Send a quote from the kitchen of the flat you're standing in. Agents approve on the link before you leave.
Retainer scope in writing
Spell out exactly what the monthly fee covers, and what's chargeable on top. Settles every dispute before it starts.
Faster sign-off, faster pay
Agents accept quotes online with one tap. Convert to invoice the day the job's signed off, and chase outstanding payments from the dashboard.
Built for your trade
Quoting calibrated to how property maintenance actually work
Pick your trade in Settings and the entire quote flow switches to fit. Line item presets, compliance fields, on-the-quote calculators, and per-m² / after-hours pricing all change to match your industry.
Trade-specific line items
Quick add picker pre-fills the common items your trade quotes. Skip the blank rows.
Brand-specific catalogues
Pylontech, Hikvision, Canadian Solar, Sunsynk and others pre-named. Pick the brand, the description writes itself.
Compliance fields built in
IOPSA, ECASA, PIRB, PSIRA, NHBRC, SAQCC. Set once. Every quote prints them under FROM.
Registration expiry alerts
Dashboard notification 60 days before your PSIRA, CoC or any dated registration lapses.
Per-m² / hour / day billing
Unit selector on every line item: m², hr, linear m, days. Stop doing the maths externally.
After-hours and emergency
1.5× and 2× multipliers as a one-tap toggle. Customer sees the breakdown on the quote.
Quote-flow calculators
Solar size, battery backup, cable run cost. Compute on the spot, drop straight onto the quote.
Staged payments
Deposit on acceptance + balance on completion as two separate amounts on the quote PDF.
Scope-of-work checklist
Structured Included / Not included lists. Client acceptance = signing the scope.
Site-survey mode
Log a location per line item: camera positions, fixtures by room, sensors by zone.
Regional rate hints
Pricing ranges per item per currency shown as you quote.
Free on every plan
All of the above included on the free plan. Premium is for capacity, not the trade tooling.
Why QuoteGenio
Why Property Maintenance choose QuoteGenio
The tools that matter most when you are quoting on-site, under pressure, and between jobs.
Quote from your phone
Most Property Maintenance build and send quotes directly from the job site. No laptop, no office, no delays.
Win more jobs, faster
The first professional quote a client receives usually wins. Respond in minutes, not hours.
Quote to invoice in one click
When the job is accepted, convert to an invoice instantly. No retyping, no double entry.
Pricing guide
Typical Property Maintenance job pricing
A rough guide to what property maintenance crews charge for retainer and reactive work. Pricing varies by city, property type, and how much of the work is planned versus reactive. Use these ranges as a reference when you build your own quotes and contracts.
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Reactive call-out (first hour, daytime) | R1,240 - R2,479 |
| Monthly retainer (single residential property) | R1,570 - R3,966 / mo |
| Monthly retainer (small portfolio, 5 to 10 units) | R7,933 - R19,832 / mo |
| Tenant change-over make-good (1-bed) | R4,628 - R14,048 |
| Annual gutter and roof check (single storey) | R2,975 - R6,941 |
| Out-of-hours emergency response | R2,975 - R6,280 |
| Quarterly planned maintenance visit | R3,966 - R9,586 |
Pricing converted from USD to ZAR at indicative rates. Rates vary significantly by country, region, currency, and market.
Call-out fees
A reactive call-out (typically R1,240 to R2,479 daytime, 1.5x to 2x after-hours) covers your time to attend, diagnose, and report back to the agent or landlord. Always quote it as a separate line, even on retainer clients, so out-of-scope work is clearly chargeable.
Hourly vs fixed pricing
Use a monthly retainer for clients with multiple properties or predictable planned maintenance. Use ad-hoc fixed pricing for known repairs (door rehangs, tap swaps) and hourly for diagnostic work. On retainer quotes, list which work is included and which is charged on top so there's never a dispute.
See it in action
Example quote breakdown
Here's what a clean tenant change-over quote looks like. Each task is its own line with materials and labour visible, so the agent can sign it off in one read and recharge the landlord cleanly.
