Three tests
- Safety: is anyone at risk? (Gas, fire, electrical, an unsecured entry.)
- Spread: will it get worse or affect other units overnight? (Water.)
- Livability: can the tenant reasonably stay overnight? (Heat, power, sewage.)
If none of the three applies, it's a work order.
The triage table
| Call | Test | Decision | Tell the tenant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leak into the unit below | Spread | Emergency | Shut the fixture or main valve if you can |
| No heat, below freezing | Livability | Emergency | Use safe space heaters only |
| Whole unit without power | Livability | Emergency (check utility first) | Check the breaker |
| Sewage backup | Livability | Emergency | Stop using water |
| Front door won't lock | Safety | Emergency | |
| Gas smell | Safety | Emergency | Leave, call 911 or the gas company |
| Fridge stopped | Work order (next day) | Keep it closed | |
| Dripping tap, light out | Work order |
Example call in Spanish
Hay agua saliendo del techo del baño.
¿En qué edificio y apartamento vive? ¿El agua sigue saliendo?
Language: Spanish · "Leak into unit" → Emergency · summary to on-call tech in English
Tenants who can't explain their problem in their own language may hang up, and 85% of callers who can't reach a business won't call back (BIA/Kelsey). See Spanish + Multilingual Line.
What Josie does
- 24/7 Emergency Line: Answers every after-hours call and sorts real emergencies from routine jobs with your rules.
- On-Call Paging + Schedules: Calls your on-call tech with the details. Press 1 to accept. No answer? Next person, then you.
- Spanish + Multilingual Line: Josie switches to Spanish (or another language) when your caller does. Same triage, same paging.
- For your trade: Property Management Answering Service for After-Hours Maintenance
Common questions
What counts as a maintenance emergency for tenants?
Risks to safety (gas, fire, unsecured entry), damage that will spread (water), or an unlivable unit (no heat in freezing weather, no power, sewage).
Is a broken refrigerator an emergency?
Usually not; most property managers handle it as a next-day work order. You set the rule.
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.