Maintenance Work Order Cost Visibility for Multifamily Portfolios
This case study is for real estate operators who want maintenance work order cost visibility to control expenses and protect NOI. An owner-operator in Chicago uncovered hidden maintenance costs by finally connecting labor hours to work orders across their multifamily portfolio.
Executive Summary
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Who: Chicago-based owner-operator with multifamily and affordable housing assets
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Problem: No clear view into true maintenance and unit turn costs
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Risk: Rising expenses, poor forecasting, and wasted labor hours
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Gap: AppFolio showed activity, but not real cost
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Solution: Linked labor hours directly to work orders
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Proof: Maintenance teams could see cost impact in real time
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Result: Lower make-ready costs and better operational decisions
The Business Problem
Maintenance is one of the largest controllable expenses in multifamily. But without clear cost visibility, leaders are forced to make decisions in the dark. This creates risk, drives up unit turn costs, and makes expense forecasting unreliable.
The “Before” Reality
Day to day, maintenance teams completed work orders without knowing the labor cost tied to each task.
Leadership could see tickets and hours, but not cost.
As the portfolio scaled, this disconnect made it impossible to prioritize work or control spending.
Why Existing Tools Weren’t Enough
AppFolio tracked work orders.
Timesheets tracked hours.
But nothing connected the two in a way executives could trust. The systems showed activity, not financial impact, leaving a critical blind spot.
The Solution
Labor hours were combined directly with maintenance work orders to calculate true cost per unit turn.
Leaders could instantly see:
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Which work orders were driving costs
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Where labor was being overused
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Which properties needed process changes
This created real maintenance work order cost visibility for the first time.
The Results
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Accurate unit turn and make-ready costs
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Maintenance teams became cost-aware, not just task-focused
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Management gained confidence in expense forecasting
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Faster, smarter decisions at both property and portfolio levels
Key Takeaway
“When maintenance teams see the cost of their work, behavior changes—and expenses follow.”
Want to know what your work orders are really costing you?
Hidden maintenance costs quietly erode NOI every month.
Let’s identify where money is leaking and how to stop it.
Q&A
Q: Why couldn’t they see work order costs before?
A: Labor hours and work orders lived in separate systems with no financial connection.
Q: Who benefited most from this visibility?
A: The VP of Operations and maintenance leaders responsible for cost control.
Q: Did this require changing property management software?
A: No. The solution worked alongside AppFolio.
Q: How did this impact day-to-day operations?
A: Teams prioritized work differently once they understood cost impact.