A maintenance request form template gives tenants one clear way to report a leaking tap, a tripped breaker or a broken lift, and gives landlords a written record of what was reported, when, and how it was fixed. In most Bangladeshi rented buildings repairs are still requested by a phone call to the landlord, a word with the caretaker (darwan) at the gate, or a message that gets lost in a busy WhatsApp chat. The result is familiar: the tenant says "I told you three times", the landlord says "nobody told me", and a small leak becomes a damaged ceiling in the flat below.
This article gives you ready-to-use, fill-in-the-blank maintenance request forms in English: a standard form for flats, a short SMS/WhatsApp version, a version for shops and offices, and a landlord's work order and completion slip. It also explains how to set priorities, response times and cost rules so the form actually works. Copy the templates, adjust the blanks, and share them with your tenants at move-in.
Why a Written Maintenance Request Form Matters
A form may feel formal for a small building, but it solves real problems for both sides:
- Clear record. Everyone knows what was reported and on which date. This matters when a problem causes damage or when deciding who pays.
- Complete information. The form asks for location, description, urgency and access time, so the electrician or plumber arrives prepared.
- Prioritisation. With several requests in a week, you can fix a gas smell or electrical spark before a squeaky door.
- Fair cost decisions. The form records the cause, which helps decide whether the landlord or tenant pays under the agreement.
- Better tenant relations. Tenants who feel heard and see quick action stay longer, which cuts vacancy and re-letting costs.
Landlords in Bangladesh generally have a duty to keep a rented property in a reasonable, habitable condition, while tenants are expected to use it with care and report problems. The exact split should be written in your rental agreement. For a fuller discussion see our guide on landlord responsibilities in Bangladesh.
Template 1: Standard Maintenance Request Form (Flats and Houses)
Print this, keep copies with the caretaker, or share it as a document. Replace every blank [in brackets] with the correct information.
MAINTENANCE REQUEST FORM
Building name: [Building name]
Address: [House no., road, area, city]
Request no.: [MR-2026-___] (filled by management)
Section A – Tenant details
Tenant name: [Full name]
Flat / unit no.: [e.g. 4B]
Mobile: [01XXXXXXXXX]
Date of request: [DD/MM/YYYY] Time: [__:__]
Section B – Problem details
Category (tick one): [ ] Plumbing / water [ ] Electrical [ ] Gas line [ ] Lift [ ] Doors / windows / locks [ ] Walls / ceiling / seepage [ ] Sanitary fittings [ ] Generator / IPS supply [ ] Pest problem [ ] Other: [______]
Exact location: [e.g. master bathroom, kitchen sink, balcony]
Description of the problem: [What is happening, since when, any damage caused]
Has this happened before? [ ] Yes [ ] No If yes, when: [______]
Section C – Urgency (tick one)
[ ] Emergency – danger to people or property (gas smell, sparking, major leak, no water at all, lift stuck)
[ ] Urgent – affects daily living (no hot water, toilet not flushing, one room without power)
[ ] Routine – can wait a few days (dripping tap, loose handle, paint)
Section D – Access
Management may enter the flat to repair: [ ] Only when I am present [ ] In my absence with my permission
Best time for visit: [Day and time range]
Photo attached: [ ] Yes [ ] No
Tenant signature: [__________] Date: [__________]
Section E – For management use
Received by: [Name] Date and time received: [______]
Priority assigned: [Emergency / Urgent / Routine]
Assigned to: [Caretaker / plumber / electrician / contractor name]
Target completion date: [______]
Cost responsibility: [ ] Landlord [ ] Tenant [ ] To be decided after inspection
Remarks: [______]
Template 2: Quick SMS or WhatsApp Maintenance Request
Many tenants will never fill a paper form. Give them a short message format so that even a quick text contains the essentials. Put it in the welcome letter and pin it in your building's messaging group.
"REPAIR REQUEST – Flat [4B], [Building name]. Problem: [kitchen sink pipe leaking under cabinet]. Since: [yesterday night]. Urgency: [Urgent]. Access: [any time after 5 pm; call before coming]. Name: [Tenant name], Mobile: [01XXXXXXXXX]."
And a reply the landlord or manager can send back:
"Thank you, your repair request for Flat [4B] is recorded as [MR-2026-045]. Our [plumber] will visit on [date] between [time range]. For emergencies call [caretaker number]. – [Management name]"
This acknowledgement is small, but it is the single most effective thing for tenant satisfaction. People mostly get angry when they feel ignored, not because a repair takes two days.
