Show Me the Work Before I Show You the Money

On a landlord forum, an out-of-state investor shared the story of their being billed to the tune of $10K in repair costs for an incomplete flooring job to their suite by a previous property manager (and, months later, for another $4K on the same repairs). Because the invoices were vague (i.e. "for rehab and repairs"), and lacked visual evidence of the work performed, the investor couldn't confirm whether the charges were justified, and was conflicted between paying or challenging the bill.

Vendors or managers may invoice you, but if there’s no clear record of what was actually done, owners/investors must trust verbal claims or limited written descriptions. As noted by one commenter in online property management discussions, vendors often don’t provide pictures unless asked, leaving owners vulnerable in billing and accountability disputes.

This is why condition monitoring should have been in the property manager's toolkit. They don’t have to rely on vendor followups or estimation. Timestamped evidence of work progress and completion can fast track approvals, reduce billing disputes, improve vendor accountability, and decrease incidences of late payments and friction. Imagine never having to chase a vendor for photos again.

A visual history built and retained over long periods of time highlights slow changes that humans miss.

Learn how we can help investors, property managers, and businesses leverage the power of timelapse photography to address those pain points before they become big problems.