Try it yourself
Job size
Region
Sample quote
Tenant change-over make-good, 1-bed flat
Reactive call-out and inspection
Touch-up paint (kitchen and lounge walls)
Replace 2 internal door handles
Re-seal bath and shower silicone
Labour (4 hours, multi-trade)
Materials and consumables
| Description | Qty | Rate | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reactive call-out and inspection | 1 | R1,818 | R1,818 |
| Touch-up paint (kitchen and lounge walls) | 1 | R2,975 | R2,975 |
| Replace 2 internal door handles | 2 | R1,074 | R2,149 |
| Re-seal bath and shower silicone | 1 | R1,570 | R1,570 |
| Labour (4 hours, multi-trade) | 4 | R1,240 / hr | R4,958 |
| Materials and consumables | 1 | R992 | R992 |
| Subtotal | R14,461 | ||
| Tax (10%) | R1,446 | ||
| Total incl. tax | R15,907 | ||
Totals recalculate as you change the controls above. Tax rate inferred from the sample quote.
Items often forgotten
Disposal of old fittings, the second trip if a paint colour needs to be matched, key cutting and lock changes between tenants, the meter reading visit, and the photo report for the landlord. Add these as standard lines on your make-good template so they stop coming out of your margin.
Peer snapshot
How Property Maintenance actually use QuoteGenio
Indicative activity for Property Maintenance on the platform. Use it as a benchmark for how often to quote and how fast to respond.
35
Quotes sent per month
63%
Average quote acceptance
3 min
Median time to send quote
R15,907
Typical quote value
Figures are indicative platform averages for this trade segment.
Start quoting Property Maintenance jobs like this, free
Build your first quote in under 2 minutes. No credit card, no setup fee, no contract.
Avoid these
Common quoting mistakes
We talk to a lot of property maintenance crews. The same scoping and pricing mistakes come up across retainer and reactive work. Fixing these protects margin and keeps agents recommending you.
Mistake: Vague retainer scope
Better: Write the retainer scope as a numbered list on the quote: planned visits per quarter, response time, what's included, what's not. Removes 90 percent of disputes.
Mistake: No call-out on retainer clients
Better: Charge a call-out for any reactive job outside the retainer scope. Bundling reactive trips into the retainer is how monthly fees turn unprofitable.
Mistake: Quoting the agent verbally
Better: Agents need a written quote to forward to the landlord. A WhatsApp link with a branded PDF gets approved faster than a phone call ever will.
Mistake: Lump-sum make-good quotes
Better: Itemise every task on a make-good. The agent recharges the deposit line by line, so a vague quote slows the whole sign-off process.
Mistake: No after-hours premium
Better: Build an after-hours rate into your quote template (typically 1.5x to 2x daytime). Quote it before you go out, not after the job is done.
Mistake: Forgetting the report
Better: Most agents need a short written report and photos for the landlord file. Add a 'site report and photo set' line to your quote so you're paid for the admin.
Mistake: No expiry on retainer quotes
Better: Retainer pricing should be reviewed annually. Set an expiry on the quote and a renewal date in the contract so you can re-price each year without an awkward conversation.
Mistake: No follow-up after sending the quote
Better: Most quotes that don't close, don't close because nobody followed up. Send a polite check-in 48 hours after the quote lands, and a second nudge at day 7. Two of every three accepted quotes get there because someone followed up.
Step by step
How to quote property maintenance jobs
Walk every property before you price a retainer, not just the building the agent sent you to. Count the bathrooms, the internal doors, the taps, the roof lights, and the gutters. Check the age of the geyser, inspect the silicone in wet areas, and look for signs of ongoing damp or pest issues that will become reactive call-outs inside the first month. For tenant change-overs, inspect with the agent and the outgoing tenant's inventory report so the make-good scope is agreed upfront. For holiday lets, check linen, inventory, and guest-ready condition separately from maintenance. These walk-throughs are the difference between a retainer that pays for itself and one that becomes unlimited free trips by month three.
Itemise the retainer scope as a numbered list on the quote: planned visits per quarter, response time, included minor repairs (light bulbs, washers, silicone, small fittings), and exclusions. Quote reactive call-outs at $ 75 to $ 150 for daytime and 1.5x to 2x for after-hours as separate lines, even on retainer clients, so out-of-scope work is clearly chargeable. On tenant change-overs, list every task separately (paint touch-ups, silicone, door handles, lock change, deep clean) with labour and materials as their own lines, because the agent recharges the deposit line by line and a lump-sum quote slows the whole sign-off. Add a site report and photo set line on every job so you are paid for the admin the landlord expects.
