For property managers
Tenant reports a clogged drain or toilet
Updated 30 Sep 2026 · AR Logic LLC
TODAY if several fixtures back up
One slow drain or one clogged toilet is usually a local clog the tenant can plunge. Several fixtures backing up at once — water rising in a tub when the toilet flushes, or sewage in a floor drain — is a main-line blockage and the same day at least: ask the tenant to stop using water in the whole unit and send a plumber with a drain machine.
Snap a photo — see what it is, how urgent, who to call.
One photo of the problem. fixRAgent reads it and gives you a Triage Profile.
Triage a photo nowNo sign-up.
Take the photo. We’ll tell you what it is.
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Managing this for someone else? Managers: set it up for your buildings →
Managing this for someone else? There is a version of this for whole portfolios.
Managers: set it up for your buildings →Your first message to the tenant
Stop flushing and stop running water in that fixture.
Is it one fixture or several? Ask whether the tub or floor drain rises when the toilet flushes or the washer drains.
A single toilet: a flange plunger, not chemicals. A single sink: plunger or clearing the trap.
Sewage anywhere: keep people and pets away, no bare-hand cleanup.
One photo of the fixture and any water on the floor.
How urgent is it?
One fixture, plunging clears it
WHENEVER — log it; repeated clogs on the same toilet point at the toilet or the line.
Several fixtures, or backs up into a tub or floor drain
Main-line blockage: plumber with a drain machine today; camera the line if it repeats.
Sewage on the floor
Plumber now, and a professional cleanup: EPA advises calling in a professional when the damage comes from sewage or other contaminated water [1].
Who to send
Plumber (drain cleaning).
What to say to the tenant
“Thanks for letting me know. Please don’t use the water in the unit for now, so nothing backs up further. I’m getting a plumber out today and I’ll send you a time.”
The Triage Profile writes this line for every photo, matched to how urgent it is.
What to record
- Which fixtures backed up and when.
- What the plumber found in the line (roots, grease, wipes) — it decides who pays and what to do next.
Next time
Tell tenants in the lease packet what not to flush; camera-inspect older lines on a schedule.
Sources
Got the tenant’s photo?
Drop it here. The Triage Profile says what it is, how urgent it is, who to send, and what to tell the tenant.