Seeing Ants / Roaches / Spiders or Other Pests

• Per your rental agreement, treatment of household pests is the Tenants's responsibility. One way to minimize the possibility of pests is to keep a tidy home. Homes that are not so tidy, offer a food source as well as shelter for many pests. So if you discover any pests, your first step would be to do a thorough cleaning of the entire home. This eliminates the food source.
  
• If the problem continues, most grocery or hardware stores carry traps and sprays that would resolve your problem in a few days. We find that ant traps can solve the problem in just a few days. These traps are filled with poisoned bait. The reason the ants are in your house is because they found food. The ant trap baits them, then they take the poisoned food back to the nest and they die. Some of the sprays are very good for spiders, roaches, and bed bugs. If the problem continues, please feel free to contact us. We'll have to do an inspection to make sure that the home is tidy and see what remedies you had already tried and failed with. Please be VERY careful using poisons, bait traps, and sprays around pets and children.

• Look for the valve which is located to the LEFT behind your toilet tank. Turn the knob to the RIGHT (clockwise) to close the valve and stop water flow.

• Remove toilet tank lid. Lift up the fill valve (or float ball). Pull out the water tube. Reach down and turn OFF the water valve (turn valve CLOCKWISE).

• Check for sounds of running water, trickling or hissing sounds.
• Add 25 drops of food coloring to inside of toilet tank. Wait 15 minutes...if no dye shows up in toilet bowl, no leak exists. If dye appears in bowl, toilet needs repair. Please log a maintenance request through your tenant portal.

1. Floss - not bio-degradable.
2. Grease, Oil & Fat - like heart disease, these will decrease the flow of pipes over time.
3. Band-aids - these are plastic and not bio-degradable.
4. Medications - contaminates the water supply.
5. Disposable Wipes - EVEN if they say you can, DON’T!
6. Paper Towels - these do not break down like toilet paper.
7. Feminine Hygiene Products - including cotton pads and swabs.
8. Cat Litter.
9. Condoms.
10. Hair.

How to Change the Water Filter In Your Fridge

• Slow water flow from your fridge? Try changing the water filter. Filter should be changed every 6 months or as needed.
• Each fridge will have its own unique filter system - you can find details for each in the manual or by searching online.
• Locate the filter, twist to the left to remove, twist right to install. Some may have a push button system. Reset the filter button to reflect a new filter has been installed.

Refrigerator Too Warm or Too Cold

• Check thermostat, set correctly. Front and Back grills need to be clean and free from obstruction. Clean out drain hole.
• Check the thermostat to make sure it hasn’t been turned way down by mistake.
• Be sure the vents on the back of the freezer compartment aren’t blocked by boxes of ice cream or frozen food packages-the vents have to be clear for cold air to circulate.
• Vacuum the coils under or behind the fridge. Clogged coils can cause poor cooling.
• Clean the seals around the refrigerator doors to keep cool air from escaping.
  

Fixing a Garbage Disposal That Has Stopped Working

• Make sure the power is OFF. Safety First!
• Insert the special wrench into the bottom of the disposal and start turning it back and forth until the jam frees up.
• Make sure there is nothing stuck in the disposal causing a jam.
• Press reset button (also located on the bottom of the disposal).
• Turn Power back ON.
• Check for a blown fuse or tripped circuit breaker.
• If plug-in type, check GFI outlet. See “Circuit Breakers and GFIs” below.
• Almost all garbage disposal issues are caused by jammed debris, and are considered a tenant charge. However, disposals do malfunction and eventually go bad, and if that’s the case, we will have it repaired or replaced as needed, no questions asked.

Circuit Breakers & GFI Outlets - Checking and Resetting

• Some outlets are known as GFIs located near wet areas of your home (i.e. kitchen and bathrooms). When power becomes overloaded they will 'trip' (stop working). Press reset button on them to power back on (usually small button in the center of the outlet plate). Still not working? Check other GFI outlets in the home and reset. If that does not work, find the breaker panel and check for flipped switches. Flip back to "On" to restore power.
• A GFCI outlet may be wired in a branch circuit, which means other outlets and electrical devices may share the same circuit and breaker (or fuse). When a properly wired GFCI trips, the other devices down the line from it will also lose power. Note that devices on the circuit that come before the GFCI are not protected and are not affected when the GFCI is tripped. If you have an outlet that doesn't work, and the breaker is not tripped, look for a GFCI outlet which may have tripped. The non-working outlet may be down line from a GFCI outlet. Note that the affected outlets may not be located near the GFCI outlet, they may be several rooms away or even on a different floor. Pressing the "Reset" will restore the circuit. If the outlet doesn't reset, then whichever appliance that is causing it to trip, may still be plugged in. If after unplugging everything, checking the circuit breaker or fuse, and resetting the GFCI does not work, please submit a maintenance request to First Rate Property Management right away.
• A circuit breaker provides protection by stopping the flow of electricity if an overload or fault occurs. When an electrical fault occurs or the load on your circuit becomes too great, the breaker on that circuit trips and interrupts the flow of current to that circuit. A tripped circuit breaker is still sometimes referred to as a "blown fuse" in reference to the older technology that circuit breakers replaced. Before electricity can be restored, the circuit breaker must be reset. However, even before you do that, you must take steps to ensure that it is safe to do so. Turn off or unplug all of the devices that are plugged into the circuit. Make certain no dangerous condition exists before restoring power. A Circuit Breaker which has been tripped will either be in the middle or "OFF" position. Locate the tripped circuit breaker and reset it by pushing it all the way to the "OFF" position and then back to the "ON" position. Often when you cannot reset the circuit breaker, it is because it must be turned all the way to the "Off" position first. Electricity should now be restored to the circuit. If the circuit breaker trips again before you have turned anything on or plugged anything in, please submit a maintenance request to First Rate Property Management immediately. If no circuit breakers were tripped and you still do not have power at an outlet, the circuit is probably on a GFCI.

