Tell tenants what counts
Put a short list in the lease, the welcome email and on a sticker by the water heater: what is an emergency, what to do first (shut-off valve, breaker, 911 for gas or fire), and the one number to call. Clear expectations cut non-emergency night calls before they happen.
The rotation
| Setup | Example |
|---|---|
| Rotation | Weekly, hand off Monday 8am |
| Escalation | On-call tech → backup tech → property manager |
| Wait between steps | 5 minutes |
| Vendors | Plumber or restoration company for big losses, called by the tech |
See how to set up an on-call rotation.
Morning hand-off
Every routine night call should be waiting as a work order at 8am: tenant, unit, problem, best time to enter. The morning report lists them with the night's emergencies and who handled them.
My dishwasher won't drain.
Is water leaking onto the floor?
No, it's just sitting in the bottom.
I've logged a maintenance request for the morning. Is it okay for maintenance to enter if you're out?
Work order created · permission to enter: yes
What Josie does
- On-Call Paging + Schedules: Calls your on-call tech with the details. Press 1 to accept. No answer? Next person, then you.
- 24/7 Emergency Line: Answers every after-hours call and sorts real emergencies from routine jobs with your rules.
- Next-Day Booking: Routine night calls get booked into tomorrow's first slots instead of "call us back".
- For your trade: Property Management Answering Service for After-Hours Maintenance
Common questions
What is an after-hours maintenance line?
A phone line tenants call outside office hours for maintenance problems. A good one triages calls, pages on-call maintenance for emergencies, and logs the rest as work orders.
How do I reduce non-emergency maintenance calls at night?
Tell tenants what counts as an emergency up front, and use a line that triages calls with your rules so only real emergencies wake anyone.
What does HireJosie cost?
HireJosie is $29/month for 200 AI minutes, starting with a 7-day free trial — cancel before day 7 and you pay nothing. Pro is $79/month for 500 minutes, with $0.25/minute overage after that. Every feature is on every plan, and every plan starts with a 7-day free trial.