Apartment renters enjoy the luxury of not needing to worry about home maintenance and repair, and the expensive bills that come along with it! However, something is likely to go wrong every now and again, which is why knowing when to call for emergency maintenance is critical.
What Is Considered An Emergency?
An emergency maintenance situation is typically one that poses a risk of injury or significant damage to property. Your apartment community may include a list of possible emergency situations and what to do in each, and may provide a 24-hour emergency maintenance phone line where you may speak with staff about your problem. The following are examples of situations that could be considered an emergency:
- 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 example, if you find yourself knee-deep in water in your apartment’s living room, the leak must be repaired immediately. On the other hand, if one of your toilets is clogged and you live in a two-bathroom apartment,, it will not be considered an emergency.
What Is Not Considered An Emergency?
Because the apartment maintenance personnel must prioritize requests based on severity and order, not all maintenance concerns can be addressed right away, even if they are inconvenient for the renter. The following are some examples of circumstances that aren’t always deemed emergencies:
- 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. An outage of your heating system will not be an emergency if it is not below freezing outside.
Electricity/Utility Outage
When there is a power outage in your unit, maintenance is usually not responsible for resolving the problem. It could be a weather incident or an electric company technical issue over which your apartment community has no control. That’s why it’s important to consider the cause of the outage before calling for maintenance. For instance, I f your power or water has been turned off due to 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 Highlands 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 Highlands community, apply for our Blacksburg Apartments today!