Maintenance, Repairs & Upkeep Info

Tenants are responsible for all regular maintenance and upkeep of their rental unit. Please see your lease for more details, Tenant’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Office Leases: See your lease for specifics, in general most offices are NN leases where the tenant is responsible for all care and maintenance of everything within their suite including fixtures, plumbing clogs and entry door and windows and including:

• Housekeeping/cleaning  - Office suites must be kept sanitary at all times, including free of foul odors & returned at move out just as clean as they were at move in.
• Changing light bulbs
• Maintenance, Repair & Replacement All interior plumbing, electrical, door, and other fixtures and hardware.
• Flooring & Carpet Maintenance & Replacement (replacement requires alteration approval)
• Replacing smoke detector batteries; never leave a detector disabled.
• Replacing Furnace Filters every 30 days (if your unit has a conventional furnace) Filter size is marked on the door of the unit
• Removing trash regularly and to not allow trash to accumulate in the house or exterior, keep trash in proper dumpsters outside only, never place trash on ground beside dumpster. 
• Plunging toilet clogs, and the expense of plumbers to clear any drain clog 
• Spraying bug spray, setting mouse traps, etc. if needed
• Keeping your entrance litter free
• Flipping/Resetting Electrical Breakers or GFI switches when they trip
• Lock & Exterior Door Maintenance – Hire a LOCKSMITH when locked out or otherwise unable to open a door.
• No smoking in unit or on property at all times - all office properties are 100% Smoke Free!
• Keeping Heat active, and above 65 Degrees  AT ALL TIMES From October - April including while away for extended holiday breaks.
• Approval is required before making any "alterations" including painting, changing flooring, signage changes including window/door graphics and wall mounted signage or shelving or fixtures inside the suite

Residential Houses:

• Housekeeping/cleaning  - Houses must be kept sanitary at all times, including free of foul odors & returned at move out just as they were at move in.
• Changing light bulbs
• Replacing smoke detector batteries; never leave a detector disabled.
• Replacing Furnace Filters every 30 days (if your unit has a conventional furnace) Filter size is marked on the door of the unit, (available at Ace or Kroger)
• Cleaning out Dryer lint traps regularly – keeps machine working properly and prevents potential for fire.
• Hanging shower curtains & liners
• Removing trash regularly and to not allow trash to accumulate in the house or exterior, keep trash in proper trashcans outside and ensure the trash collector collects it weekly.  
• Plunging toilet clogs, and the expense of plumbers to clear any drain clog (toilet, sink, shower/tub)
• Spraying bug spray, setting mouse traps, etc. if needed
• Keeping your porch & yard clean and litter free (including cigarette butts)
• Flipping/Resetting Electrical Breakers or GFI switches when they trip
• Paying Utility Bills, and any install/setup/pilot lighting coordination with supplier for all Utilities
• Keep Active (at all times) All Primary Utilities during the entire term (Electric, Gas, Water, Trash)
• Lock & Exterior Door Maintenance – Call and hire a LOCKSMITH when locked out or otherwise unable to open a door.
• No smoking in unit or on porches ever.
• Keeping Heat active, and above 65 Degrees  AT ALL TIMES From October - April including while away for extended holiday breaks.

The Lessor (owner) is responsible for regular Repair of the main structure and mechanicals of the rental unit when they wear out or fail.  Please see your lease for more details, a brief summary of Lessor’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to: 

Office Leases:  See your lease for specifics, in general the tenant is responsible for care and maintenance of everything within their suite including fixtures, plumbing clogs, doors including entry door, and windows. The Landlord is only responsible for maintaining:

• Exterior Upkeep, Landscape & Repair of the structures
• Parking lot upkeep, Snow Plowing and Salting excluding entry door
• Grass Mowing, Fallen Tree Limbs & Exterior Maintenance 
• Repair of Mechanicals  (HVAC, Water Heater, Main Plumbing, & Electrical Panel when they break down, fail, or wear out (tenants are responsible for care and replacement of all fixtures within suite)
• Repair of building structure, roof, leaks, structural soundness of windows, exterior doors

Residential Houses:

• Exterior Upkeep & repair of the structure
• Grass Mowing, Fallen Tree Limbs & Exterior Maintenance excluding litter and trash, and light bulb replacement which are tenant responsibility
• Repair of Mechanicals & Appliances  (HVAC, Water Heater, Main Plumbing,  Electrical Panel/Outlet/fixture failures, Toilets, Shower Heads, Appliances, etc) when they break down, fail, or wear out.
• Repair of building structure, roof, leaks, windows, doors (Tenants are responsible for hiring a Locksmith for lockouts and exterior lock issues but if  it is determined that the lock itself failed from normal wear and tear, then we will reimburse for that portion of the Locksmith service call).
• The exception to these responsibilities, per the lease, is if it is determined that tenant (or guests) misuse, abuse, or negligence is the cause, or contributed to, the failure or breakage of any of the above then Tenants will be responsible for and invoiced for such repair and/or replacement costs.