Template 3: Maintenance Request Form for Shops and Offices
Commercial tenants need extra fields because a breakdown can stop their business and because fit-out items are often the tenant's own property.
COMMERCIAL MAINTENANCE REQUEST
Market / building: [Name] Shop / office no.: [___] Floor: [___]
Business name: [Name] Contact person: [Name] Mobile: [___]
Date and time: [___]
Problem area: [ ] Inside our unit [ ] Common area near our unit [ ] Building service (lift, escalator, water, main power, AC plant)
Item affected: [ ] Landlord-provided fitting [ ] Our own fit-out / equipment [ ] Not sure
Description: [___]
Business impact: [ ] Unit closed / cannot trade [ ] Partly affected [ ] No immediate impact
Preferred repair time: [ ] Before opening hours [ ] After closing [ ] Any time
Contractor access: we will keep someone present: [ ] Yes [ ] No
Signature and shop stamp: [___]
For management: Request no. [___] / Priority [___] / Assigned to [___] / Target date [___] / Chargeable to tenant: [ ] Yes [ ] No / Amount if chargeable: Tk [___]
If you run a market, shopping centre or office building, keep common-area issues (a broken escalator, a blocked corridor drain) in the same log as unit requests. They affect everyone, and the service charge usually pays for them. Our guide to service charge in commercial buildings explains how such costs are shared.
Template 4: Work Order and Completion Slip (for the Landlord)
Once a request is received, the landlord or manager should issue a work order to the person doing the job, and close it with a completion slip signed by the tenant.
WORK ORDER
Work order no.: [WO-___] Linked request: [MR-___]
Unit: [___] Tenant contact: [___]
Assigned to: [Name, mobile]
Job description: [Replace kitchen sink waste pipe and check for further leaks]
Materials approved up to: Tk [___]
Deadline: [Date]
COMPLETION SLIP
Work done: [Description]
Materials used: [Items and quantity]
Labour charge: Tk [___] Material cost: Tk [___] Total: Tk [___]
Charged to: [ ] Landlord [ ] Tenant (reason: [___])
Completed on: [Date, time]
Tenant confirms problem solved: [ ] Yes [ ] No, remaining issue: [___]
Tenant signature: [___] Technician signature: [___]
Setting Priority Levels and Response Times
A form only helps if everybody knows what happens next. Publish simple target response times. The times below are an illustrative internal standard, not a legal requirement; set targets you can actually meet.
| Priority | Examples | Target first response | Target fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emergency | Gas smell, electrical sparking or burning smell, major water leak, sewage overflow, lift with people stuck, main gate lock failure | Immediately (call, not form) | Make safe at once; permanent fix as soon as possible |
| Urgent | No water in one flat, toilet blocked, one room without power, refrigerator socket burnt, seepage spreading | Same day | Within 1–2 days |
| Routine | Dripping tap, door hinge, loose tiles, window latch, paint touch-up | Within 2 days | Within 7 days or at next scheduled visit |
| Planned / improvement | Tenant wants extra shelf, curtain rail, new fan point | Within a week | By agreement; may be chargeable |
Safety note: Tell tenants clearly that a gas smell, sparking wires or fire must never wait for a form. They should shut off the gas or main switch if safe, leave the area, call the caretaker and, if needed, the fire service (999), and report in writing afterwards.
Who Pays for the Repair? A Simple Rule Table
Cost disputes are the most common fights around maintenance. Put a short cost rule in the rental agreement and repeat it on the back of the form. A typical, fair split looks like this (adjust to your agreement):
| Type of problem | Usually paid by | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Structural issues: roof leak, wall cracks, seepage from outside | Landlord | Part of keeping the building habitable |
| Main pipelines, water pump, reservoir, main electrical wiring | Landlord | Shared building services |
| Normal wear and tear of fittings (old tap washer, ageing switch) | Landlord | Items wear out with normal use |
| Damage from misuse or negligence (broken basin, blocked toilet from waste) | Tenant | Explain the cause in the completion slip |
| Light bulbs, tube lights, minor consumables | Tenant | Common practice in many agreements |
| Tenant's own appliances and fit-out | Tenant | Landlord not responsible |
Worked Example: Tracking a Month of Requests
For example (illustrative): a six-storey building in Mirpur with 10 flats receives 8 requests in one month. The landlord logs each one with the form.
