Create Rent Manager service issues from tenant texts and emails

1. Read the request in the Rent Manager Text Messaging Center, where action buttons jump to the tenant window or to work orders, or in the office email.
2. Check Unit History Notes for earlier service issues on the same apartment, so a repeat leak is not logged as a fresh problem.
3. Open Service Manager and create the service issue for the property and unit, or start from a template in the Memorized Issues Register for routine jobs.
4. Assign the service issue to a Rent Manager user; an Automated Notification, if one is set up, alerts that user about the new task.
5. Go back to the Text Messaging Center and tell the tenant the request is logged. On a busy morning the reply is the step that slips, and the tenant texts again.

The tenant in 12A at Maple Court texted that the kitchen sink leaks under the cabinet. Check for an open issue on that unit, open a service issue for plumbing and text her that it is logged.

1. 01

   Match the sender to one tenant and unit

   The agent searches list_tenants by the phone number, name or unit in the message. Two matches (roommates on one lease) are fine; no match, or a match on a past tenant, stops the run and asks you, because owners and vendors also text the office.

2. 02

   Look for the same problem already open

   list_service_issues for that property shows open issues on the unit. If a leak under the same sink is already in Work in Progress, the agent adds the new message as a note with update_service_issue instead of opening a duplicate.

3. 03

   Turn the message into a usable ticket

   The title stays short ("Kitchen sink leak, cabinet floor wet"); the details keep the tenant's own words plus access notes such as pets or a preferred time. Words like flooding, no heat or gas smell are flagged at the top of the agent's reply, with a note to phone the on-call technician now rather than wait for the queue.

4. 04

   Assign by your routing rule

   You tell the agent once who takes plumbing, electrical or appliance jobs at each property. create_service_issue sets that assignee and ties the issue to the tenant. It waits for your OK, because Rent Manager may notify the assignee the moment it is created.

5. 05

   Close the loop with the tenant

   send_text confirms the issue number and who has it. The agent does not promise a visit time unless a schedule was set, and requests it could not log are listed at the end for you.

Requests read: 4 (3 texts, 1 email)
New: si_20931 Maple Court 12A, Kitchen sink leak, assigned Dana Ruiz, tenant Priya Shah texted
New: si_20932 Elm Street Duplexes 8 Elm St, Bedroom outlet dead, assigned Sam Ortiz, tenant texted
Added as note: 4B dishwasher message joined open issue si_20744 (Work in Progress)
Not logged: text from +1 555 010 0199 matches no current tenant, who is it?
Urgent flag: none today

• Rent Manager can fire an Automated Notification when a service issue is assigned, created or closed, so creating one can reach a technician immediately.
• Residents who use the Rent Manager TWA portal or the rmResident app can pick time slots for their service requests themselves, so those requests need no retyping.
• Memorized Service Issues in Rent Manager are stored in the Memorized Issues Register and loaded as a template with Load Memorized for jobs that repeat.
• Rent Manager keeps earlier service issues for an apartment in Unit History Notes, which shows when the same fixture failed before.
• Technicians on the rmAppSuite Pro mobile app update the service issue stage from the job site, and the Service Tech Map follows their check-in by GPS.

create_service_issue, update_service_issue and send_text ask for your OK by default. To run it daily without you, switch confirmation off for those tools in your dashboard.

Sources: Rent Manager: maintenance and service issues · Rent Manager: Text Messaging Center · Rent Manager: troubleshooting maintenance issues (Unit History Notes) · Rent Manager: tips and best practices (Automated Notifications, Memorized Issues)

curl https://cotlet.dev/api/v1/rent-manager/create_service_issue \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $COTLET_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"property_id":"p_12","unit":"12A","tenant_id":"10517","title":"Kitchen sink leak, cabinet floor wet","details":"Tenant texted 7:40 am: water under the kitchen sink since last night. Has a dog, home after 3 pm.","assigned_to":"Dana Ruiz"}'

{
  "issue_id": "si_20931",
  "status": "New",
  "property": "Maple Court",
  "unit": "12A",
  "tenant_id": "10517",
  "title": "Kitchen sink leak",
  "assigned_to": "Dana Ruiz",
  "created_at": "2026-10-12T08:30:00-04:00"
}

MCP: add https://cotlet.dev/mcp/v1 with the same key; the tool is rent-manager_create_service_issue. Example data.

• Text past-due Rent Manager tenants a personal rent reminder
• Follow up on overdue Rent Manager service issues every week
• Rent Manager API and MCP server: every tool
• All use cases