Handling residents’ repair requests: spreadsheet or software?
Short answer
Yes, a spreadsheet is a fine request log for a small building where one person takes every call and the same person does or arranges the work. It stops working when requests arrive on several channels, when more than one person handles them, or when residents keep asking what happened to theirs.
A resident reports a leak, a dead light or a broken lock, and you write it down. A sheet works as a log.
The task: take the request, send the right person, tell the resident what is happening, and close it.
A request log you can copy
One row per request. The columns that matter most are the status and the date it was last touched, because the log is only useful if you can see what is still open.
| No. | Date | Unit or area | Description | Type | Assigned to | Status | Closed on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 101 | 2026-10-03 | 12A | Leak under kitchen sink | Urgent | Plumber | In progress | |
| 102 | 2026-10-05 | Entrance 2 | Lobby light not working | Regular | Electrician | Open | |
| 103 | 2026-10-06 | 14C | Front door lock stiff | Regular | Caretaker | Closed | 2026-10-08 |
Paste into cell A1 of a new sheet (tab-separated):
No. Date Unit or area Description Type Assigned to Status Closed on 101 2026-10-03 12A Leak under kitchen sink Urgent Plumber In progress 102 2026-10-05 Entrance 2 Lobby light not working Regular Electrician Open 103 2026-10-06 14C Front door lock stiff Regular Caretaker Closed 2026-10-08
Use a fixed list for Type and Status (a dropdown), and add a filter on Status. A short, fixed list of statuses is what makes the log searchable.
Signs you have outgrown the sheet
A log records what happened. It does not move a request along.
- 1
Requests come from several places
Calls, chats, messages and notes on the door each need typing in by someone, and some never make it.
- 2
More than one person handles requests
Two people editing one log leads to the same job given twice or to a job nobody took.
- 3
Residents ask for an update
If the resident cannot see the status and has to ask you, every request costs you a second conversation.
- 4
Jobs need photos, parts and checklists
A technician in the field cannot work from a sheet. Photos and parts end up in messages and in memory.
- 5
Urgent and routine mix together
Without a type and a clear status, an emergency waits in the same list as a lobby light.
- 6
You are asked how long things take
Dates opened and closed can be counted in a sheet, but only if every request was entered and every close was recorded.
The same task in Unitify
Start on the Free plan ($0 / apartment / month). A plan, not a trial. No card, no expiry. Requests are part of the core features on every plan.
- 1
A resident sends a request
From the resident app, or typed in by the dispatcher after a call. It becomes a tracked ticket.
- 2
The ticket carries the details
Date, status, address, unit and the resident’s own description, sorted by type (regular, emergency, payable, warranty) and by category, from electrical to intercom.
- 3
A technician takes it
Technicians get their own app with today’s jobs, the route between them, photos, parts and checklists, and the status updates as the work moves.
- 4
The manager and the resident see it close
One list shows every ticket in a list, calendar or kanban view, with an assignee and a status trail from open to closed. The resident follows the same request.
Requests are in the core features on every plan, so you can start on Free. The pricing page lists what Base ($1 / apartment / month) and Pro ($3 / apartment / month) add. Prices follow the live pricing page, which shows euro excluding VAT in Europe.
What Unitify does not do here
- Dispatch is human. Someone still decides who takes a job; the tool tracks it.
- The technician app covers today’s jobs, the route, photos, parts, checklists and status updates. It is not a full field-service system.
- Bulk handling of tickets is import from a file and export to Excel. Programmatic access is the open API on Pro.
- It is built for owner-occupied buildings run by an association or a management company, not for a landlord with tenants.
Repair requests: questions
Can I track maintenance requests in Excel or Google Sheets?
Yes. One row per request with date, unit, description, type, assignee, status and closing date is a workable log for a small building with one person handling everything.
What columns should a repair request log have?
Number, date, unit or area, description, type, who it is assigned to, status and the date it was closed. Use fixed lists for type and status.
When is a request log not enough?
When requests come from several channels, when several people handle them, or when residents keep asking for updates. A log records; it does not route or notify.
Do residents see the status of their request in Unitify?
Yes. A request goes in from the resident app and the resident follows it through to close.
Can I export the tickets to Excel?
Yes. The ticket list is exportable to Excel, and you can import tickets from a file.
Keep reading
Try it on one building
Sign up for the free plan, add one building and move one task over. Or book a demo if you want to see it on your own building first.