Maintenance FAQs
Maintenance Frequently Asked Questions
Please read the following frequently asked questions before submitting a maintenance request. If a technician is sent to your property for something covered in this section, you could be charged for the repair.
If you suspect you have a gas leak, you should
leave your home immediately and take others with you
from a safe location, call your gas company
do not re-enter the home or return to the area until your gas company inspectors have declared it is safe
Do not
use electrical devices, such as light switches, telephones, or garage door openers
use an open flame, matches or lighters
start vehicles parked in the area
try to shut off any natural gas valves
try to locate the source of the leak
Signs of a gas leak
"Rotten egg" smell
Dirt or dust blowing from a hole in the ground
Bubbling in wet or flooded areas
Blowing or hissing sound
Flames, if a leak has ignited
A/C or Heater not working
If your A/C or heater unit does not work properly, there are many factors that could cause such a problem.
Dirty air filters are the leading cause of A/C or heat issues. The restriction of air flow puts an increased strain on these systems, which in turn decreases your air flow, air quality, and may sometimes lead to failure of the entire system. Make sure you change your air filters regularly every 30 days or as recommended by the manufacturer. Even window A/C units have filters that need to be replaced or thoroughly cleaned on a regular basis.
If your A/C unit is blowing but not cooling/heating, check your thermostat settings first. 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/heating 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 they are not marked 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 is now running.
Some properties have a disconnected breaker located outside next to the condenser unit. Check that to make sure it has not tripped either.
Heating is similar but you could have gas or electric heat units.
If your property has gas service - you most likely have a gas furnace for heating. Older units still have a gas plot operation with instructions on how to re-light the unit correctly. This is not too difficult and very similar to re-lighting a gas water heater.
If your unit uses electricity to heat - check your thermostat settings - then check to see if any breakers have tripped before placing a maintenance request.
These simple steps can get your A/C or heater back operating as usual. If none of these steps have worked, please submit a maintenance request.
Bugs/Pests/Rodents
Pest control is the tenant's responsibility per your rental agreement. We recommend that every tenant have a pest control product such as "Ortho Home Defense" on hand to proactively prevent such incidents. In addition, you may contact our office for an exterminator referral and set up a regular schedule with the exterminator of your choice.
Dishwasher leaking or not draining
Random dishwasher leaks most often occurs if an improper soap has been used or a foreign object got stuck in the dishwasher drain system. We do not recommend using liquid type soaps.
If you have been using your dishwasher without any problems and a leak appears - run the dishwasher on an empty cycle and place a small amount of vinegar inside the dishwasher. The vinegar acts as a cleaning agent and, in many cases, can correct issues with dishwashers. You can also purchase a special dishwasher cleaning agent from most grocery stores.
In most cases, dishwashers drain into the side of the garbage disposal found underneath your kitchen sink. Should debris or foreign objects from the garbage disposal clog up the drain line connection or the bottom of your dishwasher, water will not drain properly. Clean out the bottom of your dishwasher first. Then, carefully remove the drain line and garbage disposal and remove any foreign objects. We also recommend the drain hose located under the kitchen sink to be looped up higher than the drain hose connection to the garbage disposal.
If none of these steps have worked, please submit a maintenance request.
Garbage disposal not working
Garbage disposals can hang themselves up and quit working. This can be caused by lack of use or foreign objects are preventing the blades inside the garbage disposal to rotate freely. Please turn off the power switch first before attempting to fix the issue you are having with your disposal.
If you turn on your disposal switch and hear a humming sound - turn off the switch, the motor is hung up. Disposals come with an allen-wrench tool that fits in a hole underneath the garbage disposal towards the center. This will allow the motor to be manually turned and may free the blades from debris or a foreign object. If the allen-wrench tool is not under the sink, you can obtain one at most hardware stores.
Another option is to use something sturdy enough to reach down the top of the disposal in order to free the baldes and get the motor to run again. Once the blades are free and turning properly, you can turn on the power switch again to see if the disposal is running again.
If the disposal is not responding at all, then it has tripped the internal motor. There is a small power switch which is located on the bottom side of the disposal. Simply press the switch in to reset the motor. Turn on the power switch again and check if the disposal is working properly again.
If none of these steps have worked, please submit a maintenance request.
Drains are backing up (dishwasher, washing machine, dryer)
If you are experiencing a slow runoff or your drains are backing up - always try to use a plunger on the particular drain first in order to free up any local blockage in the drain line. Another alternative is to check all the drain lines for potential blockages.
Should you have a major drain line blockage affecting the entire property - discontinue use of dishwasher, washing machine, and dryer since these send a lot of water down a drain at once. Submit a maintenance request immediately and we will send a technician out.
Garage door
If you are having issues with the garage door not wanting to close/open all the way - check to see if you have the safety-eye sensors at the bottom of each rail located left and right of the garage door. Sometimes, these sensors get dirty, blocked by leaves, or are bumped out of their alignment. Once the sensors are cleaned or readjusted the opener should function properly again.
Should that not resolve the issue, most garage door openers can be disengaged and the door can be operated manually until our technician can check out the issue. On the garage door opener railing, there is a carriage and this 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. Please submit a maintenance request and a technician will be sent your way to solve the problem.
Loss of power
Most instances of power loss are due to tripped circuit breakers or blackouts. Make sure you are aware of where your property's breaker panel is located in case of such an incident. Keep in mind that some properties have multiple breaker panels. 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 to be tripped and the only way to reset a circuit is to make sure the breaker is turned to the "OFF" position - then back to "ON", otherwise the circuit will not reset properly.
Another possible issue could arise with the ground-fault circuit interrupter - (GFCI) circuit. These are normally used for bathrooms, kitchens, outdoor outlets, and garages. The GFCI circuit can affect multiple locations within the property. One of the outlets in this circuit has the "Test/Reset" button located on the outlet itself. If you have outlets in a bathroom that quit working, look for the GFCI outlet. It is usually located near the garage outlets or in a bathroom. Some circuit breakers even have this GFCI feature right on the main breaker. Press the "Test/Reset" button and check if the issue has been solved.
If none of these steps have worked, please submit a maintenance request.
Smoke detectors
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. The best time to remember to do this is when clocks are changed for Daylight Savings Time.
If your smoke detector randomly chirps or beeps, then in most cases the battery needs to be replaced.
DO NOT JUST REMOVE THE BATTERY FROM THESE DEVICES WITHOUT INSTALLING NEW ONES - you are putting yourself, family, and friends in danger of not being warned by a fire!
Water heater not working/leaking
There are two different types of water heaters, electric and gas operated heaters. 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-lit function and instructions for these are located right on the water heater itself. Follow the instructions carefully in order to re-light the pilot for the 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 if the water is turned off successfully by turning on a hot water faucet at a sink or tub to make sure the water flow has been turned off properly. Continue with submitting a maintenance request.
Water leak
Should you notice water leaks 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, or on top of water heaters. If the leak does not stop after turning off the water supply valve and you are unable to locate the source, please submit a maintenance request.
If you believe it is a major water supply line leaking, then contact your water provider to see about having the water meter shut off until a plumbing contractor can resolve the issue.