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Spreadsheets and email, or repair software?
Most agents start with a spreadsheet and a shared inbox, and for a small portfolio that is a reasonable answer. This page sets out where it holds, where it starts to cost you, and what changes when repairs live in one tool. It is written by FixDocket, so it is not neutral, and it says where the spreadsheet wins.
Where a spreadsheet and email work fine
If you manage a handful of properties, one person handles every repair and you remember each job, a spreadsheet and your inbox cost nothing and need no learning. Do not buy software to solve a problem you do not have. The trouble starts when more than one person touches a repair, or when someone asks you to prove what happened.
Side by side
| What to check | Spreadsheet and email | FixDocket |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free, apart from staff time. | The first 10 repairs are free, then one price for the whole team. See pricing. |
| Tenant reports | Arrive by phone, email and message, then are typed in by someone. Photos stay in whichever inbox received them. | A QR code on the flat or a link you send. The report arrives with photos, already attached to the flat and the time. No account, no app. |
| Contractors | Instructions and quotes go by email or phone. The status changes when someone remembers to update the sheet. | A secure link per job that expires after 30 days. They upload photos and the invoice from it, with no account. |
| Who did what, and when | A cell holds the latest value. Unless you keep a log by hand, the earlier state and who changed it are gone, and anyone with the file can edit a past entry. | Every step is a timestamped entry that records who acted. The application never edits an entry; a later change is a new entry. |
| Spotting a stalled job | You find it when someone chases, or when you scan every row. | Jobs that have sat too long at a stage are listed for you to chase. |
| One job for a dispute | Assembled by hand from the sheet, several inboxes and a photo folder, after the dispute starts. | One PDF with the report, timeline, photos, invoice and who approved it. |
| Landlord visibility | Forwarded emails or a shared sheet that shows everything, including other landlords' properties. | A job link that lasts 90 days, with no landlord account. |
| Reporting | As flexible as you build it. Pivot tables do almost anything with clean data. | Filters and a CSV export of the job list, which you can open in your own spreadsheet. |
| Starting up | Nothing to set up. | Add your buildings and flats, then record new repairs from the first one. Existing history stays in your spreadsheet. |
Signs the spreadsheet has run out
- two or more people update repairs, and you have seen two versions of the file
- you have lost time finding which email held the contractor's quote or the tenant's photo
- a repair has gone quiet and you found out from the tenant, not the sheet
- a landlord or deposit scheme has asked for the history of a job and it took an afternoon
- you would struggle to show when a tenant first reported a fault
One or two of these is normal. If most apply, the cost of the missing record is already more than the cost of a tool.
Where FixDocket is not the answer
FixDocket does not hold or move money, has no live integrations with property management systems today, and is not a planned-maintenance or compliance calendar. If your problem is one of those, a spreadsheet will not fix it and neither will we. See what it does and does not do.
Moving without a big project
You do not have to migrate anything. Keep the spreadsheet for history and run new repairs through FixDocket, on one building first. Your first 10 repairs are free with no card needed, so you can compare it with the sheet on your own jobs. For the thinking behind the record, read the repair audit trail, why repairs stall in UK lettings and measuring stall age.
Frequently asked questions
Is a spreadsheet enough to manage repairs?
For a small portfolio handled by one person, often yes. It starts to cost you when several people update it, when jobs go quiet unnoticed, or when you have to prove what happened and when.
What does a spreadsheet not give me for a dispute?
Unless you keep a log by hand, it holds the latest value rather than who changed what and when, and photos and emails live elsewhere. Pulling a job together afterwards is slow and easy to challenge.
Do I have to move my old repairs into FixDocket?
No. Add your buildings and flats and record new repairs from the first one. Keep the spreadsheet for the history you already hold.
Can I still use a spreadsheet alongside it?
Yes. The job list exports as a CSV with your filters applied, so you can open it in a spreadsheet for your own reporting.
Try it on one building
Set up your buildings today and your first 10 repairs are on us: no card, no time limit. Or, if you would rather see it first, we will show you round on a call.