Please read the following frequently asked questions before making a maintenance request. If a technician is sent to your property for something covered in this section, you could be charged for the maintenance.
Dirty air filters are the leading cause of a/c or heat issues- restriction of air flow puts increase strain on these systems, which in turn increases your utility bills. Make sure you change your air filters at least every 30 days. Even window a/c units have filters that need removal and regularly cleaning. FAILURE TO PROPERLY MAINTAIN YOUR UNIT CAN RESULT IN COSTLY REPAIRS. If you’re a/c unit is blowing- but not cooling, first check your thermostat settings then check to see if the outside condenser unit is running or not. The outside condenser unit must be running in order to provide cooling and many times a simple power surge can cause the breaker to trip on these units. If the unit is not running, locate your breaker panel and see if breakers are marked- if not, then simply turn each breaker to the off position then back to the on position, one at a time. Check to see if the outside condenser unit starts running. Some properties have a disconnect breaker located outside next to the condenser unit as well- check that to make sure it has not tripped. Heating is similar but you could have gas or electric heat. If your property has gas service you probably have gas furnace for heating. If your unit is electric heat check thermostat settings then check to see if any breakers have tripped before placing a maintenance request. These simple items can get your a/c or heat back in operation quickly.
Pest Control is a Tenant responsibility per your lease. We recommend every tenant have a pest control product on hand for such issues or you can contact our office for an Exterminator referral.
Random dishwasher leaks normally occur if an improper soap has been used or gotten into dishwasher. If you have been using your dishwasher successfully then a leak appears- first make sure no liquid type soap was inadvertently placed in dishwasher- run the dishwasher empty and place a small amount of vinegar inside. This acts as a cleaning agent and can correct issues with dishwashers in many cases. You can also purchase a dishwasher cleaning agent from most grocery stores that basically does the same thing.
Dishwashers drain into the side of the garbage disposal in many cases. Should debris from the disposal clog up the drain line connection, water will not drain out of the dishwasher properly. Also the drain hose under the sink should be looped up higher at one point than the connection to the disposal this prevents siphoning back down into the dishwasher from the sink drain piping.
If you are experiencing slow or drains backing up- always try to use plunger on the drain first in order to free up any local blockage in the drain line. Should you have a major drain line blockage affecting entire property discontinue use of dishwasher or laundry/washer since these send a lot of water down a drain at once then submit maintenance request to our office.
If you are having issues with garage door not wanting to close all the way- check to see if you have the safety-eye sensors at the bottom of each rail. These sometimes get dirty, blocked by leaves or knocked out of alignment. Once the sensors are readjusted the opener should function properly.
Should that not take care of it most garage door openers can be disengaged and door operated manually until contractor can visit and check out. On the garage door opener railing, there is a carriage and usually has a rope attached to it, simply pull down on the rope in order to disengage the garage door opener carriage from the rail in order to put the garage door into manual operation.
Most instances of power loss are due to tripped circuit breakers. Make sure you are aware of where your properties breaker panel is located in case such occurrence. Some properties can have multiple breaker panels as well. These are located in many different locations such as garages, closets and even outside the property near the electric meter. Sometimes breakers do not appear tripped and the only way to reset a circuit is to make sure the breaker is turned completely to the “OFF” position then back on, otherwise the circuit will not reset.
Another possible issue is with a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) circuit. These are normally used for bathrooms, kitchens, outdoor outlets and garages. One of the outlets in this circuit has the “Test/Reset” buttons right on the outlet and can affect multiple locations at a property. If you have outlets in a bathroom that quit working- look for this GFCI outlet somewhere- possibly even on one of the garage outlets or another bathroom etc Some circuit breakers even have this GFCI feature right on the actual breaker as well.
There are several different types of smoke detectors, most which have a 9 volt battery power source or back-up. You should change these batteries twice a year and best time to remember to do this is when clocks are changed for Daylight Savings Time.
If your smoke detector chirps occasionally by itself then most likely the battery needs changed out. DO NOT JUST REMOVE THE BATTERY FROM THESE DEVICES THE LIFE YOU SAVE WOULD BE YOUR OWN!
There are 2 types of water heaters, electric and gas operated. Electric water heaters are on a dedicated circuit, meaning there is a circuit breaker designated specifically for the water heater- check to make sure this breaker has not tripped for some reason.
Gas water heaters have a pilot light function and instructions for these are located right on the water heater. Follow the instructions in order to re-light the pilot for water heater.
If you notice a water heater leaking in any way- turn off the water supply valve located on top of the water heater you can test by turning on a hot water faucet at sink or tub to make sure water flow stops. Then submit a maintenance request to our office.
Should you notice water leaks appearing anywhere inside the property- first try to locate the source of the leak and if possible turn off the water supply valve. These are located under sink cabinets, next to toilets on the wall, on top of water heaters. Should a constant leak continue and unable to locate source but believe it is a water supply line leaking, then contact your water provider to see about having the water meter shut off until a plumbing contractor can visit.
