What is Latchel?
We’ve partnered with Lachel to offer you a convenient way for handling maintenance requests from your tenants. Instead of waking you up at midnight or interrupting your workday, your tenant calls Latchel, and they handle the request from there.
What if I already have an on-call person?
Don’t get caught in a bad situation where your on-call person misses an emergency call that causes property damage. Latchel has a fully staffed call center with the process and technology needed to successfully dispatch when there is an emergency. Latchel protects property investments from damage and liability.
What qualifies as an emergency issue?
As a rule of thumb, anything that can cause property damage or is a tenant habitability issue. Latchel has set emergency protocols to meet legal requirements in all 50 states. See their specific emergency criteria below.
Leaks that can cause property damage. This includes roofing leaks, lawn/sprinkler leaks, toilet leaks, overflows, sink leaks, and HVAC leaks.
No functioning toilets in the house.
Sewage backups or sewage on-premises.
Water issues like no water, dirty water, or no hot water.
No heat in cold weather (under 45F; 55F if young children, elderly, or sick people are present)
No AC in hot weather (over 95F; 85F if young children, elderly, or sick people are present)
Security and safety issues (broken windows, broken/open doors).
Cars blocked in by broken community gates.
Electrical outages (not caused by the power company) and loss of power to medical equipment.
Life-threatening emergencies like gas leaks, carbon monoxide leaks, and fires are directed to 911.
How do you control costs and protect budget limits?
You choose your budget limits, and Latchel enforces them. If any work will be over budget, they will escalate to you (or someone else that you designate) to get approval.
Who will be troubleshooting and dispatching my maintenance calls?
An experienced property manager or contractor troubleshoots and dispatches your work. Everyone on Latchel's troubleshooting team has at least 2 years of experience in property management and maintenance. Many of Latchel's employees come from a general contracting background. They understand maintenance and know a good-priced contractor from a bad one.
Can I set hard and soft budget limits?
Yes!
Soft budget limit: Preferred budget shared with Service Providers
Hard budget limit: Latchel calls you if a quote is above this value
Note: Minimum limit for soft budget is $200, the minimum limit for hard budget is $500.
Why is it taking so long for Latchel to source a technician?
Latchel is at its best when you bring a preferred vendor; this way, Latchel takes over the communication and scheduling aspect, but you know that your preferred vendor is working on your investment property.
In cases where Latchel is required to source the technician, the largest limiting factor is the set budget. Latchel's goal is to find a vendor that can do the work within your determined budget. Be sure that your budget is not overly limiting, as this will minimize the number of technicians available and increase the back-and-forth required between you and Latchel for quote approvals.
How Can I Contact Latchel?
You can contact Latchel with the info below:
📧 Email: [email protected]
📱 Text or Call: (917) 909-4211
Booking a Repair FAQs
How does booking a repair with Latchel work?
Booking a repair with Latchel connects your maintenance request with a vetted contractor who can diagnose and complete the repair. If the repair cost is within your set approval limit, the contractor can proceed; otherwise, you’ll review and approve the estimate first. Once approved, the contractor completes the repair, and Latchel handles coordination and payment.
Quick summary:
You can submit any maintenance request to Latchel that needs to be completed.
Latchel matches your request with a vetted contractor to handle the job.
If the repair cost is within your approved limit, the contractor completes the work.
The contractor sends the bill to Latchel, and Latchel issues you an invoice for payment.
You pay the invoice after confirming the work has been completed to your satisfaction.
What to Expect After Booking a Repair
After a repair is booked, the job is offered to multiple service providers simultaneously. If no provider accepts the job within approximately 48 hours, the work order will be automatically canceled unless it is canceled by the landlord beforehand.
SMS notifications will be sent to the phone number on file for the landlord when a work order is canceled.
How do budget limits work?
Any repairs that cost less than your budget limit will be completed when the vendor first visits your property. If the repair cost is more than your budget limit, the vendor is required to submit an estimate, which will require your approval. Contractors may attempt to contact you while on site to get approval quickly so they can begin work. Latchel requires at least a $125 minimum budget, but you can increase your budget limit higher if you want to avoid delays from the estimate process and get the work done as fast as possible.
How does Latchel protect my payment?
Protecting your personal information is something we take seriously. When you dispatch contractors and pay through Latchel, your bank account details are secured and your payment data is encrypted. Latchel only processes repair invoices within your budget limit, keeping payments fair and timely for both parties.
If work quality issues exist, Latchel first attempts to recall the vendor using their work guarantee. If the vendor is unable to respond, then Latchel refunds your payment under our payment protection policy. Latchel is the safest way to pay for your repair work.
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