What Is Considered Emergency Maintenance?: in an Apartment or Building
Knowing what is considered emergency maintenance in an apartment, residence or multifamily property is important, but how can you tell? Well, pretty much the same things that would be considered maintenance emergencies in any home: fire, gas leak, carbon monoxide, flooding, and other situations that if not resolved quickly could result in injury or property damage. See our list below to ensure you stay compliant.
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What is Considered Immediate Emergency Maintenance? (In an Apartment or Building)
A natural gas leak or suspected natural gas leak is always a maintenance emergency no matter what kind of building you own. Natural gas is both poisonous and highly explosive. Its detectable presence must be considered a life threatening emergency. Even a whiff of a sulfur smell suggests the existence of a gas leak because utility companies add a chemical to natural gas to make it smell like rotten eggs. The smell is difficult to miss or ignore.
The immediate response of anyone suspecting a gas leak should be to turn off their appliances, evacuate the premises, and call 911. It doesn’t take a genius to know that any spark or flame could result in a disastrous explosion. It’s unlikely that the property manager or building owner would be on site at the exact moment a gas leak occurs. Consequently, it’s important to brief tenants on the appropriate emergency procedures to follow if they suspect a gas leak.
Carbon monoxide is another extremely poisonous gas, but unlike natural gas it is odorless. It can only be detected by the symptoms of exposure to it. The most likely sources of carbon monoxide poisoning are malfunctioning water heaters or furnaces, or blocked dryer vents or fireplace chimneys.
The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are subtle and easily confused for something else. Headache and a pounding heartbeat are the most frequent signs of exposure. Carbon monoxide exposure can be fatal, so it’s essential to evacuate the premises immediately and call 911.
Flooding must be considered an emergency because it poses a threat of electrocution. Water and electricity do not mix! In most cases, flooding is the result of a broken water line or leaking pipe in another apartment, or an overflowing sewer. In certain locations, however, heavy rainfall can result in flooding that can wash away vehicles and even buildings. Tenants and staff of any buildings must know to vacate the premises immediately and call for help in the event of major flooding. The most likely result of flooding is damage to possessions and to carpet and sheet rock.
There’s not much that a property manager can do about a power outage that extends beyond the building into the greater neighborhood other than call the utility company and report it. However, a power outage that is limited to one building or certain units in the building does require some maintenance attention. This kind of outage usually results from an electrical overload tripping a circuit breaker or a ground fault circuit interrupter. Small appliances like hair dryers and portable heaters draw quite a bit of power. In some cases, a tenant can correct the situation by resetting the GFCI, but in other cases, the property manager may need to check and reset a circuit breaker.
What is Definitely Not a Maintenance Emergency
Tenants sometimes call property management to deal with annoyances they don’t feel they can handle on their own, but that does not constitute emergencies. Noisy neighbors are a common complaint but pose no threat of injury or property damage. Of course, tenants have the option of calling 911 if they believe that a law is being broken.
Similarly, being locked out of a building is not a maintenance emergency. However, it may require the property manager to interact with a local locksmith to coordinate rekeying. The people affected may be able to get a duplicate key from the property manager, especially if the unit has an electronic key fob rather than a traditional key. But fobs can be expensive to replace and the cost usually is passed on to the tenant.
What Could Be a Maintenance Emergency
There are some situations that are maintenance emergencies only under certain conditions. For example, no heat could be an emergency if it happens at night, and the ambient air temperature indoors drops far enough to pose a health threat to vulnerable individuals, such as infants or the elderly. Otherwise, it’s a situation that can probably wait until morning for a regular maintenance call rather than triggering an emergency visit.
A no air conditioning situation requires a similar judgment call. In South Carolina, AC is not considered an essential service, and therefore it is not an emergency if it goes out. In other states, this is also true if there is more than one system involved. However, Palmetto State Properties considers this a high priority, and we will go out of our way to handle it as quickly as possible; which is the level of care you can expect from working with a great property management service. We understand it could be dangerous if the temperature indoors climbs for some individuals and this is a particular concern in these days of prolonged stretches of significantly higher than average temperatures.
And last but not least, clogged pipes are not a maintenance emergency unless it affects multiple units, or areas in the building, or the entire plumbing system.
Why Is This Important?
For cost control purposes, it’s important that property owners and property managers agree on what constitutes a maintenance emergency requiring an immediate response. As with all kinds of services, emergency maintenance services cost more than the same procedures would cost if performed during normal business hours.
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