- 5 routine requests, total repair cost Tk 2,400 (landlord pays).
- 2 urgent requests: a blocked toilet caused by a tenant flushing wet wipes (Tk 1,200, charged to that tenant) and a burnt socket due to old wiring (Tk 850, landlord pays).
- 1 emergency: overnight pump failure, repair Tk 6,500 (landlord pays).
Total spent: Tk 2,400 + Tk 1,200 + Tk 850 + Tk 6,500 = Tk 10,950. Recovered from tenant: Tk 1,200. Net landlord cost: Tk 10,950 − Tk 1,200 = Tk 9,750. Because the blocked toilet form recorded the cause and the plumber's finding, the tenant accepted the charge without argument. Over a year these records also show that the pump failed twice, a clear sign to budget for a replacement before summer.
How to Introduce the Form to Tenants
- At move-in: give the form, the SMS format and emergency numbers with the welcome pack and explain them in two minutes.
- In the agreement: add a line that repair requests should be made in writing (paper, SMS, WhatsApp or app) except emergencies.
- At the gate: keep a small folder of blank forms with the caretaker and train him to log verbal complaints on a form.
- In the group chat: pin the SMS format and ask tenants to send requests privately rather than as group arguments.
- By example: acknowledge every request with a number and a visit time. Tenants adopt a system quickly when they see it works.
Keeping a Maintenance Log
Every form should end up in a single log, either an exercise book, a spreadsheet or software. Useful columns are request number, date, unit, category, priority, assigned person, date completed, cost, and who paid. Review the log every quarter. You will see patterns: a flat with repeated seepage, a pump that keeps failing, a caretaker who is slow to respond. The log also becomes evidence if there is a dispute at the end of the tenancy about damage beyond normal wear. Combine it with a regular preventive schedule such as our flat maintenance checklist for landlords so that fewer emergencies happen in the first place.
Common Mistakes With Maintenance Requests
- Not acknowledging requests. Silence makes tenants escalate and lose trust.
- Relying only on verbal complaints to the caretaker. Messages get forgotten, and you have no record.
- No priority system. Minor jobs get done while serious leaks wait.
- Charging tenants without evidence. Always record the cause and, if possible, a photo before charging.
- Entering a flat without notice. Except in real emergencies, arrange a time; respect tenants' privacy.
- Cheap temporary fixes again and again. Repeated patchwork usually costs more than one proper repair.
- Not closing the loop. A job is only complete when the tenant confirms the problem is solved.
Final Thoughts
A simple maintenance request form, a short SMS format, clear priorities and a written cost rule turn repairs from a source of arguments into a routine process. Tenants feel respected, you spend money on the right problems first, and you build a record that protects you in any later dispute. Copy the templates above, adjust the blanks for your building, and start using them with the next request you receive.
If you prefer to manage requests digitally, Bariwala ERP (বাড়িওয়ালা ERP) includes maintenance requests linked to each unit and tenant, alongside rent invoices, receipts and expense records, so repair costs flow straight into your building accounts. A paper form works too, as long as every request is written down and followed through.
সাধারণ প্রশ্ন ও উত্তর
What should a maintenance request form include?
Tenant name, unit number, contact number, date, category and exact location of the problem, a description, urgency level, access permission and a section for management to record priority, assigned person, cost and completion.
Can tenants report repairs by WhatsApp instead of a paper form?
Yes. A written message in a fixed format works as well as paper, as long as the landlord acknowledges it and logs it with a request number and date.
Who pays for repairs in a rented flat in Bangladesh?
It depends on the agreement, but landlords usually pay for structural problems, main building services and normal wear and tear, while tenants pay for damage caused by misuse and for small consumables like bulbs.
How quickly should a landlord respond to a repair request?
Emergencies such as gas smells, sparking or major leaks need an immediate response, urgent problems the same day, and routine issues within a few days. Set realistic targets and share them with tenants.
Can a landlord enter the flat to do repairs without the tenant?
Outside genuine emergencies, the landlord should arrange a time and get the tenant's permission. The form's access section records whether entry in the tenant's absence is allowed.
Why keep a maintenance log?
A log shows repeated problems, helps plan budgets for replacements, proves repairs were done, and provides evidence when settling damage claims against the security deposit at the end of a tenancy.