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 scheduled job |
| 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?
Very little. On Android, staff install Fixray from Google Play. On iPhone, they add it to the home screen from the browser, with no App Store download. Guests can report through a Fixray QR poster without installing anything or 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.
Is there a maintenance app for staff who don't speak English?
Yes, if reporting runs on photos rather than typing. Fixray is in English today, but a report needs very few words: staff take a photo and pick the room from a list.
Teams that work in another language often run Fixray through their browser's built-in translation. A reporter flow in other languages is on our roadmap; tell us which language your team needs, because it decides what we translate first.
If your team needs an interface built around icons rather than words today, Snapfix's icon-driven, language-agnostic design is built for that and worth comparing.
How do you track maintenance at a property with nobody on site?
Let guests report faults through a QR poster and run the job list from your phone.
- Guests scan the poster and report with a photo or a voice note, with no account. Log includes one active poster; Track and Operate include as many as you need.
- Each report reaches your list with the location attached. You assign it to a fixer and see the completion photo when the job is closed.
- An owner can join as a Manager and see the same list. Log includes 2 Managers per site.
- Every Sunday morning, managers and organisation admins get an email of what was reported, fixed and still open that week, on every plan.
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 scheduled job 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 and goes straight to the job list. On Track and Operate you can switch on review, so a manager or fixer approves each guest report first. 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?
- Yes. Fixray works in any modern smartphone browser. On Android you can install it from Google Play; on iPhone you add it to the home screen from the browser, 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.
- Our team doesn't all work in English. Will they manage?
- Fixray is in English today. Reporting needs very few words: staff take a photo and pick the room, and Fixray can suggest the description (10 AI suggestions a month on Log, more on Track and Operate). Teams that work in another language often run Fixray through their browser's built-in translation. Tell us which language your team needs at hello@fixray.app.
- How do you track maintenance at a property with nobody on site?
- Let guests report faults and run the list from wherever you are. Guests scan a Fixray QR poster and report with a photo or a voice note, no account needed (Log includes one active guest QR poster; Track and Operate include as many as you need). Each report arrives with the location attached and goes straight to your list (on Track and Operate you can switch on review to approve each one first), then you assign it and see the completion photo when it's fixed. An owner can join as a Manager to see the same list (Log includes 2 Managers and 2 Fixers per site). Every Sunday morning, managers and organisation admins get an email of what was reported, fixed and still open that week, on every plan.
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.