6. Maintenance & contractor coordination
How we find tradespeople, supervise the work, handle quotes and approvals, and keep your invoices transparent.
How do you vet the tradespeople you use?
We maintain a working roster of plumbers, electricians, AC technicians, painters, locksmiths, gardeners and specialist trades we have used repeatedly across our coverage regions. Each is vetted personally — confirmed licensing where required, current civil liability insurance, references checked, and a trial job observed before we put them in front of a member. Read our partner standards.
How does the quote/approval process work?
For non-urgent work, we obtain a written quote and send it to you for written approval. For urgent issues, we follow the authorization limit, escalation contacts and response arrangements recorded in your signed service agreement or onboarding record.
Do you mark up contractor invoices?
No. The contractor's invoice is what you pay, at the price the contractor invoices. We earn nothing from your repair spend. We earn the membership fee. This is a deliberate design choice — markup creates a conflict of interest between our oversight role and your wallet.
Are you on-site during the contractor's work?
For non-trivial work, yes. Particularly the start of a job (so we document the original condition) and the end (so we sign off completion). Routine small jobs (a tap washer, a light fitting) may be attended by the contractor alone if they have a track record with us and the work is documented end-to-end via photographs. We disclose the attendance approach at quote time.
What if I already have a plumber / electrician I trust?
We work with them on the same basis as our own partners — we supervise their work, document it, and forward their invoice unchanged. The independence of our oversight is the value, regardless of who does the work. If your tradesperson is charging materially above market, we say so in writing — that's also part of the value.
Can you handle full renovations, not just repairs?
Yes, as a separately quoted service. Maintenance coordination and renovation oversight are separate from the recurring plan unless the signed service agreement expressly includes a specific item. See Renovation Oversight.
Who pays the contractor — me or you?
The payment method is agreed before work is authorized and recorded with the quote. A contractor may invoice you directly, or another documented arrangement may be used where the signed service agreement permits it. Original invoices and receipts are retained.
What's the most common maintenance issue you see at diaspora-owned property?
Two patterns dominate. (1) Slow plumbing leaks behind fitted units — discovered late, costly to repair. (2) AC units running on degrading refrigerant or with blocked filters — wasting electricity, failing in heatwaves when service techs are booked solid. Both are caught early by monthly inspection; both compound expensively when nobody is watching.