Garage Door Isn't Closing All The Way

• If your garage door isn't closing all the way, you may have a problem with the alignment of the sensors at the bottom corners of the garage door. This may occur if anyone has accidentally bumped into them. For a video of how to properly align your garage door, go to this link: Garage Door Help

Garage Door Remote Isn't Working

• The most common cause of garage door remote control failure is weak or dead batteries. If this doesn’t work, submit a maintenance request.

Mold / Microbial Growth

• Mold can grow most anywhere that spores land and find moisture and a comfortable temperature. Microbial growth is typically found indoors at levels that do not affect most healthy individuals. Almost every home gets some type of mold - the trick is to clean it up before it spreads. The most visible type is mildew, which begins as tiny black spots. This is the stuff you see in grout lines in your shower, on damp window casings, around HVAC vents, etc.

Tenant Responsibilities For Household Items / Maintenance

Below is a list of items that the Tenant is responsible for maintaining with their rental property

• Replacing smoke alarm batteries
• Replacing light bulbs with the correct size, shape and wattage
• Replacing HVAC filters regularly (frequency depends on filter used, but monthly is recommended). Damages to the HVAC system caused by lack of filter upkeep falls on the tenant for payment of repairs
• Reporting non-functioning smoke alarms immediately if batteries do not solve the problem
• Reporting all necessary repairs
• Professional steam cleaning and spot cleaning of carpets while residing in the property
• Keeping the home clean and maintained to the conditions it was provided to you
• Landscape cleanup if service is not provided
• Reporting lack of landscape cleanup if a service IS provided in your rental agreement
• Landscape watering unless you live in a complex
• Reporting malfunctioning irrigation systems or sprinklers
• Disposal of all garbage in the proper receptacles and using the regular pick up service or drop off locations
• Removal or treatment of common household bugs (ants, spiders, roaches, etc.)
• Trapping and removing an individual rodent (if you have an infestation we will hire a professional)
• Disposal of animal feces on the property even if you do not have a pet/animal
• If the residence has a usable fireplace, use caution and care when operating the fireplace and disposing of ashes or coals. Do not dispose of coals in the fireplace until they have cooled outside for a week in a container designed to hold hot ashes and coals. Check to see if damper is open before starting a fire in the fireplace.
• Disposing of toxic waste or kitchen waste properly in accordance with local and county laws. Do NOT pour kitchen grease down the sink drains.
• Do NOT flush anything down the toilet other than toilet paper (no wipes, feminine products, medicines, kitty litter, etc. – toilet paper only).
• You are responsible for keeping all sinks, lavatories and toilet lines open. Do not allow anyone to throw anything into the plumbing system or use it for any purpose other than for what is designed. You will be responsible for any damage or stoppage unless it was caused by mechanical failure of the plumbing system. If your system becomes clogged during your tenancy, you are responsible for having it cleared or repairing the toilet at your own expense. We can initiate a service call if you wish, but you would be responsible for payment.
• Proper preventative care if there is a septic tank on the property. You will receive an addendum with your lease with further instructions if this is the case.
• Garbage disposals are not for bones, shells, greasy items, meat, or any other coarse fibrous material. If the motor buzzes, turn the switch off. Unjam the disposal by turning the blade backwards (there is usually a spot underneath of the sink on the bottom of the disposal for an allen wrench to be used to crank the disposal and clear the issue). Reset the circuit breaker on the bottom or side of the disposal (usually a small red or yellow button). If the unit turns easily by hand but not with power, call for service. Almost all disposal jams can be avoided by using strainers and keeping inappropriate items out of the appliance.
• Washer/Dryer Hookups – If you bring your own washer and dryer, check your hoses and washers to eliminate leaks. You must also keep dryer vents clear of lint or other build up, as this can cause a fire in the venting.