Match vendor invoices to maintenance work orders
Contractor invoices are captured from email, matched to the work order and property, and checked against agreed rates or a not-to-exceed amount. Approved invoices post as bills against the right property. Built for property managers whose maintenance invoices arrive without a clear work order number.
Function: Finance · Industry: Property management
Match vendor invoices to maintenance work orders
6 steps
At a glance
- Trigger
- A vendor or contractor invoice arrives by email or portal.
- Typical inputs
- Vendor invoices and photos of completed work
- Work orders with approved scope and not-to-exceed amounts
- Vendor rate sheets
- Property and owner accounting codes
- Systems it usually connects to
- AppFolio
- Buildium
- Yardi
- QuickBooks
- How the work splits
4 rules, 1 model, 1 person steps
How it runs, step by step
6 steps, each tagged by what does the work. Rules are fixed logic, a model reads or drafts, and a person decides.
- Rules Fixed logic in code
- Model AI reads or drafts, with a confidence score
- Person A named person decides
- 1
Read the invoice
ModelA model extracts vendor, address or unit, work description, labor hours, parts and total, even when no work order number is printed.
- 2
Find the work order
RulesCode searches open and recently closed work orders by number, then by vendor, unit and date when the number is missing.
- 3
Compare to the approved scope
RulesTotals are checked against the not-to-exceed amount, the vendor's rate sheet and the work order's completion status.
- 4
Review the variance
PersonA property manager approves invoices over the authorized amount or asks the vendor to explain the difference.
- 5
Code to the right property
RulesThe bill is coded to the property, owner and expense category, and flagged for owner chargeback where the lease allows.
- 6
Post and schedule payment
RulesApproved bills are posted with the invoice and work order attached, and paid on the vendor's terms.
Where people approve
The decisions that stay with your team, whatever the confidence score says.
- The property manager approves anything above the not-to-exceed amount.
- Owner approval is requested where the management agreement requires it.
- Vendor bank changes are verified by call-back before payment.
KPIs to track
What to measure, before and after. Targets come from your own baseline.
- 01Invoices matched to a work order without manual lookup
- 02Invoices paid above the authorized amount
- 03Days from invoice receipt to approval
- 04Work orders closed with no invoice after 30 days
Questions about this workflow
What if the contractor never closed the work order?
The matcher flags it. An invoice for work that the system shows as open or canceled goes to the property manager with the dates, so they can confirm the work was done before anyone pays.
Can it split one invoice across several units or properties?
Yes, when the invoice lists the units, or the work orders it refers to belong to different properties. When the split is unclear, the invoice waits for a person to allocate it rather than guessing.
Which steps use rules, a model and a person?
Rules: find the work order; compare to the approved scope; code to the right property; post and schedule payment. Model: read the invoice. Person: review the variance. Rules are fixed logic in code. A model reads or drafts and reports its confidence. A named person decides.
What do we need to start?
Typically: vendor invoices and photos of completed work; work orders with approved scope and not-to-exceed amounts; vendor rate sheets; property and owner accounting codes. You also need read access to AppFolio, Buildium, Yardi and QuickBooks, or the equivalents you use. A workflow audit measures your volumes and past cases first, then gives a fixed price for the build, so you can decide with real numbers.