Jobber vs Housecall Pro equipment records: serial numbers, service history and warranty details

“Which furnace did we put that board in?” should take one lookup, not three phone calls. Give every installed unit a clear identity, keep its data plate with the install job, and use that identity on every return visit.

Our pick is Jobber for keeping equipment details beside the shop’s scheduling and quoting: put the permanent details in property fields and the work performed in job notes. Housecall Pro is the alternative with native equipment records. Its Property Profile gives each unit a record at the service address and lets you associate jobs with it.

Equipment records: side by side

What the tech needs	Jobber	Housecall Pro
A unit at the right address	Property custom fields plus an Equipment ID on the job	Native Property Profile items; multiple units per customer address
Model, serial and installation date	Your property fields; use Text for serial numbers and dates	Built-in make, model, serial and install-date fields
Warranty end, filter size, refrigerant	Your labeled property fields	Add labeled details in the item’s Notes
Associate a service call	Put the unit ID on the job and its visit notes	Select the existing property item and tap Add to job
Data-plate photo	Internal job/visit note attachment	Job attachment; HVAC shops can also use Bluon nameplate lookup
History in the field	Client Work tab, job records and Notes; search the unit reference	Property Profile on the matching service address, with equipment associated to jobs
Maintenance follow-up	Set the first service date and recurring visits	Associate equipment with a Service Plan; use plan scheduling/renewal reminders
Office review	Job-level custom fields in the One-Off Jobs report	Equipment filters for item type, last service date and install date; CSV equipment-list export

The core workflows come from Jobber’s custom-field guide and HCP’s Property Profile guide. Jobber’s custom-field setup is a manually maintained equipment register; HCP’s record has the native unit-to-job link. Ask for the minimum tier covering Jobber custom fields, HCP Property Profile and any Bluon access on your plan quote where the guides leave it unspecified. HCP’s Max plan lists recurring Service Plans; Jobber’s consolidated client Files gallery is a Plus feature, separate from ordinary job-photo notes.

Pick by the work your shop does

HCP alternative: Multiple furnaces, condensers or water heaters at one property. A separate item for each unit beats a growing bank of address fields. The office can pull equipment by installation or last-service date, while the tech associates the correct unit with the call.

A few units per house and a working Jobber setup: keep it simple in Jobber. Reusable property fields and a consistent unit reference give the next tech the essentials. A move to another app makes more sense when unit-level history and equipment-list reviews have become everyday office work.

Landlords with several buildings: the address comes first in either app. Keep the landlord as the billing customer, then put the furnace under the building or unit where it lives. Our landlord and multi-property comparison covers contacts and billing; the equipment register belongs beneath that structure.

The field list we would give the crew

This is our suggested record template. Keep the same names and date format across the shop.

Field	What to record	Where it earns its place
Equipment ID and location	A short label such as FURN-1 — basement	Separates it from the upstairs furnace
Make and model	Full maker name and model from the plate	Parts lookup and replacement quoting
Serial number	Exact text, including leading zeros and letters	Warranty and unit identification
Install date	YYYY-MM-DD, from the install record	Equipment age and service planning
Warranty end	Documented expiry, coverage type and supporting file reference	Distinguishes parts coverage from your labor warranty
Filter size	Size and any relevant specification recorded on site	Makes the next maintenance visit easier
Refrigerant type	The designation on the equipment plate	Keeps the record specific to the actual unit
Access notes	Location, access arrangement and relevant service details	Saves the next tech hunting for the unit

Write Not recorded when a detail is missing, then assign the follow-up. For warranty dates, use the registration or warranty document; the install date alone doesn’t tell you when every part’s coverage ends.

In HCP, use native fields for the identity and install date, then put the extra labels in Notes. In Jobber, use Text fields for serials and YYYY-MM-DD dates. Its documented types also include checkbox, numeric, area and dropdown fields. The custom-field settings define those choices.

Record a new install in 5 minutes: Jobber field routine

Have the office build the template first: property fields for a small, reusable set of equipment slots, plus a job-level Equipment ID. For example, prefix one set Heating 1 and another Water heater 1. Reuse those slots across properties rather than creating a new global field for every customer’s serial number. Jobber warns that more than 50 custom fields may cause performance issues.