• Maintenance Requests Must be Made to the Property Manager for your Location
  • Oxford Houses - Contact College Property Management at 513-523-6658 or make requests via their online tenant portal at CollegePropertyManagement.com
  • Cincinnati Offices - Make Maintenance Requests or Report Emergency Maintenance 24/7 to Latchel Services at 513-493-1208

• Before contacting property managers please check the 'Common Issues - FAQ' section at the bottom of the Maintenance page, this has step by step instructions to resolve a large number of common issues tenants have with their house that are simple fixes the tenant can do immediately and do not require a maintenance technician.

• Hours - Both Property Managers have 24/7 Emergency Dispatch - however non-emergency requests should only be reported during normal business hours of M-F 9am-5pm EST.

• Please include in your request, 1) your property’s address, 2) your name 3) AND PHONE NUMBER, 4) as much specific information as possible about the issue, and 5) specify the name and location of the room(s) affected (ie. 1st Floor Bath…).  6) Photos are often very helpful to give us an immediate visual of the issue and can be so easy to take with your phone and email or text to us.

• Routine maintenance requests will be taken care of in the order they are received. Typically we will respond to you about a routine maintenance request within 1-2 business days and while dependent on contractor availability, availability of needed parts, weather and other factors we usually are able to get contractors in and make repairs in just a few days, but at times it can take several days or longer. Generally we will have the contractor  contact the main house contact directly to schedule the service at a time that is convenient for you and the contractor.

• Any and all damages, regardless of cause, must be reported to Lessor immediately. Non-Emergency damage should be reported by email within one business day, emergency as defined below should be called in due to its urgent nature.

• Who Can Make a Maintenance Request for a House/Apt? 
  A current lessee, that’s anyone signed onto the lease, are the only people authorized to request a work order for your residence. Your parents CANNOT call in a maintenance request. It is our policy to abide by and follow tenant/landlord privilege and confidentiality.

“An afterhours emergency is a situation in which the property will suffer additional loss if the situation goes uncorrected until the next business day.” For example – the heat goes out and temps are below 50, or a water pipe bursts, roof leak, or broken window, or unsecure exterior door.

• If you have a true after hours emergency, please CALL/TEXT the Property Manager for your Location (see contacts on Homepage & Process to Request...tab above). Both Companies staff a 24/7 call center, they will access the situation, determine if it is an emergency, and will dispatch an on-call maintenance technician for your maintenance request.
  Call 911 first for Fire or any other life threatening event!  
   
• Emergency Calls are Serious - As I’m sure you can appreciate, no one wants to get woken up in the middle of the night, or anytime after work hours, especially when it isn’t necessary…thus we take the after hours emergency service very seriously.   Per the Lease, Improper calls after hours will result in a $25 per call fee, immediately billable or deductible from security deposit at the discretion of Lessor.

• Examples that ARE TRUE emergency repair events include but are not limited to:
  • Fire; wind/storm/earthquake damage to roof, windows or other primary structure;
  • Water leaks not controllable by bucket, roof leaks, overflowing toilet that overflow cannot be stopped by shutting off water (clogs are NOT emergencies otherwise) or other flooding,
  • Unsecured exterior doors or broken windows.
  • Total Heat failure (if outside temps below 50 degrees)

• Examples that are NOT emergencies include, but are not limited to:
  • Dripping faucet or slowly dripping sink water pipe (please catch drips in cabinet with a bucket and/or shut off water lines to sink).
  • Power or other Utility Outages – call the utility company.
  • Issues with: Appliances, Air Conditioning Failure, or Water-heater (unless leaking large amounts of water onto wood/carpet floor)
  • Clogged Drains or Toilets (stop using and call plumber or wait till next business day and we can assist you with scheduling a plumber, tenants are responsible for expense to clear clogs, per lease)
  • Lockouts or stuck/unable to open doors (call a Locksmith, this is tenant responsibility)
  • Vandalism/Theft (call Police and file a report, then email to notify Landlord; (except where damage results in an emergency defined situation such as a broken window)

• You are required by the lease to maintain heat (and gas and electric) during all cold weather months typically October – April.  You should NEVER turn the heat below 65 degrees in the winter months. If you do, you face the possibility of the water pipes freezing and bursting. If this occurs because the heat was off or below 65 degrees, you will be responsible for the cost of all the damages that occur to the home which are often in the multi-thousands of dollars!

