The approval pile on every property manager's desk
Your accounts team receives contractor invoices by email all day. For each one they have to work out which block it is for, which schedule it belongs to, whether there is a works order and who needs to approve it. Then it sits in the property manager's inbox waiting for sign-off, sometimes for weeks.
Meanwhile contractors ring to ask when they will be paid, and the good ones start to prioritise other managing agents' jobs.
Why approvals get stuck
The property manager is asked to approve without the context in front of them. To say yes, they need to find the works order, check the price against the quote, remember whether the job was finished properly and check the block has funds. That is a small investigation for each invoice, so invoices wait until there is time.
Invoices also arrive with vague addresses, such as a street name shared by two blocks, or with no works order reference, which means the accounts team has to ask around before anyone can approve.
What the delay costs
Late payment damages contractor relationships, and in block management good contractors are hard to replace. Some add costs or refuse smaller jobs. Invoices coded to the wrong block cause year-end problems. And the accounts team spends much of its time chasing approvals rather than processing.
How we speed up approval
We build a flow that gives the property manager everything needed to decide in one place, and moves the invoice on as soon as they do.
- Invoice intake: invoices arrive at a dedicated address. A document model reads contractor, address, description, amounts and any works order reference.
- Block and job matching: the address and description are matched to the block and to open works orders from your block management system. Uncertain matches go to the accounts team to confirm.
- Checks: the amount is compared with the quote or works order, duplicates are caught, and the block's available funds on the relevant schedule are shown.
- One-click approval: the property manager receives the invoice with the works order, quote, any completion photos and the checks, and approves, queries or rejects it from email or their phone.
- Posting: approved invoices are posted to your block management system against the right block and schedule, ready for payment in your normal run.
- Chasers and visibility: invoices waiting for approval longer than your set period are escalated, and contractors can be told their invoice status automatically.
| Check | What the property manager sees |
|---|---|
| Block and schedule | Matched block and proposed schedule |
| Works order | Linked order and original description |
| Price | Invoice against quote, with any difference highlighted |
| Duplicate | Warning if a similar invoice exists |
| Funds | Current balance on the schedule |
Life after the change
Approving an invoice becomes a quick decision rather than an investigation. The accounts team stops chasing and starts processing. Contractors are paid in your normal cycle, and the coding at year end is right the first time.
Property managers also get something they rarely have: a running view of what each block has spent on reactive repairs this year and with whom. When a director asks why the repairs heading is climbing, the list of approved invoices with their works orders answers the question, and patterns such as the same drain being cleared again and again become obvious.
Contractors notice the difference too. A clear status on each invoice means fewer phone calls to your accounts team, and the contractors you rely on most stay keen to take your jobs.
Is this your approval process?
- Contractor invoices wait weeks for property manager sign-off.
- Accounts staff spend time working out which block an invoice is for.
- Invoices sometimes arrive without works order references.
- Contractors chase payment by phone.
- Invoices have been posted to the wrong block or schedule.