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| 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.
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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. |
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