Requesting an NTE Increase in the Lula App

Step-by-Step guide on how you can request an increase on your Not-to-Exceed Amount if you can still complete the work while on site.

Written by Josh
September 15, 2025

Why We Built This?

We know jobs don’t always go as planned. Sometimes you arrive on-site and realize the repair will cost more than the Not To Exceed (NTE) limit. For repairs that you believe can be done in the same day with some additional money. In the past, this meant calling Lula, and we would contact the Property Manager — a process that often delayed approvals and slowed you down.

Now, you can request NTE increases directly in the Lula app, making it faster to get approvals and keep jobs moving forward.

How It Works

Step 1: Start the NTE Request

1. Open the job in the Lula app.
2. Tap “Request NTE Increase.”

Step 2: Select the Amount of NTE Increase

1. Small Increases (under $100)

• Enter the new total amount needed.
• Add a short description of why the increase is necessary. Lula sometimes has the authority to approve small increases (up to $100), depending on the customer. Anything more than that will require a formal approval process.
• Lula has 10 minutes to respond. A timer on the job will show you how long is remaining for them to respond.
• You will be notified once your NTE increase is approved/denied via Push Notification/In App Message.

2. Larger Increases (over $100)

• For Large increases On Site, Property Managers require a full quote so that they can make easily assess the scope and whether they'd like to move forward quickly.

• Submit a detailed quote with photos and explanation.

• This will now show under "Quoted Jobs" alongside a timer indicating how long the PM has to respond.

• The Property Manager has 20 minutes to respond.

• You will be notified once your NTE increase is approved/denied via Push Notification/In App Message.

• If the quote is approved, the job will show under "Claimed Jobs" page indicating the scope of approved work.

• There are two scenarios for submitting quotes for large NTE increases:

  • If you haven’t started work yet: If no response is received or you're denied, the request automatically converts to an offsite quote so there's no need to resubmit information, and you’ll receive a trip fee.
  • If you’ve already done initial work: Submit the work completed so far along with your increase request. If no response comes or you're denied, the job automatically becomes an offsite quote so there's no need to resubmit information — but no trip fee is paid since you’ve already billed for the work you completed.

Step 3: Get Updates in Real Time

• You’ll receive a push notification and in-app update once the Property Manager makes a decision, you can click directly on the notification and be taken to the respective job.
• If approved, you'll be able to finish the job at the new amount and it will show under the "Claimed Jobs" page.
• If declined, you'll be paid out a trip fee for your time if you hadn't been able to complete any work.
• If the PM requires more time to review the quote, you'll see the quote converted to an Off-Site quote that can be seen in your "Quoted Jobs" tab.

Step 4: Finish the Job

1. If approved

The notification will alert you of the approval and the job will appear in your claimed jobs. You will now see the updated price or NTE and you can proceed with the repairs and closing the job as you normally would.

2. If rejected or time expires

At this point, the job is closed. We ask that you kindly notify the resident that the property manager has not yet approved the work and that someone will be in touch regarding the next steps. There is nothing else that you need to do with this job, as it will close for you automatically. You will be paid for the trip or the work you already performed.

If the time expired, the quote stays visible to them, but the price updates to include your original trip/work. If approved, you will receive a notification to schedule a return trip.

For a detailed tutorial, click here: https://lula.storylane.io/share/3rcei3vno4qw

Best Practices for Providers

✅ Always include photos and a clear explanation when submitting large increase requests.
✅ Be precise — only request the amount you need to complete the repair.
✅ Watch for notifications so you don’t miss approvals.
✅ Don't share too much with the resident — let them know that you are waiting for approval to move forward, but you shouldn't share details of the issue with them as it could cause unnecessary escalation.

The Big Win for Providers

With in-app NTE requests, you don’t need to wait on phone calls and will increase the amount of one trip resolutions you can complete. You can get faster approvals, complete more jobs the same day, and still receive compensation through trip fees or partial billing for work completed when a full approval isn’t given.