Change an Estimate and resend it for owner approval

Cancel a pending owner approval request for an Estimate, change the Estimate, and send it to the owner again so the owner gets the current version. A Meld is a maintenance request in Property Meld. An Estimate is a priced quote for the work on a Meld, from a Vendor or from your team.

• Who this is for: Property Manager, Maintenance Coordinator / Dispatcher
• Applies to: 3rd-Party Managed Multi-Family, 3rd-Party Managed Single Family
• Access needed: canceling a request needs no separate role permission. Requesting approval again needs a role that includes the permission to request owner approval on Estimates.
• Why it matters: the owner's email and PDF show the Estimate as it was when you sent it. Canceling and sending again gives the owner a new email with the changed Estimate.

Before you start:

• The Estimate shows Status Pending Approval on the Meld's Estimates tab.
• The Meld is open. You cannot request approval again on a completed or canceled Meld.
• To send an Estimate for approval the first time, see Request owner approval for an Estimate.
• To change a dollar amount request from the Meld's Details tab, see Request owner approval on a Meld. That request has its own Edit option.

How do I cancel a pending owner approval request for an Estimate?

To cancel the request:

1. Open the Meld and click the Estimates tab.
2. On the Estimate card with Status Pending Approval, click Cancel Owner Approval Request.
3. The Cancel this estimate owner approval request? window opens. Click Yes, cancel. To keep the request, click Cancel.

What you'll see: an "Approval request cancelled successfully" message. The Estimate card shows Status Submitted. If no other Estimate on the Meld is still pending approval, every active owner on the Meld gets an email saying you canceled your request for their approval for work at the property's address. The email does not name the Estimate. If another Estimate on the Meld is still pending, the owners are not emailed.

If it didn't work:

• If Cancel Owner Approval Request is missing, check that the Estimate shows Pending Approval.
• If you see "Approval request not cancelled", the cancel did not go through. Try again.

How do I change the Estimate and request approval again?

After you cancel the request and the Estimate shows Submitted:

1. On the Estimate card, click Request Owner Approval. The Request Owner Approval panel opens.
2. Change the line items or the Memo. You can edit Description, Type, Cost, Quantity, and Markup, or click Add Line Item. These edits change the Estimate itself.
3. Click Update to save the Estimate. Until you save, the panel shows only Update and Cancel. When the save works, you see "Estimate update successful".
4. Choose what the owner sees again. Your choices from the canceled request are not kept. Hide all line items from owner (only show totals) starts off, only Cost, Subtotal, and Markup are hidden, all images and videos under Images and Videos start selected, and Place a hold on funds pending owner approval, if shown, starts unchecked.
5. To check the message first, click Preview message to owner. To make changes, click Edit.
6. Click Request Owner Approval.
7. The Confirm Approval Request window opens. Click Yes, request. To go back without sending, click Cancel.

What you'll see: an "Approval requested successfully" message, and the Estimate card shows Status Pending Approval. Every active owner on the Meld gets a new email with the changed Estimate attached as a PDF.

If it didn't work:

• If Request Owner Approval is missing on the card, check that the Estimate shows Submitted, that no other Estimate on the Meld is Approved, that the Meld has an active owner, and that your role includes the permission to request owner approval.
• If Request Owner Approval and Preview message to owner are missing in the panel, you have unsaved changes. Click Update first.
• If you see "Approval not requested", check that the Meld is open.

For each option in the panel and what the owner sees, see Request owner approval for an Estimate.

Limitations and things to know

• You can also edit a Pending Approval Estimate from View Estimate. The owner sees the saved changes when they open the request, but no new email is sent and the PDF in the earlier email does not change. To send the owner the changed Estimate, cancel the request and request approval again.
• The Confirm Approval Request window says you can't reverse the request. You can still cancel it with Cancel Owner Approval Request while it is pending.
• On a completed or canceled Meld, Cancel Owner Approval Request still returns the Estimate to Submitted, but the owners are not emailed, and you cannot request approval again.
• AppFolio fund holds: only the owner's approval triggers the fund hold. When you request approval again, the Place a hold on funds pending owner approval choice on the new request is the one that counts. Canceling a request releases its hold.
• Canceling an Estimate approval request does not bring back an earlier dollar amount request from the Meld's Details tab.

FAQ

Can I change an Estimate after I send it for owner approval?

Yes. To send the owner a new email with the change, click Cancel Owner Approval Request on the Estimate card and confirm with Yes, cancel. The Estimate returns to Submitted. Click Request Owner Approval, change the Estimate, click Update, and send it again.

Will the owner know I canceled the request?

Yes, if no other Estimate on the Meld is still pending approval and the Meld is open. Every active owner on the Meld is emailed that the request was canceled. When you send the request again, the owners get a new email with the changed Estimate.

What happens if the owner opens the link in the earlier email?

The owner cannot approve the canceled request. If nothing on the Meld is pending, the page reads "This Approval has been fulfilled". After you send the request again, the link in the earlier email opens the Estimate as it is now.

Can I send a different Estimate instead?

Yes. The first Estimate's request stays pending until you cancel it, so cancel it if the owner should no longer approve it. Then, on the other Estimate, which must show Submitted, click Request Owner Approval. To add a new Estimate, use Create Estimate or Request Estimates on the Estimates tab. You can send more than one Estimate on the same Meld for owner approval, and each Estimate has its own status.

The owner rejected the Estimate. Can I request approval again?

No. The card shows Status Owner Rejected, and Request Owner Approval does not show for that Estimate. To ask the owner again, create or request a new Estimate and send it for approval.

What is the difference between Cancel Owner Approval Request and Cancel?

Cancel Owner Approval Request cancels only the approval request. The Estimate returns to Submitted, and you can send it again. Cancel closes the Estimate. The Cancel this estimate? window says you can't reverse this action. Click Yes, cancel to close it, or Not now to keep it. If an owner approval request is pending, it is canceled first.

Can I approve the Estimate myself instead?

Yes. Approve on the Estimate card approves the Estimate without the owner. If an owner approval request is pending, it is canceled first, and the owners are emailed that it was canceled if no other Estimate on the Meld is still pending. Approving the Estimate yourself does not trigger an AppFolio fund hold.