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Contractor management

PMFriend treats contractors like adults. They don't get logins, they don't have to remember passwords, they get a one-time link that takes them straight to the job.

How dispatch works​

When you dispatch a maintenance work order:

  1. PMFriend generates a unique URL like app.pmfriend.com/jobs/cL0Jk_EUToChI...
  2. We email or text it to the contractor (today: you copy the URL into your own email; coming soon: PMFriend sends directly via SES)
  3. The contractor clicks. They see a page showing:
    • Who they are ("You're signed in as Watertight Plumbing")
    • The job scope, property address, scheduled time
    • Accept / Decline buttons
    • A field to add their final cost + completion notes when done
  4. The link is valid for 14 days. After that they need a new one.

That's it. No portal account. No password reset emails. No "I forgot my login" support tickets.

The ranked picker​

When you're picking a contractor for a job, PMFriend ranks your contractor list by relevance to this job at this property:

  • Trade match — Plumbing for plumbing jobs, etc.
  • Recent activity at this property — continuity bonus, the same contractor who fixed it last time
  • Insurance status — contractors with expired insurance are pushed to the bottom (and visually flagged)
  • Your manual ⭐ Preferred flag — the people you trust
  • Past job rating — 5★ jobs lift, complaints lower

You always see the full list and can pick anyone. The ranking is just the AI's opinion, not a hard restriction.

Insurance tracking​

For each contractor, you can store:

  • Public liability insurance expiry date
  • Trade license number(s) + expiry
  • ABN / business registration

PMFriend reminds you 30 + 7 days before expiry of any of these. A contractor with expired insurance still appears in your list but with a visible flag — and they're pushed to the bottom of the ranked picker until they're current again.

💡 Real-life example: A new pool-fence repair job comes in for a QLD property. Sarah opens the picker. Brisbane Pool Solutions would normally rank first (they did the last job at this property), but their public liability expired 12 days ago. PMFriend shows them 4th in the list with a red "Insurance expired" tag. Sarah picks a different contractor and pings Brisbane Pool to renew their certificate.

What contractors see vs what they don't​

The magic link gives them:

  • The address, scope, scheduled time, cost ceiling
  • Tenant first name + access notes (e.g. "use side gate, dog in yard")
  • Owner first name (in case they need to escalate)
  • Your agency contact phone

It deliberately does NOT give them:

  • The full tenant or owner contact details (they go through you)
  • Other jobs at the same property
  • Any other agency data
  • A persistent login

The link's permission scope is this one job. When the job's done, the link still works (they can come back to add notes) but it gives no broader access.

Contractor onboarding​

When you add a new contractor:

  • Just business name + email/mobile to start
  • Add ABN, trades, insurance dates as you have time
  • Mark Preferred for the ones you go to first

You don't need to onboard your full vendor list before going live. Start with your top 5–10 and add the rest as jobs come up.

What happens after the job​

The contractor uses the same magic link to:

  • Mark the job complete
  • Enter their final cost
  • Add notes (e.g. "replaced inlet hose, advised tenant to run dishwasher empty cycle once a week")

That marks the work order complete in your dashboard. If the job relates to a compliance task, the compliance task auto-completes too.

Going deeper​