Resident Handbook Washington, DC

Transcription

1 Resident Handbook Washington, DC It is our intention to provide an outstanding rental experience for you this property which you have made your home. We strive to render prompt and efficient service and to maintain the property in the best possible condition. Your full cooperation in observing these rental policies will enhance the living environment for all residents. The following rules and regulations are a summary and are part of your Lease Agreement with the owner may be updated from time to time at management discretion. 1. RENTAL PAYMENTS AND LATE CHARGES Columbia Property Management does not bill for rent. All rents are due and payable in advance on the first of each month unless specified differently in your lease terms. Payments may be made via personal check, money order, cashier s check, or electronic transfer from your bank account. A late fee will be automatically charged for all rental payments not initiated online or received in our office by the due date. After the due date all late payments must be made using certified funds only (bank or cashier s check or money orders). For security reasons we do not accept cash. It is your responsibility to take special action to get the payments promptly to CPM once you are late. Court filings for non-payment of rent will be initiated on the first business day after the due date unless a payment plan has been arranged with our Accounting department. We highly encourage our residents to use the convenience of electronic transfer of rent from your personal bank account. If you choose to use U.S. Mail to send your rent payment, make sure your payment is mailed so that it reaches us by the due date. Make your payments payable to Columbia Property Management and write For Deposit Only by Payee on the reverse side of the payment. To ensure that your rental payment is correctly credited, please indicate your address and unit number on the payment. 2. MOVING When planning your move in or out of a multi-family building, make arrangements according to the requirements of the building or association policies. Arrange directly with the building manager any move fees, elevator or loading dock reservations, special keys or access, and other restrictions. Please monitor the building doors during moving - they should not be left unattended. Arrange with your moving company to remove from the property all crates and packing boxes used in moving. 3. MOVING OUT / REPLACEMENT RESIDENT If you intend to move at the end of your lease term, our standard policy is to provide a 60-day notice. If you are on a month to month arrangement, each party is required to provide a 30-day notice to the end of the next rental period. For example if you decide to move on April 10th, your

2 notice will be for the last day of May. We do not permit you to break your lease except in extreme cases and a lease break fee will apply. We do not permit - under any circumstances - sub-letting the unit to another party. We will work with you to find a solution. If you permit someone to move into the rental without going through the application process you will remain liable for any financial or physical damages. Notice will not be considered official until you have received a personal reply from Management. More details are available in the Resident section of our website under Moving Out. 4. GUESTS / UNAUTHORIZED OCCUPANTS It is normal for our residents to have out of town or out of country guests from time to time or to have overnight visitors on a regular basis. Our policy states that our residents should inform Management of any guests staying in the rental full-time for more than two weeks. In addition, ongoing visits constituting more than 3 nights per week qualify that guest as an occupant living in the rental. In these circumstances the additional party must go through the application process and may be required to be added as a signatory to the lease. This is for your protection as well as for the landlord s protection. Residents are obligated to insure that all guests and all visitors abide by all of the agreements and rules in the Lease Agreement, lease addendums, and this Resident Handbook. 5. UTILITIES It is the responsibility of the resident to contact the appropriate utility companies prior to moving in set up services and billing in your name, as outlined in your lease. In most cases water billing must be transferred by CPM to your name. Failure to transfer the utility accounts within the first 30-days will result in a supplemental monthly utility account charge on your rental ledger until the accounts are established. Residents are responsible for the payments of any installation or new service fees and are requested to only request final bills upon moving out rather than shutting off the service. Residents agree to maintain a minimum temperature in the rental of at least 55 degree Fahrenheit at all times (including periods of travel) in order to prevent potential freezing of water pipes or structural damage. Residents must ensure that all flammable items remain at a safe distance from the heating sources in their apartments at all times during the heating season and acknowledge that no supplemental heating units will be used if they have exposed heating elements. Gas ovens are not to be used as supplemental heating as this creates a safety and fire hazard. 6. KEYS AND BUILDING ACCESS

