Maintenance guide
Is there a free app for staff to report maintenance issues with photos?
Chris Morgan, Founder of Fixray · Last updated
Yes. Several apps let staff photograph a fault on their phone and send it to whoever fixes it, free. Fixray's Log tier is free forever for one site with unlimited Reporters; MaintainX's Basic plan is free with unlimited requesters. Check what each free tier caps: fixers, photos per issue and recurring schedules.
What should a maintenance reporting app do?
- Start with the photo. The reporter takes a picture, and the photo carries most of the detail.
- Ask for the location from a list, so the report says which room, not just which floor.
- Put every report in one list for the manager, with who owns each job.
- Notify the fixer, and ask for a completion photo when the job is done.
- Keep a history per room or area, so repeat faults show up.
What do hotel teams say they need?
The ask is simple: one place to log a fault, and someone told about it.
“Should be one system where you log the issue and it automatically notifies maintenance and tracks resolution but instead it's this frankensteined process across multiple platforms.”
“The most simple solution is a regular notebook, new orders written down by date, location and issue.”
What do free tiers leave out?
Free tiers differ most on the people who fix and manage, not the people who report. This is what Fixray's free Log tier includes.
| What to check | Why it matters | Fixray Log (free) |
|---|---|---|
| Who can report | Housekeeping and the front desk spot most faults | Unlimited Reporters |
| Who can fix and manage | Free tiers often cap these roles | 2 Managers and 2 Fixers per site |
| Photos per issue | One clear photo covers most faults | 1 photo or video per issue |
| Recurring checks | Fire alarm tests and water checks come round every week or month | 1 active recurring maintenance schedule |
| Guest reports | Guests notice faults staff walk past | 1 active guest QR poster |
| Due dates and SLAs | Shows what is late, not just what is open | On Track and Operate |
| Sites | A second property needs its own list | One site |
Do staff need to install anything?
Not with every tool. Fixray runs in the phone's browser and can be added to the home screen, so there is no app store download. Guests can report through a Fixray QR poster without creating an account.
How do you get staff to use it?
- Make reporting faster than a text message: photo, location, send.
- Start with everyday faults. Add recurring checks once the habit sticks.
- Put QR posters where guests notice faults: bathrooms, lifts, function rooms.
- Pick a date to stop taking fault reports in the WhatsApp group.
Where does Fixray fit?
Fixray is built around this loop for UK hotels and venues: staff snap a photo and pick the location, a manager sees every issue in one list, and a fixer closes the job with a completion photo.
Upgrade to Track when you need SLA tracking, more than one recurring schedule or more than 2 Fixers. If you need a deep asset and planned-maintenance setup, a CMMS such as MaintainX goes further than Fixray does today.
Frequently asked questions
- Can people report maintenance issues without an account?
- Guests can. Put a Fixray QR poster on the wall and a guest scans it, adds a photo or a voice note, and the report arrives with the location already attached. A manager or fixer approves it before it reaches the job list. Log includes one active poster. Your own staff use a free Reporter login.
- Is WhatsApp good enough for maintenance reporting?
- For a very small team it can work, and it is free. It breaks down when jobs get buried in the chat, when nobody knows who is handling what, and when you need to show when something was fixed.
- How many photos can staff attach to a report?
- On Fixray's free Log tier, one photo or video per issue. Track and Operate allow unlimited photos and video per issue.
- Does it work on any phone?
- Fixray is a progressive web app: it works in any modern smartphone browser and can be installed to the home screen, with no app store download.
- What happens after a fault is reported?
- In Fixray the issue lands in the manager's list, where they assign it and set a priority. The fixer is notified, does the job and closes it with a completion photo, which leaves a record of who fixed what and when.
Try the free tier on one site
Fixray's Log tier is free forever for one site, with unlimited Reporters and unlimited issues. No credit card, no sales call.