What should a landlord track on a vendor scorecard for handymen and contractors?
Track five things for every job: how fast they responded, whether they arrived in the window, whether the work held up, whether the invoice matched the quote, and what the tenant said. Score each from one to three in a spreadsheet or your work order notes, and review each vendor after ten jobs or twice a year. A scorecard turns a vague sense that someone is unreliable into a record you can act on.
Why a scorecard beats memory
Owners tend to remember the last bad job and the last good one. A vendor who is fine nine times and terrible once gets dropped too soon, and one who is average every time stays forever. A short record shows patterns: a plumber who is always late on Mondays, a painter whose touch-ups need a second visit, a handyman whose quotes are fair but invoices run high.
The five measures
| Measure | What to record | A "3" looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Response | Hours from request to a confirmed time | Same day, or within the time you set for the priority |
| Arrival | On time within the window or not | On time, or called ahead if late |
| Quality | Did the fix hold, any callbacks within 30 days | Fixed once, with photos |
| Invoice | Final bill compared with the quote | Matches, or the extra was approved first |
| Tenant feedback | What the tenant reported | Polite, clean, tenant satisfied |
Add a note field for anything that does not fit, such as a vendor who finds a second problem and tells you about it, which is worth knowing.
Scoring and what to do with it
- After each job, give each measure 1 (poor), 2 (acceptable) or 3 (good). It takes a minute.
- Average each vendor's scores after ten jobs, or twice a year for vendors you use less.
- Keep vendors averaging near 2.5 or higher on every measure and give them more work.
- Talk to a vendor who is low on one measure, with the specific job as an example, before you decide.
- Replace a vendor who stays low after a conversation, and move the backup up to first call.
Example a made-up handyman does ten jobs. Response averages 3, arrival 2.8, quality 2.9, invoice 1.8 and tenant feedback 3. The only weak spot is the invoice, where four jobs came in above quote without approval. The owner agrees a rule with the handyman that any change over a small amount needs a message first, and the invoice score returns to 3 over the next ten jobs.
Questions a scorecard answers
- Who is my fastest plumber, and who do I call first at night?
- Which vendor has the most return visits on jobs marked fixed?
- Whose invoices differ most from their quotes?
- Which vendor do tenants mention by name in a good way?
- Which trade has only one vendor with a good score, and so needs a backup?
If a question has no answer in your records, add the field to the scorecard and start recording it on the next job.
Keep it fair and factual
Score the work, not the person. Record facts such as times, photos and amounts, and keep notes professional because a vendor could see them in a dispute. Give every vendor the same expectations in writing: response times by priority, approval rules for extra costs and photos at completion. Related: what to do when a contractor does not show up.
How DoorKeeping handles it
Each job link ends with the helper's completion report: photos, notes, documents and an outcome of fixed, not fixed or needs a return visit, so response, quality and outcome sit on the work order. You can ask Claude or ChatGPT how long a vendor's jobs have taken and which ones needed a return visit. Rent stays in your own bank account, and anything involving money waits for your approval.
Sources
- DoorKeeping: Connect Claude or ChatGPT (steps and tools list), read Oct 30, 2026
Questions
- How often should I review vendors?
- After about ten jobs per vendor, or twice a year for those you use rarely.
- Should I tell a vendor about their score?
- Share the specific facts, for example late arrivals or invoice differences, and agree on what you expect. It works better than a number.
- What is a reasonable response time?
- Set it by priority in your own policy, such as same day for urgent and a few days for routine, and tell vendors in writing.