JMH Realty Concepts - Realtors · Property Management

If you are a JMH Realty tenant, you have access to our 24-hour emergency maintenance. If you rented an apartment from us, but you pay your rent directly to your landlord, you must call him or her for assistance. While the following is by no means a comprehensive solution to all possible questions, it does cover the most frequently asked. What is an emergency and what do I do?

The following are considered emergencies.

1. Water leaking into your apartment from the apartment above. First and most importantly: Go upstairs and knock on the door. Find out from the tenant above you what they were using that caused the leak. Was it the tub, a shower, the dishwasher, a washing machine or something else? Ask them to turn it off, or stop running the water. If it was an appliance, was there water on the floor? (If your roof is leaking see roof leaks, below). The purpose of these questions is twofold. First, this may initially temporarily stop the problem, and secondly the information you supply to us may help us to more quickly permanently solve the problem, by helping us to determine if we need to contact a plumber, an appliance repair service, or even a tile repairman. In any case contact our office, follow the directions on the voice mail and leave us as much information as possible.

2. Locked out. Call our office and follow the directions on our emergency line exactly. You may be charged a fee if you have lost your key for any reason, forgotten you key, or locked your key in the apartment. The amount you are charged may vary depending on several factors. Time of day would be one example. The charge during business hours, for example is lower that at 1:00 AM, a weekend, a holiday, or during bad weather. When you contact our emergency service, they will be able to tell you at that time. In virtually every case however, the charge is less than if you call a locksmith, and the service is faster. Do not have the locks changed on your own. If we cannot gain access to your apartment, you may be liable for additional charges.

3. Fire. Assuming there were no injuries, and the fire is out, there are several considerations. Is the premises secured? Is the alarm, if applicable, still sounding? Was there any damage to the structural integrity of the premises? If any of these is in question, call our emergency line and follow the instructions.

4. Smell Gas. Call the PGW emergency line at once. The number is (215) 235-1212. Gas
leaks are considered a high priority and they come very quickly. You must be home to let them in. Please notify us after they have responded.

5. Your house or apartment was broken into. First, do not enter the premises without the police. Call 911. Second, if the premise is not secured, broken locks, door, etc, call the emergency line.

These may or may not be emergencies depending on circumstances.

1. No heat. While this may very well turn out to be an emergency, some common sense is called for. First, please go to our page on the website for Heating, and follow the directions to see if this resolves the problem. In most cases either a registered plumber or a certified HVAC technician should make most heating repairs, except for the basic lighting of a pilot light, which our emergency service can do. If the temperature is above 40 degrees, you may be uncomfortable, but it may not be an emergency. If the temperature is below 32 degrees and there is no other source of heat, we want you to call us. Never use your oven or range top for heat. This is considered a fire hazard. In a true emergency, when we cannot get your system fixed after hours, we may be able to supply you with a temporary space heater. Call us.

2. The electricity is off. Again common sense needs to be used. Is the electric off everywhere in the apartment, or just part of the apartment? If it is off in the whole apartment, is it off in the whole building? If it is off in the building, is it off in the neighborhood? Check the streetlights, and see if any lights are on in the hallway or windows next door. If the problem is more than your building, call PECO at (215) 841-4141. If it is just part of the apartment, you need to first check your circuit breakers. If this does not resolve it call us. If your refrigerator is affected try to avoid opening it. The insulation will keep the food chilled for a longer time this way. If you have electric in the apartment, try plugging the refrigerator into another outlet. Be careful to use only a heavy-duty extension cord to avoid fire hazards. Call if you have a question.

3. No water. Just as with the electricity some basic information is needed. Is the water completely off, or just on one or two faucets? If there is no water at all, or very low water pressure everywhere, especially coldwater pressure, do your neighbors have the same problem? Have you checked the basement to see if it is dry? If the answer to these is a yes, there is most likely a systemic problem related to water service. This may be a break in a water main in the street, or other work being done by the water company. Call them at (215) 685-6300 If you see running water in the basement, or any water leaking anywhere in the building where it should not be, call us immediately. If you merely have low water pressure from a showerhead of faucet, call our office and leave a message for standard next day repairs.

These are not considered emergencies.

1. The roof is leaking. Yes we know that it is really an emergency, but we cannot get a roofer to come out to repair a roof at night in the rain. However we do consider this a very high priority and want to know about it immediately. So please put a bucket or a trash can under the leak to avoid floor problems and the spread of additional water damage, and call our office to leave specific information on our repair, not emergency line. We will call a roofer 1st thing in the morning. The more information you leave us, (what room was the leak in, more than one leak, etc) the easier it will be to find, and repair quickly.

2. Extermination. Most of our units are exterminated regularly once per month. If you see something that shouldn’t be there call our standard repair line.

3. No air conditioning. Again, first check out web page on Air Conditioning. While no A/C may be a real inconvenience, since this needs to be serviced by a certified HVAC technician, not an emergency repairman, this is not handled as an emergency. Please leave the information on our standard repair line. Over night calls are handled by our office before 8:00 AM so it is important that you notify us right away so that we can schedule you for service quickly Please be sure leave a message indicating that you already reviewed the Air Conditioning page of our web site.

4. Noisy neighbors. We suggest that you first talk to the neighbor. If this does not work, call the police. You have a right to quiet. In addition, please send us an email though this web site with the particulars.