3 Multiple sets of access keys and or FOBs are issued at the time of occupancy. Installation of supplemental deadbolts, knockers, peep holes, or security measures is not allowed without prior written approval. If permission is granted then the resident is required to furnish Management with a working key copy within 24 hours. In rentals that have a building controlled access system, resident agrees to not prop open the door or otherwise bypass the security. Building security is a priority. If you do not know someone, DO NOT let them into the building. If the person does not have a key of FOB, he or she can gain access by using the callbox at the front door to reach the building occupant they are visiting. The security of the building is only as good as your vigilance in following the rule. 7. LOCK OUTS Use caution when leaving your apartment to avoid being locked out. It is your responsibility to have a back-up plan (for example giving a trusted friend or local family member a spare set). If you call management to request access to your apartment, a minimum service charge of $75 will be assessed to your account. This fee may be doubled for after-hours lockouts. At management discretion, you may be required to use a locksmith at your charge. Only persons on the lease will be given access to your home by Management. 8. PLUMBING Toilets, sinks, bathtubs, and garbage disposals shall not be used for the purposes other than those for which they were designed. The use of toilets is for bodily functions and toilet paper ONLY. Dispose of all other items in the trash, including flushable wipes. Bathroom sinks and bathtubs should only be used for washing. Use a hair guard on the drain to avoid hair or other small objects from accidentally going down the drain. Kitchen sinks that do not have disposals should always have the metal basket in place to avoid objects going into the drain that can clog it up. Garbage disposals should only be used for small table scraps or crumbs. Dispose of all other items in the trash. The garbage disposal should be used while the water is running in the sink and always before using the dishwasher. The cost of repairing any damage resulting from misuse of any of the plumbing fixtures, including stoppages, will be borne by the resident. 9. LIGHT BULBS Each rental will be equipped with electric light bulbs upon occupancy. After move-in, the resident is expected to replace burned out bulbs. 10. SMOKING/SMOKE DETECTORS Smoking is not allowed in any area of the building, including at an open window. If there is a problem with a detector sounding false alarms, contact Management to have the problem

4 corrected. Disabling smoke or Carbon Monoxide detectors inside your apartment unit is strictly prohibited and a serious safety violation. After move-in, the resident is expected to replace batteries in smoke detectors when they signal that a new battery is needed (short chirps). 11. MAINTENANCE Requests for repairs or maintenance can be made by issuing a service request from your online account at our website (preferred) or by telephoning the 24-hour service line at You can also send an to maintenance@columbiapm.com for non-urgent issues. Unless you specify access requirements in your initial service request, your request for service will act as your permission for management or workers to enter your home and complete work to address the topic of your service request.. Emergencies should ALWAYS be reported by telephone so that they can be addressed promptly. We consider as emergency matters affecting your personal safety, potential damage to the rental if not addressed immediately, leaks or water where it should not be, no a/c, not heating, no hot water, or your only toilet is not functioning. A charge will be made to your rental account for any repairs resulting from resident negligence or misuse. No charge will be made for repairs or adjustments required for normal wear and tear. 12. AVOIDING ADDITIONAL CHARGES TO YOUR ACCOUNT The following are samples of items that we have found create additional charges for our residents: Requiring a month-to-month lease Not paying rent on time Not transferring utility accounts within the first 30 days of occupancy Roommate does not pay his/her portion of rent or utilities Getting locked out of apartment Causing damages to the rental (even by accident) Not having renters insurance and needing it Causing stoppages in drains/toilets or foreign objects in the garbage disposal Overloading closet systems to the point they pull out of the wall Forcing towels onto towel bars to the point they pull out of the wall Not changing the air filter on a regular basis Keeping a pet in the rental without approval No picking up pet waste left on the grounds Overstaying your lease once notice has been given Using emergency heat on heat pump systems to quickly or routinely heat the rental (electric bills in the high hundreds of dollars)

