Should a PM walk the property before dispatching a plumber?

[Kaven L.]

We pay a PM to manage a SFH, and this past week we received a $1k bill from a plumber for fixing the washing machine drain pan. I'm a little frustrated because from the plumbing bill I don't understand what exactly was repaired and why. I believe the PM lives an hour and a half away (purchased PM business that we were previously using) and didn't visit the home before sending out the plumber because they didn't seem to know any more details about the invoice than what was written in the description. Is it standard practice for a PM to visit the home and see what the issue is before sending out a repair person? I'd be more receptive to the bill if I knew exactly what was wrong and what services were done.

[Nathan Gesner]

Quote from @Kaven L.:

Is it reasonable to ask the PM to at least make a visit next time to brief the service provider on what the issue is, or is this technically outside of the scope of a usual PM's services?

It's unreasonable to expect the PM to drive 90 minutes to look at every job before sending a contractor. That's three hours out of that manager's day, plus gas. 

It's also unreasonable to expect the PM to know enough about every job that they can identify the problem and explain exactly what the plumber needs.

On the other hand, this whole situation stinks. Didn't the plumber know in advance that he would need to lift the washing machine? Plumbers should be close to $100 an hour and this sounds like four man-hours, maximum. If the drain pan isn't working, that must mean the washing machine is leaking, which should be a tenant issue if the machine belongs to them. I just don't understand what happened here.

Your PM could do a better job by requiring the tenant to take pictures or video so they understand the issue and can share that information with the plumber.