Owner approval thresholds
Each property has an owner approval threshold — the dollar amount above which a work order needs owner approval before dispatch. Below that amount, your PM dispatches without owner involvement.
Why this matters
Without thresholds, you have two bad options:
- Ask the owner about every $40 tap washer. Owners get annoyed, you lose time, response is slow.
- Spend whatever, sort it out later. Owners get bills they didn't approve, trust erodes, occasional disputes.
Thresholds are the middle ground: small stuff gets fixed fast, big stuff gets owner sign-off.
Setting a threshold
Go to Properties → [pick a property] → set Owner approval threshold.
It's a dollar amount per work order. Typical numbers:
| Property type | Reasonable starting threshold |
|---|---|
| 1-bed CBD apartment | $300–$500 |
| 2-bed inner-city flat | $500 |
| 3-bed suburban house | $750–$1,000 |
| 4-bed family home | $1,000–$1,500 |
| Multi-property institutional portfolio | $5,000+ |
Higher = your PM has more autonomy. Lower = the owner sees more.
Talk to the owner about what they'd prefer. Some owners want to be emailed about every $50; others trust the PM to handle anything under $2,000. The threshold is per-property because the same owner might want different limits for different properties (e.g. tighter on a new purchase, looser on a long-term hold).
What happens above the threshold
When a work order's quote exceeds the threshold:
- The work order is created in Awaiting owner approval status.
- PMFriend drafts an approval email to the owner: scope, contractor, quote, why it's needed.
- The PM reviews + sends the email.
- Until the owner replies (Yes / No / Discuss), the work order doesn't dispatch.
- When the owner approves, the work order moves to Dispatched and the magic-link goes to the contractor.
The dashboard shows you what's awaiting owner approval, sorted by how long it's been waiting, so nothing gets stuck for weeks.
Real-life example
Threshold for 56 Oxford St: $500. Owner: James.
Tenant reports broken oven element. Sarah dispatches Watertight at 8:30am — the quote is $180, well under the threshold. Repair done Wednesday afternoon. James gets a one-line note in his fortnightly digest: "Oven element replaced at Oxford St, $180, in and out by 4pm Wed".
Same property, two months later: a roof leak. Quote is $2,400. PMFriend pauses the work order, drafts an approval email to James with the scope + photo + contractor history. Sarah reviews, sends. James replies "yes, do it" 20 minutes later. Repair dispatched.
Same workflow, different story per dollar amount, exactly as the owner expects.
Default for new properties
Agency admins can set a default threshold in Settings → Agency preferences. New properties added after that default to that number, which you can override per-property.
If you don't set an agency default, new properties land at $500 per work order.
What's not in the threshold
- Compliance work — required by statute, not really discretionary. Compliance work above the threshold still triggers an owner notice (so they're not surprised by the bill) but doesn't pause for approval.
- Emergency work — if the AI flags an issue as EMERGENCY (gas leak, flooding, electrical hazard), PMFriend dispatches immediately and notifies the owner after the fact. Better to fix the gas leak now and apologise later.
- Recurring scheduled work — annual smoke alarm test, quarterly inspections — these run on the schedule you set, not per-event approval.