Apartment renters enjoy the luxury of not needing to worry about home maintenance and repair, and the expensive bills that come along with it! But something is bound to go wrong every once in a while, which is why it’s essential for you to know when to call for an emergency maintenance request.
What Is Considered An Emergency?
An emergency maintenance situation is usually something that can cause potential injury or lead to severe property damage. Your apartment community may provide a list of specific emergency situations and what to do, or provide a 24/7 emergency maintenance phone number where you can talk to staff about your situation. Situations that could be considered as an emergency include:
- Apartment flooding or a broken water pipe
- Gas leak or broken gas line
- Broken door or window locks
- Faulty air conditioning in hot summer
- Faulty heating in cold winter
- Clogged toilet in one bathroom apartments
In some of the situations, it is fairly obvious. For instance, if you find yourself standing knee-deep in water in your apartment’s living room, the water leakage needs to be fixed right away. On the other hand, if one of your toilets is clogged and you have a two bathroom apartment, it won’t be considered an emergency.
What Is Not Considered An Emergency?
In an apartment community the apartment maintenance team has to prioritize requests based on severity and order, so not all maintenance issues can be handled immediately, even if they are temporarily inconvenient for the resident. Some of the situations that might not be considered an emergency include:
- Dripping faucets
- Minor leaks in water/sewage pipes that can be contained
- Faulty air conditioner during cool days
- Faulty heating during warm days
- Appliances not working correctly. IE: Microwave, Stove, Washer/Dryer, etc.
- Broken hinges or handles on cabinets
- Faulty light fixtures
These are situations in which you would want to fix the issue but they do not put the tenant in harm’s way or can result in severe property damage.
What May Feel Like an Emergency But Isn’t
There are many circumstances where you will need a solution immediately but they still don’t qualify as emergency maintenance.
Getting Locked Out of Your Apartment
If you get locked out of the apartment or lose your key, you would want to fix the situation right away. That being said, since you or your property aren’t at any immediate risk, this doesn’t qualify as an emergency. What you can do is call a locksmith who can help you get back into your apartment.
HVAC Problems
If your air conditioner stops working, the majority of the apartment administrations do not consider it an emergency unless the temperature is above a certain point. The same rule applies to the apartment heating system. If it isn’t freezing outside, an outage of your heating system won’t constitute an emergency.
Electricity/Utility Outage
When your apartment experiences a power outage, maintenance isn’t usually responsible for fixing the issue. It could be a weather event or technical issue with the electric company, that your apartment community has no control over. That’s why it is important to consider the reason for the outage before you call for maintenance. For instance, if your power or water has been shut off because of non-payment, there is nothing maintenance can do.
Don’t Wait For It To Get Worse
It’s important that you don’t put off maintenance requests. The sooner you put in your request, the sooner the maintenance team can fix it! If there is something that can put you and your family at risk, contact the maintenance team’s emergency service as soon as possible. If it’s a non emergency situation, submit a maintenance request and they will handle your situation as soon as possible. Don’t put off small issues and risk them turning into big problems!
At Colonnade Apartments, we are proud to employ a diligent apartment maintenance team who always do their best to ensure our residents are satisfied! You can submit apartment maintenance requests through your Resident Portal or call our 24 Hour Emergency Line if you are faced with an emergency. If you are not yet part of the Colonnade community, apply for our Harrisonburg Apartments today!