Work orders.
A work order on Dwell tracks a maintenance job from first report to final payment — with spend limits, automatic compliance checks, invoice routing and contractor ratings built in.
Step 1 — Create the request
Anyone signed in can create a maintenance request from a complex page's Maintenance tab (or via the + menu's service request). Choose the request type:
| Type | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Work order | A standard repair or service job. |
| Quote request | You need a formal quote before approving the work. |
| Cost estimate | A rough cost check before deciding whether to proceed. |
| Warranty | The repair is covered by an existing warranty. |
Fill in the title, category, priority and description, and the unit — or leave the unit blank for common property (strata managers only can lodge common-property work). Managers can also log retrospective jobs (work that already happened) and clone an existing order to repeat a job without retyping everything.
Steps 2–4 — Spend limits, dispatch and quote approval
Step 2: Set a spend limit (optional)
Managers can set a pre-authorised spend cap. If a contractor's quote comes in higher, the system automatically converts the request to a quote request and routes it back for approval — no budget surprises.
Step 3: Dispatch to a contractor
A property manager or strata manager assigns the job from the contractor directory. Dwell checks before it lets the dispatch through:
- Is the contractor's trade category a match?
- Are their licence and insurance still valid? (Expired = compliance lock; dispatch is blocked.)
- Does the quoted amount fit the spend limit?
If everything checks out, the status becomes Scheduled and the contractor is notified by email. If the quote is too high, it becomes Awaiting approval.
Step 4: Quote approval (if needed)
When a quote reverts for exceeding the spend cap, the manager reviews it and either approves it (the job proceeds) or rejects it (the job stays open for reassignment).
Steps 5–7 — Completion, invoice and rating
Work in progress. Once approved, the contractor completes the work. The manager can set the status to In progress to keep everyone informed.
Mark it done. When the job is finished, the manager marks it Done.
Log and approve the invoice. The contractor submits their invoice; the manager logs it in Dwell (amount and filename) and clicks Approve invoice. Dwell routes the invoice PDF to the accounting destination — for example, your strata firm's invoices inbox.
Rate the contractor. Immediately after invoice approval, the manager is prompted to rate the job — 1–5 stars plus optional feedback. This builds the contractor's public reputation.
Status reference
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| New | Just reported, not yet assigned. |
| Quoted | Quote received, waiting for a decision. |
| Scheduled | Assigned to a contractor, ready to start. |
| In progress | Work has begun. |
| Done | Finished and invoiced. |
| Awaiting approval | Quote exceeded the spend limit; needs manager sign-off. |
Who can do what
| Action | Tenant | Landlord | Property manager | Strata manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Create a request | ✓ (own unit) | ✓ (own units) | ✓ (managed units) | ✓ (incl. common property) |
| Dispatch to contractors | — | ✓ (own units) | ✓ (managed units) | ✓ (complex-wide) |
| Set spend limits, approve quotes | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Approve invoices, rate contractors | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
If a save ever fails, Dwell tells you — a failed dispatch or invoice action keeps its dialog open with “Save failed. Your changes were not confirmed.” Nothing is silently lost or half-saved.