Repair Completion Checklist: What to Check Before Closing a Case

A contractor visit, a paid invoice and a resolved repair are three different facts. Close the case only when the record explains what was done, what remains and how any continuing concern will be handled.

This is an England-focused administrative checklist, not a technical inspection or legal certification. An immediate safety concern needs an appropriate emergency response, not a completed form. GOV.UK sets out landlord repair responsibilities; the workflow below helps organise the record around them.

1. Compare the outcome with the original issue

Start with the tenant’s report and the agreed work. Did the contractor diagnose the cause, perform a temporary repair or complete the proposed solution? If the scope changed, keep the reason and approval next to the original quote. Do not overwrite the first report with a more convenient summary.

Record attendance date, contractor identity and a plain-English outcome. “Attended” is useful history but not a completion decision. Where the contractor reports a further problem, attach it to an assigned follow-up rather than burying it inside an invoice attachment.

2. Request evidence appropriate to the work

• A description of the diagnosis and work actually performed.
• Relevant before-and-after evidence, without unnecessary private belongings or personal information.
• Any required report or certification from the appropriate competent person.
• Outstanding parts, return visits or monitoring instructions.
• The final cost and its relationship to the approved quote.
• Any warranty or follow-up contact information actually supplied.

A photo of a new part does not establish that an installation is safe. Equally, do not request a particular certificate when it is not applicable. Ask the competent contractor what evidence the work requires, and keep questions visible until answered.

3. Ask the tenant a specific follow-up question

A useful message describes the work and asks about the original symptom. Avoid asking only “all good?” where the answer will be impossible to interpret later. Give a clear route for reporting continuing problems, and explain when you will review any outstanding item.

Example wording, not a customer quote: “The contractor reports completing [work] on [date]. Has the original [issue] improved during normal use? Please tell us if it continues or anything has changed. [Contact] is handling follow-up; our next update is [date/time].”

Do not ask a tenant to test unsafe equipment or provide a technical sign-off. Their experience is important evidence of symptoms, not a substitute for professional judgement. No reply should be recorded as “no reply”, not “tenant confirmed”.

4. Worked example: heating returns, but the leak remains

Fictional example: an engineer restores heating and notes that a separate valve needs replacement. The tenant confirms the radiators are warm but reports continued dripping. Keep the heating work in the timeline, mark the valve work outstanding and arrange the next appropriate response.

The first invoice may correctly cover the completed visit. Paying it does not close the valve issue. A later contractor should be able to see the original report, first diagnosis, tenant update and next appointment without asking everyone to repeat the story.

5. Choose an honest closing state

Separate “work reported complete”, “evidence awaited”, “tenant feedback awaited”, “follow-up required” and “closed with recorded outcome”. These are suggested record labels, not a promise that every platform uses those exact states. The next responsible person should understand the blocker immediately.

Before closing, check for outstanding cost approvals, documentation and promises to the tenant. If monitoring is appropriate, set the reviewer and date. Record why the case is closed and how it can be reopened. Do not use closure to remove an unresolved safety matter from view.

Common questions

What if the same issue returns?

Link the new report to the previous case and reassess urgency. Preserve the earlier outcome without assuming either that the work failed or that the new report is unrelated. The contractor needs both histories.

Can I share all the photos with every contractor?

Share only what the recipient needs through a suitable channel. The ICO’s data protection principles apply to personal information in repair evidence too. Keep unrelated tenancy documents out of the job pack.

For an earlier-stage blocker, use the access communication checklist or quote comparison guide.