I am a contractor and have the same issues with clients. They want the work done quickly and expect tenants to cooperate -- they won't.
As a rule of thumb, as the contractor I demand a set of keys. Won't count on tenants always being home during a job.
Second, I require a dedicated parking spot on the property near to the apartment. If someone is in my spot, it will towed away withing 30 minutes.
Many times after a full days work a tenant will be reluctant to let me in the next day. They want a day off and refuse to allow me into the unit. Therefor I require the manager to post a 24 hour notice every day so that I can let myself in to work.
One time a shower pan was leaking water to the unit underneath. The tile in the shower was from the 1930's and imported from Italy. I had the same tiLE I saved from another job during the demolition stage. The tenant didn't want the project to take too long. But the owner wanted me to do the job since I could replace the broken tile with similar tiles. So I laid out a schedule.
I would demo. Replace the drain and install a new shower pan with a hot mop. Let it sit for 24 hours for the leak test. Then I would float in cement base. The next day I would install new tile. Next day grout the tile. Total length of time (Monday to a Saturday) 6 days --SO LONG AS THE TENANT ALLOWED ME INTO THE UNIT TO WORK.
If I completed the job in 6 days and the tenant could use the shower within a week, I would be given a $500 bonus.
If the tenant caused delays and hindered the job, I could:
1) walk off the job
2) ask for more money, I would get paid for each day I was turned away at the door, $200 each time.
After 3 days the tenant was mad that I didn't work full days. The first day I worked 12 hours. The next time only 3 hours, had to conduct a water test. So the tenant kept on giving me trouble. No parking spot. No entry. Made me stop making noise during the day.
So after I could see the writing on the walls, I made the owner come up with an early payments.
--47.156.xx.xx