Then use this routine at the install:

1. Open the correct client and property. In the app, use Additional Property Info to view and enter property custom fields. Put the unit’s make, model, serial, dates and other details in the matching slot.
2. Identify the install job. Fill its Equipment ID with the same unit label. Include the label in the job title when it helps the dispatch list: Install FURN-1 — basement.
3. Photograph the plate. Open the job’s Notes tab, add a note and attach the picture. Put the service address and Equipment ID in the note with the work completed.
4. Keep the install record complete. Add the warranty document and completed install form to that job. On later calls, use the same unit ID on the new job and its dated service notes.
5. Set the next visit. Choose the actual first maintenance date and repeating schedule. Give the office any missing warranty or equipment details to finish.

Jobber documents mobile property fields and client work in Client Information in the app, and photos in mobile Notes and Attachments. These are job/client notes, not a separate property-note screen. A note saved on a job doesn’t become an upstream client note; client notes can flow to other work, so keep unit-specific records clearly labeled and choose their linked items deliberately.

Record a new install in 5 minutes: HCP field routine

Enable My Apps → All Apps → Property Profile once in the office. Add the service address to the customer profile before the crew starts; equipment appears on a job when that address matches.

1. Open the install job and Property Profile. Add an item with an equipment type and display name—the required fields. Name it for the unit and location, such as FURN-1 — basement.
2. Fill the permanent details. Enter make, model, serial and installation date. Use Notes for the warranty end, filter size, refrigerant and access details from the field list above.
3. Associate the unit with the work. For an existing item, select it under Property Profile and tap Add to job. Reuse it on the next service call instead of creating another copy.
4. Save the plate and install evidence. Use the job’s Attachments + control to take or upload photos. Keep the unit label in the accompanying job notes and completed checklist.
5. Connect the maintenance plan. On the customer’s Service Plan details, select the relevant Property Profile item. Let the office finish the visit schedule and any missing documentation.

HCP’s Property Profile instructions cover the unit/job link; its mobile attachment guide covers job photos. Video uploads and photo annotations are HCP Cam add-on features. The Service Plan association guide shows how to connect the equipment to its plan.

HVAC shortcut: HCP’s Bluon integration can scan a nameplate or search a model, then add equipment information to Property Profile. It also provides manuals, parts information and estimated warranty information. Save the customer’s actual warranty paperwork alongside the job record. Bluon in HCP is for HVAC pros and needs an internet connection.

Make the next visit easy to find

In HCP, associate the existing equipment item with each service job. In the office, open My Apps → Property Profile and filter by item type, last service date or installation date. Export the equipment list when you want an offline review of which units are aging or overdue for attention. That CSV is an equipment list, not a replacement for the jobs and their attachments.

In Jobber, open the client’s Work tab and use the address, job title and Equipment ID to find the relevant work. Open the job’s notes for the plate and service findings. Its app search supports custom-field entries. Only the last 15 attachments appear in the app; all remain available on the web. Keep the current plate easy to find rather than burying it in a long photo trail. See mobile client records and attachment access.

For an office report, add the job-level Equipment ID to Jobber’s One-Off Jobs report. Its custom-field columns must be job fields; a property-only serial field isn’t automatically a job-report column. That is why the routine keeps permanent details at the property and a unit reference on each job.

Turn the install date into the next service call

Use the install date to choose the first maintenance visit, then build the schedule. In Jobber, that means a recurring job with the right property, unit reference and repeating visits. A text date in a custom field doesn’t schedule a visit for you.

In HCP, attach the equipment to its Service Plan and set the maintenance visits. Its scheduling and renewal reminders follow the plan’s visit due dates and plan end date—not the unit’s warranty expiry. Keep a separate office review for approaching warranty dates. Our maintenance-agreement setup guide covers the membership workflow.

Tip: When a unit is replaced, give the replacement a new identity and keep the old install job, serial and photos intact. In HCP, add a new equipment item and label the old item’s status in its notes. In Jobber, update the current property slot while retaining the old unit’s dated job records.

Use our job-forms comparison for the readings and technician signoff, and the warranty-callback guide when the crew returns to fix an issue. The equipment record tells you which unit; the job record tells you what happened to it.

Recording a compressor or blower diagnosis? Our insulation-resistance tester guide shows which test settings and temperature to keep alongside the unit ID and reading.

Our job photos and customer-sharing comparison shows where to keep data-plate evidence and how to send selected before-and-after pictures to the customer.

For the two-visit repair desk, our appliance repair software guide puts unit IDs, parts deposits and the return appointment into one routine.