The guide
The six parts
Each part answers one question. Together they make a report that someone outside your system can read.
1. What was reported
Where (the building and unit, or the common area), when, who reported it, and the symptom in the reporter's own words: "water is dripping from the AC in the living room". If the equipment is known, add its tag or a plain label.
Keep the symptom apart from the diagnosis. "Blocked condensate drain" is the contractor's view of the cause and belongs in their statement. If the fault comes back, the original symptom is what you compare against.
2. What the contractor says
One entry per visit or report of work: who made the statement, when, what they did, the cause if they know it, and the outcome they report:
| Outcome | Use it when |
|---|---|
| Resolved | The contractor believes the fault is fixed. |
| Temporary fix | The symptom is stopped, but the real repair is still to come. |
| Partly done | Some of the work is done; the rest needs another visit or parts. |
| Not done | The contractor came but could not do the work. |
| No access | Nobody let the contractor in. |
This is a statement, not a verdict. The report shows it as "Statement by …", with a name and a time.
3. Checks and evidence
A check is anything someone did to confirm the work: a test run, a measurement, a look, a review of a photo. For each, write who checked, how, what they found, and what the check did not cover. "Ran the unit for 15 minutes, no leak while watching" and "did not inspect the unit" are both useful facts.
Evidence is what backs a statement or a check: a photo, a measurement, a test log, a certificate. Note what it shows and who made it. Photos are useful, but never required: for many jobs a photo proves very little, and a form that refuses a report without one only teaches people to take meaningless photos.
If nobody checked, leave it empty. The report will say "no check is recorded", which is honest.
4. The resident's answer
Is the problem the resident reported solved, in their view? There are six possible answers, and they are not interchangeable:
| Answer | Means |
|---|---|
| Resolved | The resident says it is solved. Quote their words. |
| Not resolved | The resident says it is not. The record should not be closed as done. |
| Not asked yet | Nobody has asked. |
| Asked, waiting | The question was sent; there is no answer yet. |
| No reply | The question was sent and nothing came back. This stays "no reply"; it is never turned into a yes. |
| Not applicable | There is no resident to ask: a lobby light, a car park barrier, a plant room. |
Record when the resident was asked and, if they answered, when. The date of the question is what makes "no reply" meaningful.
5. Who closed it, and why
Closing a record is a decision someone takes. Write who took it, when, and the reason: confirmed by the resident; work reported done with no reply; an administrative reason; a duplicate; cancelled. If anything is still open, list it with an owner, a next step and a date, and think twice about closing.
Closing a job without a confirmation is sometimes the right call. A record that says "closed: work reported done, asked the resident on 11 Oct, no reply after four days" is a perfectly good record. A record that says "resolved" when nobody knows is not.
6. Later additions
A late reply, a revisit, a correction: add it as a new entry with a time and an author. If a closed record has to be reopened, the earlier closure is kept in the history as it was, and the new visit becomes another statement. Nothing earlier is overwritten, so anyone can follow what happened in order.