What tenant information should a landlord share with a repair vendor?
Share the unit number, the problem, the access window and a contact method, and nothing else. A vendor does not need the tenant's full name history, rent balance, lease terms, screening results or Social Security number. Pass tenant phone numbers only when the tenant agrees or the work needs it, and have the vendor sign in to a work order instead of replying to a long email thread.
The minimum a vendor needs
Vendors are usually honest, but they are also small businesses with their own phones, shared trucks and part-time helpers. A text with a tenant's name and unit can end up on a helper's phone, in a customer list or in a review. You cannot ask for it back, so the best control is to share less in the first place.
Think about a plumber fixing a leak. They need the address and unit, a clear description, the day and time they may come in, how to get in and a way to reach someone if they are stuck. That is all. Every extra detail is more data that sits in the vendor's phone, texts and invoices where you cannot control it.
The FTC's guide for businesses recommends keeping personal information only where it is needed and limiting access to those who need it for their jobs. A vendor's job is a repair, not a tenant file.
Entry, codes and notice
Give the tenant notice of entry as your lease and state law require, and tell them which vendor is coming and when. For access, prefer a time-limited method, such as a smart lock code that expires after the window, over a code that works forever. If a key is used, log who held it. Our post on smart lock codes goes deeper.
Ask the tenant to confirm that the vendor arrived and that the work is done. It protects the tenant and helps you if a complaint arrives.
Use a work order, not a group text
A work order carries the facts in one place, with a status and a history. A group text with the tenant, the vendor and a helper spreads names and numbers across three phones, and nobody can delete it later. Send the vendor a work order, let them mark it complete and attach photos, and keep the tenant's number out of the vendor's phone unless needed.
- Ask vendors to delete photos of the inside of a unit once the job closes, or keep them only in the work order.
- Do not send a lease copy to a vendor.
- Tell vendors in writing that tenant details are for the job only.
- Ask which of the vendor's helpers will see the job details, and keep it to the people on the job.
- Never post a tenant's name or unit in a public review reply or a social post.
Know who you are letting in
Collect a W-9 and insurance papers before the first job, and confirm any new payment details by phone. Fake vendor and fake bank change emails are a known scam against landlords. In DoorKeeping a vendor sees only the work order, the agent schedules the visit, and anything that pays a bill waits for your one-tap approval. DoorKeeping never holds your money.
Sources
- FTC, Protecting Personal Information: A Guide for Business, read Oct 30, 2026
- FTC, Cybersecurity for Small Business, read Oct 30, 2026
- FBI, Scams and Safety, read Oct 30, 2026
Questions
- Can I give a vendor the tenant's phone number?
- Ideally with the tenant's agreement, or use a work order link so the vendor never needs it.
- Should a vendor get the door code?
- Only for the visit window, and change or expire it afterward.
- Do vendors need to see the lease?
- No. Share the problem and the access window, not the lease.