Maintenance runs itself — you just supervise

Sign up and add your properties and units in a few minutes. Tenants don't need to register or create an account.

Tenants can submit a request by texting the DisasterChief number directly, or by visiting the web form and entering their phone number. Either way, DisasterChief looks them up by phone and routes the request to the right property automatically.

Build your private directory of maintenance providers. DisasterChief supports three types, each with its own outreach behavior:

• Staff — a handyman or maintenance person you use regularly — assigned directly by text with no estimate step.
• Independent Contractors — licensed tradespeople (plumbers, electricians, HVAC techs, etc.) — contacted by text, they submit an estimate you approve before work begins.
• Service Providers — companies with a dispatcher and crew — notified by text or email, they route work to their own team and submit an estimate for your approval.

You can have a mix of all three, or just contractors you already trust. DisasterChief routes each job by trade category, with your regular handyman given first priority if you have one.

When you add a tenant to a unit, DisasterChief automatically sends them a welcome text. The message introduces DisasterChief, confirms their property and unit, and includes a link to the web form — so they're ready to submit a request from day one with no extra steps from you.

When a tenant submits a request, DisasterChief automatically reads the description, categorizes the issue (plumbing, electrical, HVAC, etc.), and scores its urgency from 1 to 5. You receive a notification (via text or the app) — high urgency issues alert you immediately.

DisasterChief selects the best available provider from your directory — matched by trade category — and reaches out automatically. Your staff are always given first priority.

What happens next depends on the provider type:

• Staff — assigned immediately by text with the tenant's contact info. No estimate needed.
• Contractors & Service Providers — notified by text or email. They accept or decline, then submit an estimate for you to review.

If a provider declines or doesn't respond, the next available one in your directory is contacted automatically. If no one can be reached, you're alerted so you can step in.

For contractors and service providers, once they accept and submit an estimate you'll see it in your dashboard. Review and approve with a single tap, or reject and have the system contact the next available provider.

Jobs handled by your own staff skip this step entirely — they're on the job as soon as they're assigned.

Once approved (or directly for staff), the tech receives the tenant's contact info and coordinates access and timing with them directly. The tenant is notified that someone is on the way. You don't need to relay messages between them.

When the work is done, mark the request resolved from your dashboard. If a tenant is linked to the request, they'll receive a quick confirmation text — once they confirm, the request closes. If they don't respond, it closes automatically after 24 hours.

Every step — submission, triage, outreach, estimate, approval, and resolution — is preserved in a timestamped audit log.