Apartment Maintenance Doesn’t Have to Be a Nightmare
Dealing with apartment maintenance is part of the reality of renting a college apartment, loft apartment, or standard efficiency apartment. Most apartment managers will try their best to fix your problems promptly. Here are a few simple yet useful tips you might try to get good results from the apartment maintenance folks at your complex. Also, don’t forget to look into buying renters insurance, which will protect you from damage if you had a huge maintenance problem that led to water damage.
Apartment Maintenance: Act Fast!
If you have a leak in your apartment, don’t let the water run all over everything, puddle on the floor and cause more damage. Even if you’re not mechanically inclined, stick a bucket under there to catch the water, and wipe up any excess. See what you can do to slow down or stop further damage from happening, unless you feel it would put you or your family in danger. Move your microwave, DVR, cable television box, and any other items out of the way of any apartment maintenance mishap.
In the same manner, if something is broken, don’t continue to use it. If the garbage disposal has stopped eating up your veggies and sounds like it’s dying, stop using it and alert any family members or roommates to do the same until apartment maintenance can take a look at it.
Give Correct Information to Apartment Maintenance Personnel
You may have to leave a message or explain the situation so that the apartment maintenance crew can decide where your job falls among all of the others they have to deal with. Be prepared with truthful and detailed answers to the following questions:
- What’s the problem?
- When did it start or happen?
- How did it happen? What was the situation?
If you did something to cause the damage, you might as well confess. He or she will probably figure it out and the apartment maintenance person will have a better idea of what replacement parts to bring.
- How serious is it? Can it wait or is it an apartment maintenance emergency?
Don’t be the one who cries wolf. If you leave messages constantly saying “It’s an emergency” and “I need someone immediately,” they may soon begin to drag their feet on your calls, and with good reason. They have real emergencies to deal with, so save phrases like “as soon as possible,” “emergency,” and “immediately” for when you truly need them. If you’re in doubt, describe what damage or risks are being caused to the property or yourself. For example, “My sink is leaking, and the water is soaking into the floor” or “My fusebox just blew up, there are sparks coming out, and I’m afraid to go near it.” Many apartment managers now have a separate number just for emergencies, only use it for that purpose.
Follow Up on Your Apartment Maintenance Issue
Many apartment complexes don’t have 24/7 maintenance service. If you call Saturday evening with a problem that is not an emergency, like a broken dishwasher, chances are you won’t get help until Monday, Tuesday, or even Wednesday. But if 24 hours goes by, and no one has called to let you know it’s on the apartment maintenance list, call up and ask to make sure someone received the message. Just like with your own phone and family, messages can get lost or erased by mistake.
Always Express Thanks for Maintenance Help
Finally, even if you’re upset that it took longer than you thought it should, chances are your apartment maintenance worker is just trying to do his or her job. Be sure to tell them thanks!