Set a 12 month validity on retainer contracts with an annual CPI-linked review, and a 14 to 30 day validity on ad-hoc reactive quotes. Property maintenance serves agents, landlords, and tenants with different approval chains, so show VAT as its own line on every document. State payment terms clearly: most agents pay on 14 or 30 day terms from invoice, never on completion. On make-goods, be explicit that the agent recharges the deposit and that your invoice is to the landlord unless otherwise agreed. Set an after-hours premium (typically 1.5x to 2x daytime) in writing on the retainer contract so there is no friction at 11pm on a Saturday when a tenant has no hot water.
Send the ad-hoc quote to the agent within two hours of attending the property, because tenants are waiting and agents forward the fastest clean paperwork to the landlord first. The agent needs a branded PDF they can attach to an email to the landlord, so send the quote as a link via WhatsApp and also as an email attachment for the agent's file. Wait for the accept click before doing anything beyond the minimum to make safe. For 'while you're here' requests from tenants, send a quick variation quote on the link to the agent and wait for written approval before doing the work. Follow up after two working days if the quote is still unopened in the QuoteGenio tracker.
FAQ
Common questions from property maintenance contractors
Everything you need to know before getting started.
Yes. Build a quote with retainer line items (planned visits, response time, included repairs) and an exclusions section. Save it as a template for new clients and as the basis for the monthly invoice.
Yes. Share the quote as a link via WhatsApp or email. The agent can forward the same link to the landlord, who can accept online without signing up.
On reactive jobs for retainer clients, send a separate ad-hoc quote with a clear note that the work is outside the retainer scope. Keeps the monthly billing clean and the extras paid.
Yes. Every quote has a unique public link. Whoever has the link (agent or landlord) can accept it online. The acceptance is timestamped on the quote.
Yes. Convert any accepted quote to an invoice with one tap. Most maintenance crews invoice the day the job is signed off, so the agent can process it in the same monthly cycle.
Yes. The free plan gives you 5 quotes and 2 invoices per month with no credit card required. Upgrade to Premium for unlimited quotes, invoices, statements, and reports.
A typical retainer covers a fixed number of planned visits per quarter, a guaranteed response time for reactive call-outs (often 24 to 48 hours for non-emergency, same-day for emergency), and a list of included minor repairs (light bulbs, washers, silicone, small fittings). Anything above that is quoted as ad-hoc work. Spell the scope out in writing on the quote so the landlord and agent agree upfront.
Same-day for true emergencies (no hot water, leak, no power, security). 24 to 48 hours for urgent but non-emergency (broken oven, faulty extractor). 5 to 7 working days for routine (squeaky door, loose tile). Putting these in writing protects you against unrealistic expectations and gives the agent a clear escalation path.
For reactive jobs that fall outside the included repairs list, yes. The monthly retainer covers planned visits and minor work; reactive trips for major repairs should be quoted as ad-hoc with a separate call-out and labour. Otherwise the retainer becomes unlimited free trips and the maths stops working by month three.
Itemise every task (paint touch-ups, silicone, door handles, lock change, deep clean) with hours and materials separately. Agents need a line-by-line quote so they can recharge the deposit cleanly. Lump-sum quotes slow sign-off because the agent has to rebuild your maths to allocate against the deposit.
Still have questions? We would rather answer them now than after you have signed up.
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Reviews
Trusted by tradespeople
Real feedback from people who quote for a living.
"Switched from a clunky desktop app. QuoteGenio is faster, simpler, and my crews actually use it. Payments tracking is a huge plus."
Michael O'Brien
General Contractor · Denver, CO
"Saves me about 3 hours every week. I would still be sending WhatsApp images of handwritten quotes if I had not found QuoteGenio."
James van der Merwe
Plumber · Johannesburg
"The biggest win for me is speed. I can quote while I am still with the client and not worry about doing it later."
Jason Naicker
Electrician · New Delhi
Guides
Guides for Property Maintenance
Practical advice to help you quote better, get paid faster, and grow your business.
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