How do you build a preferred vendor list for rental properties?

Which trades to cover, in order

Start with the trades that cause the most calls and the most urgent ones. A common order for small portfolios:

1. A general handyman for small repairs and turns.
2. A plumber who takes emergency calls.
3. An HVAC company with a service contract option.
4. An electrician.
5. An appliance repair tech or a source for replacements.
6. A cleaner and a painter for turns.
7. A locksmith, a pest control company and a roofer you can call without a long search.

Two vendors per trade is enough. One is a first call and the other is a backup if the first is busy or the job is outside their usual size.

What to collect from each vendor before the first job

• Business name, contact name, phone numbers and an after-hours number.
• Where a license is required for the trade in your state, the license number, which you can check on the state's lookup. Rules differ by state and trade.
• A certificate of insurance showing general liability, with your LLC listed if you want to be named as additional insured. Ask what is covered.
• A W-9, so you can issue a 1099-NEC if payments reach the reporting threshold. See collecting W-9s.
• Service area and the hours they answer.
• How they bill: flat rate or hourly, trip charge, minimums, how they handle materials and how quickly they send an invoice.
• Whether they will send a photo before and after the job.

See hiring vendors and what to ask for a longer version of this list.

Test before you trust

Give a new vendor a routine job first, for example a vacant unit repair, and watch four things: did they confirm, did they arrive in the window, was the work clean and did the invoice match the quote. A vendor who does well on a quiet job is a safer choice for an emergency. A vendor who is vague about price on a small job will be vaguer on a large one. Read what to do when an invoice is higher than the quote before it happens.

Example a made-up owner needs a new plumber. The owner books a $180 faucet replacement in a vacant unit. The plumber arrives within the window, sends before and after photos and invoices exactly $180. Two weeks later a tenant reports a leak at night, and this plumber is the first call because the owner has already seen how they work.

Keep the list current

• Store the list in one place that anyone helping you can see, not in a text thread.
• Put expiry dates on insurance certificates and licenses and ask for the new one before the old one lapses.
• Twice a year, remove vendors who stopped answering and add a backup for any trade that has only one.
• Note which vendors work in which buildings, since travel time is part of response time.
• Track each vendor's record on a simple scorecard. See a vendor scorecard.

How DoorKeeping handles it

You add helpers by trade and area, and DoorKeeping can send a job by link with no account needed for the helper to open it. A new work order is classified by trade and routed to the helper you chose for that trade, then waits as one approval for you. You can also ask Claude or ChatGPT to list your vendors by trade. Rent stays in your own bank account, and anything involving money waits for your approval.

Sources

1. DoorKeeping: Connect Claude or ChatGPT (steps and tools list), read Oct 30, 2026

Questions

How many vendors do I need?

Two for each main trade, a first call and a backup, is enough for most small portfolios.

Do I need a vendor's insurance certificate?

It is a common and sensible request. A certificate shows what the vendor's own policy covers, which helps if there is damage or an injury on the job.

Should I use a handyman for everything?

Not for work that needs a license in your state, such as many electrical, plumbing or gas jobs. Check your state's rules by trade.