When you leave for a long time away it is a really good idea to do the following:

• Do NOT turn off the heat! You can turn it down some to save energy costs while away, BUT the lease requires that you DO NOT TURN HEAT BELOW 65 DEGREES!
• Open all cabinet doors where there are water pipes such as the kitchen and bathroom sink cabinets.  Leave all bath and bedroom doors open.  This allows the warm air to flow better, closed cabinets can get up to 20 degrees colder than the rest of the room and can still allow pipes to freeze, especially in older homes!  
• Make sure to check the locks on all windows and
• Leave your porch lights on for extra security while you are away.

Continuously keeping your rental home clean day to day is so very important, and a REQUIREMENT of your lease
Click here for some super easy YouTube VIDEO Tutorials, Tips and Resources. 

• How Do We Prevent our Toilets From Clogging or Overflowing?
  Clogged and overflowing toilets are a common problem that can easily be prevented.
  • NEVER FLUSH: paper towels, facial tissues, wipes, cotton swabs, condoms, feminine hygiene products, or Band-Aids down the commode.  Even “disposable/flushable” marketed wipes often cause clog problems, especially when more than 1 is flushed at a time. Tenants are responsible for the cost to clear ALL clogs so please never flush any of these items!
  • Please keep a ‘toilet’ plunger (not a sink plunger) on hand to avoid unnecessary service call expenses to plumbers if you can clear the clog yourself.

• Overflowing Toilet - If toilet water is overflowing quickly turn OFF the water supply shutoff valve near the floor at the back of the toilet where the water line comes from the wall. This stops the flow of more water.  Then get towels to soak up the water to prevent it from getting to other parts of the house, carpets. Etc. Then let water lower and try to plunger, email us for a plumber service call, or call one of your own.   If the overflow does NOT stop after water is turned off (sewer system backup) or there is flooding damage (ie the overflow was ongoing some time before you found it) then that is an emergency so call our office, or after hours call the emergency repair line.

• Prevent Sink Clogs –
  Do not allow food waste, cooking grease or hair down the drains these will cause clogs, if not immediately, then certainly over time. Those items should be put in the trash (always cool grease first to prevent fire) Use a sink strainer basket in the drain to prevent food, bones, and other objects from getting in the drain.

• Prevent Shower/Tub Clogs –
  Never put anything down the drain except water, hair is the number one clog or cause of slow draining tubs, several products sold in stores (and online) can help prevent this including “HairSnare” or “DrainWig” costing $5-$12.

• If you are unable to clear a clog yourself
  You may call any plumber of your choosing (some are 24hr), OR email us and on the next business day we will have one of our preferred plumbing contractors call you to schedule an appointment to snake and clear the drain.  If you would like to call our preferred Plumbing Contractor in Oxford directly they can be reached at:  Universal Plumbing – Jason 513-461-4112.  Per the lease, all Drain “Clog” issues fall under Tenant maintenance responsibility, and expenses thereof are that of the tenants.  When a plumbing issue is Not a clog or tenant caused then of course the Lessor will repair or replace fixtures and pipes at their expense, such as when parts have failed or if a sewer line has collapsed, has tree roots growing through it that are causing drain backups, etc.

• Lockout Or Otherwise unable to open Exterior Entry Door -
  Slamming and abuse/misuse of doors is the leading cause of misaligned locks &  doors, handsets breaking, and other issues that can make it hard to open or close doors, therefore tenants agree to maintain doors, mainly by using them gently, tightening handsets when loose and are responsible when repairs or services of a locksmith for gaining access from a lockout or otherwise stuck door is required.

• IF YOU ARE LOCKED OUT OF THE RENTAL:
  • DO CALL A PROFESSIONAL LOCKSMITH.  Most are 24hr and in the  phonebook.
  • DO NOT KICK IN OR FORCE OPEN THE DOOR, OR WINDOWS, AND DO NOT CALL LESSOR, THIS IS NOT CONSIDERED AN AFTER HOURS EMERGENCY and we are unable to assist you with this. If a door is stuck or they are locked out the tenant must call a professional locksmith to regain entry and must pay said contractor at time of service.  Tenant should then email (to notify only) the Lessor of this occurrence so it can be documented.  
  • Note for Locksmith - Any repair or replacement of lock or handset must be done to match the original keys so as to not affect continuous entry rights of Lessor.

• Tenants should NEVER FORCE open a locked door, doing so will likely cause major damages from broken door frames, to drywall, all of which the cost will be the responsibility of the tenants, PLUS you will have an unsecure house for the night! If a door is forced open we must be informed of the damages right away so our contractor can secure the door the next day and access damages.

• Bedroom Door Lost key/Lockout – you must call a locksmith to open a locked door and/or create you a new key, it must match the original key so that Lessor maintains access rights, OR you can schedule a visit to our Cincinnati office during regular business hours for a REPLACEMENT copy of the key at a fee of $30.  

• Lost Exterior Door Key – as long as you are able to get the door unlocked then you do not need a Locksmith, as you may have a copy made of a roommate’s key; Ace Hardware in town will do this for you.