Maison Magazine

• Security issues: From broken locks to windows that won't open, anything that prevents tenants from being able to exit their unit or protect their property from theft or other crimes is high-priority. How to tell if your repair is an emergency The easiest way to distin- guish this is by asking your- self if the problem can wait, without potential for harm to your health or well-being. Think about that broken heater during the dead of winter, it's dan- gerous for anyone to remain in an un- heated home with falling temperatures, but especially older folks or people who are immune-compromised. If it's likely to affect your health in less than 24 hours, the repair can be escalated to an emergency. Also remember that service providers must prioritize emergency repairs over other requests and thus there is an additional charge to the owner. Renter's may not realize that single fam- ily home and condo rentals do not come with an on-site maintenance person that Windermere works with. These work orders have to be put in with regular vendors and as such incur the charges that the vendors charge. There is always an afterhours or weekend emergency charge, so if the issue does not warrant that then the work order will be put in on the next business day and the vendor will reach out to you directly to schedule. Likewise, if there is a clogged toilet it may be considered an emergency if there is only one toilet in the home / unit, but if there are multiple toilets that the tenants can use instead of the one that is out of commission, then it is not consid- ered an emergency. Why tenants should always report issues immediately Regardless of the severity of an issue, it's critical for tenants to report any mainte- nance problems immediately. And if they don't, they could potentially be held re- sponsible. Real life example, if there is a screen door that is off the tracks that the tenant can- not put back on, I would probably not send out a handyman in November to fix this, but I would have it on my radar for the next issue that comes up for the property the requires a handyman. If, however, I was never made aware of the issue and I go to conduct my move-out inspection and see the screen leaning against the wall, I don't know if this is a damaged item that the tenant created or not, so I need to call out a handyman (and thus take that charge off of the tenant's security deposit). Also, if tenants are derelict in reporting, and this delay causes secondary damages, tenants can be liable for those damages. Even if you're not sure whether or not your repair should be deemed an emergency, you're better off documenting and making a complaint as soon as possible. Make sure to keep a paper trail of all cor- respondence between you and your landlord, too.

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