Buildium Training - Ep. 8 Maintenance Requests, Vendors and Bills

Hey everybody, welcome back to APM Help Academy. Today, we’re going to dive into maintenance requests, vendors, and bills in Buildium. This is a core part of property management, so it’s important to get familiar with it in the software.

Maintenance Requests from Tenants

Maintenance requests usually come from tenants. You can sign in as a tenant to see what they experience.

• On the tenant portal homepage, they click Request → Create Request.
• They’ll be asked:
  • Category (e.g., HVAC, keys/locks, lighting)
  • Subject (e.g., “Bedroom light isn’t working”)
  • Attachments (usually photos)
  • Permission to enter (Yes/No, plus pet info if yes)
• Then they click Submit Request.

On your side, every tenant maintenance request comes in as a task in Buildium:

• Go to All Tasks → you’ll see the new request.
• You can update the task with:
  • Status (In Progress, Completed, etc.)
  • Due date
  • Assigned staff member or collaborator
  • Messages to tenants
  • Attachments
• Click Save and Share to notify tenants and rental owners.

Work Orders

If you want to involve a vendor, create a work order:

• Go to Work Orders → Add Work Order.
• Enter details:
  • Subject (e.g., “Light needs fixing”)
  • Vendor
  • Entry preferences
  • Work to be performed
  • Notes, status, and due date
  • Parts and labor estimates, GL account allocation, invoice number

Optional: Email the vendor directly from Buildium. Templates are automated with tokens for all the work order details.

• Once saved, the work order connects directly to the task. Every work order automatically generates a task, or you can link it to an existing task.

Recording Bills

After work is completed, you can enter a bill:

• Update the task to Completed → select Enter Bill.
• The bill can auto-fill from the work order or be adjusted manually.
• Enter:
  • Invoice date
  • Due date
  • Vendor
  • Memo (e.g., “Fixed plumbing problem at Franklin Street”)
  • Property or unit charged
  • GL account (e.g., Repairs, Plumbing)
  • Amount
• Save the bill → it’s ready to pay.

To pay the vendor:

• Go to Pay Bills → Select Bill → Prepare Payment.
• Options:
  • Handwritten check → enter check number
  • Buildium check printing or remote check printing add-on
  • EFT (requires vendor account info and ePay enabled)

You do not need a work order to create a bill. If work has been completed, you can record a bill directly in accounting. The work order is optional but helpful for tracking tasks and communication with vendors.

Vendor Management

Managing vendors is critical in Buildium:

• Go to Maintenance → Vendors.
• You can:
  • Add new vendors
  • Edit vendor info
  • Inactivate vendors (if they have financial history, they cannot be deleted)
  • Mark 1099-eligible vendors for year-end filing

Vendor profiles also store financial history:

• Bills, checks, refunds, etc.
• Vendor ePay/EFT info for payments

Keeping your vendor list clean ensures smooth 1099 filing and accurate accounting.

Submitting Requests for Owners or Residents

If a tenant or rental owner cannot submit a request, you can create the task manually:

• Go to Tasks → Add Task → select Resident Request or Rental Owner Request
• Fill out the details → Buildium will email the person automatically

Owners can submit requests as well:

• Go to the owner portal → Request → Add Request
• Description of need → Submit → appears as a rental owner request task

Anonymous requests may come from the Buildium-provided website.

That wraps up maintenance requests, work orders, bills, and vendor management in Buildium.

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