5 Not promptly reporting leaking toilets or running toilets for repair (water bills in the high hundreds of dollars) Damages caused by pets (stains, smells, scratches) Damage to hardwood floors (very expensive to repair) Not painting wall colors to neutral in a professional manner before vacating Items on the initial inventory list missing at the end of the lease 13. PEST CONTROL If you live in a single family dwelling, treatment for pests is the responsibility of the occupant. For those living in multi-family buildings such as condominium and cooperative buildings, regular pest control services are provided by the association (contact Management for more details). For other rental apartments if your unit is the only one infected, the responsibility for pest control is with the occupant while treating a multi-unit infection is done by the landlord. 14. TRASH REMOVAL Timely removal of household trash and garbage directly impact the control of pests in the building. All household trash should be placed into garbage bins that have lids that stay closed. Do not keep your trash in uncovered containers and remove it from your apartment several times a week. It is imperative that all trash be placed in bags and deposited inside the industrial trash containers that are provided. Trash shall not be placed in hallways, porches, balconies, entrances, utility or storage areas, or on the surrounding grounds. Marked recycling containers are provided next to the trash cans at the rear of the building and residents are requested to only dispose materials in these bins as appropriately labeled. From time to time the District of Columbia will assess fines for placing recyclable materials into the garbage. If the trash containers are consistently full, or if they go missing, contact Management about ordering supplementary receptacles. It is the resident s responsibility to retrieve receptacles after pick-up so that they are not stolen (except where this is the responsibility of the building). 15. HARDWOOD FLOORS AND FLOOR COVERINGS It is required that 80% of your floor be covered by carpeting/rugs, excluding bathrooms and kitchen. The purpose of this requirement is to help minimize the amount of noise which transmits to neighboring apartments. 16. DECORATION AND ALTERATIONS No alterations may be made without the prior written consent of Columbia Property Management. Alterations include such things as, but not limited to: painting, wallpapering, installing or removing wall to wall carpet, and installing or removing any fixtures, including hardware for window coverings or hanging heavy frames, mirrors, or pictures. 17. PERSONAL PROPERTY

6 All personal property of the resident will be at the resident s sole risk. Landlord/Management is not liable for any damages or loss. Renter s insurance covering all your belongings is strongly recommended and will be followed up by management. No waterbed of any kind is allowed in the Apartment unit. 18. COMMON AREAS Residents and their guests are not permitted to congregate in the halls, stairways, entrances or anywhere in or around the building where they may endanger themselves or unnecessarily disturb other residents. Conversations in common areas should be maintained at a low volume so as not to disturb fellow residents. Bicycles, skate boards, wagons, or carts are not to be left at the entrance or in the hallways. Items left in hallways may be confiscated and a charge may be assessed to the rental account. Signs of any type are not to be posted on the hallways, in windows or on apartment doors, mailboxes or sign posts. Items posted will be removed. Newspaper and other deliveries should be taken inside promptly to minimize the possibility of accidents. If you will be away for an extended period of time, arrange for the deliveries to be collected for you so as not to bring attention to the unoccupied unit. 19. LAUNDRY FACILITIES If a laundry room is provided in the building for your convenience, follow the instructions on posted signs. Washers and dryers are sometimes priced individually. Do not overload the machines. Use only those detergents recommended for the laundry and no other solvents or cleaners. Please report any malfunctioning of the machines to the laundry company (information is provided on the machines or on the wall). Use of privately owned clothes washers, dryers, and outside drying lines is not permitted. 20. LAWN AND GARDEN AREA In line with the continuing efforts of beautification and landscaping of the property, any landscaped or lawn areas must be kept free of litter. Unless otherwise stated in your lease, lawns, shrubs, and trees shall be maintained by Management. At properties where this is the case do not garden or plant on your own in the common areas. Any such planting may be removed by Management without notice to the resident. The lawn and/or garden functions as decoration and is not to be used for play areas. Pets should be curbed for toilet use and are not allowed to use the grounds of the property for this purpose. Any pet waste on the property shall be retrieved by the owner and disposed of properly or a fee will be assessed to the rental ledger. 21. DAMAGE TO THE PROPERTY The management reserves the right to charge the resident for damage to the property as a result of negligence, carelessness, or misuse. The resident shall at all times maintain the interior of his/her apartment in a clean, orderly and sanitary condition so as not to be inviting to pests and not to present a fire hazard (clutter).

7 22. RULES MUST BE COMPLIED WITH In accordance with the Lease Agreement, all rules and regulations stipulated herein must be strictly adhered to. The resident agrees to comply with other reasonable rules and regulations as may be established by the management from time to time for the purpose of maintaining the character or the occupancy of the premises. RESIDENT HEREBY ACKNOWLEGES BELOW THE RECEIPT OF ALL SEVEN (7) PAGES OF THE RESIDENT HANDBOOK. (print) ( sign) (date) (print) (sign) (date) (print) (sign) (date) (print) (sign) (date)