Welcome home! To make your move as easy as possible, here is some essential and helpful information.
Important Phone Numbers
Utilities, TV and Internet
Tenants are responsible for activating accounts for utilities not included in their monthly rent. If you fail to set up such accounts, you risk having that utility shut off by the utility company. When contacting gas and electrical companies, be sure to have the service start on day of your move in – especially if you are moving in early – to ensure you have functioning light, heating, and cooling on move day!
It is extremely important to contact management prior to scheduling installation of cable and internet. Most buildings need to be wired through the appropriate storage unit to enable the cable ready jacks in your unit. Cable technicians usually look to wire service in the quickest manner possible, which is often very rough and results in damaged walls or unsightly visible wiring. There is also often a need to coordinate cable and internet installation with other tenants in the building for access to back yards and neighboring storage units. Any rewiring or repairs made as a result of installation without management notification will result in charges being passed on to tenants. Please refer to the following utility directory.
Gas Service
Electric Service
Cable, Phone, High Speed Internet
Note: To ensure proper wiring, you must contact management prior to arranging cable or internet service.
Note: Unless a satellite already exists, the installation of satellite TV and/or Internet (Dish Network, DirecTV) service requires written consent of management prior to installation.
Lockout/Lost Keys
Your property manager maintains keys for each building and unit. In the event that you lock yourself out during normal business hours, contact your property manager to place an unlock request. There is no guarantee of availability during off hours, so you may need to contact a locksmith. There will be a fee for any occurrence of being locked out of the building or unit or lost keys that require landlord involvement. In the event where the lock needs to be replaced for any reason, there will be an additional charge to Tenant. To avoid being locked out or losing keys:
- Leave keys to your mailbox, storage unit and interior doors (BR, etc.) inside your apartment.
- Carry building and apartment doorknob and deadbolt keys with you. When vendors are authorized to enter a property for repairs or maintenance, they are required to secure the premises when they leave. This includes setting the deadbolts, whether or not you had set them before their arrival.
Renter's Insurance
Acquire renter’s insurance! Cost ranges $135 - $350 per year and can be bundled with other insurance policies for discounts. In the event of catastrophic damage to the Premises, your personal effects are not covered by Property Management or Property Owner Insurance Policies.
Mail property-management
You may not be the first and probably won't be the last tenant to live in your unit, and unwanted mail isn't fun to deal with. Not properly forwarding your own mail can lead to identity theft. To minimize receiving others’ mail and prevent future tenants from receiving your own:
- To stop receiving mail for prior tenants: write MLNA (Moved, Left No Address) on the item and place it in the outgoing mail.
- For your own move-in/move-out: USPS.com/move
Shared Laundry
Laundry Machines are located in the basement of most properties, and most are coin operated. Laundry room rules:
- Hours of operation: 8:00am-10:00pm
- Immediately report any malfunction of the machines.
- Do not over load the machines, and measure soap usage. Using too much detergent or overloading machines will cause malfunction.
- After each use: Remove clothes promptly; Remove lint from dryer lint basket; Wipe down dryer machine interior for lint or debris buildup.
- Do not store laundry products on pipes or ducts. This improper storage can cause appliance malfunction and/or major plumbing issues.
- Respect all building tenants’ right to a clean and pleasant laundry facility. This includes cleaning up any spilled detergent, water drips when transferring wet laundry, cleaning out lint, and disposing of shared garbage when bag is full.
- Laundry machines are for Tenant use only.
Registering Your Car in Pennsylvania
A vehicle must be insured in Pennsylvania before it can be registered in PA. Use the following Department of Transportation links to help with registering your vehicle in Pennsylvania.
- Obtaining your Pennsylvania Driver's License, Learner's Permit and/or Identification (ID)
- How to Title and Register your Out-of-State Vehicle in Pennsylvania
Snow and Ice
For single-family homes, management of snow and ice is the sole responsibility of tenants. All municipality ordinance and liability is the responsibility of the tenants. This includes accidents, injury and damage to property. Check local regulations for specific requirements.
For apartment units with small building fronts, we ask tenants to partner to manage storms and ice buildup. A shovel and salt may be provided, and any supplies needed will be reimbursed if purchased by tenants.
Bicycle Storage
The city is a great place to get around by bike, but it is important to take some steps to be courteous to other residents, and to ensure there is no damage to the halls and building when coming and going from home. Please help management and your fellow residents by following these guidelines:
- Unless otherwise notified by management, all bikes are to be stored in the basement of the building. This ensures damage to the halls is minimized. They should be stored in your storage unit or otherwise out of the way of basement traffic flow.
- Never chain or otherwise lock your bike to any pipe or utility fixture.
- Locking of bikes to the outside rail should only be used for temporary access. Please do not lock bikes outside overnight.
Trash Disposal and Recycling
Tenants are responsible for trash storage and curbside placement. Trash should only be stored in the Landlord designated location for your unit and placed curbside no earlier than 6PM of the evening before trash day. Please tie your trash bags securely, to avoid unintended littering.
Fines for violation of trash ordinances will be passed along to tenants. Any such fines will be equally divided among the units of a property, if a responsible party cannot be identified. Contact management if improper trash handling is observed.
Recyclables should be placed in an approved bin and put curbside on the regular trash day. A clearly marked can, bin or other container may be used if an approved recyclables bin is not available. City of Philadelphia link for recycle bin. Recycling method is either single stream or requires the separation of paper. Single Stream means that you can put all of your recyclables together in one bin - cans, glass, mixed paper, cardboard and most plastic containers - no need to sort or separate them.
What can you recycle
Cartons: Orange juice cartons, milk cartons, juice boxes, soup boxes, ice cream cartons
Metal: Tin and aluminum cans, empty aerosol cans, empty paint cans
Glass: Jars and bottles
Mixed Paper: Newspaper, magazines, mail (junk and personal), phone books, food boxes (remove plastic liner), computer paper, flyers, wrapping paper (no foil or plastic wrap), soda and beer cartons (no food-soiled paper, please!)
Plastic Containers: Recycle All Household Plastic Containers!
- Soda and water bottles, condiment and peanut butter jars, etc.
- Milk, water and juice jugs, detergents, shampoo bottles, dairy product containers, flower pots, some household cleaners
- Rigid plastic containers and juice bottles
- Plastic tubs and lids from butter, margarine or similar products
- Yogurt containers and deli trays
- Plastic cups, plates and to-go containers (clear, rigid #6 only, not styrofoam products)
- Many mixed plastic containers and plastic products
Cardboard: Empty and flattened.
What You Can't Recycle
Metal: Aluminum foil, pots/pans, paper clips
Glass: Light bulbs, window glass
Mixed Paper: Hard back books, tissues, paper towels, napkins, wax-coated cups or containers, food-soiled paper, file folders
Plastic: Styrofoam, PVC pipe, packing inserts or "peanuts", medical plastics, including IV tubing, sharps, and syringes. Please refer to proper disposal guidelines from your medical service providers.
Recycle plastic bags at grocery stores
Other: Styrofoam, chemicals, rubber, wood, and ceramic or porcelain pes or cups containers
Air Conditioner Tune-up
Summer brings to mind rays of sunshine, hot temperatures, swimming pools and tall glasses of lemonade.
For many of us, when the temperature peaks, nothing feels better than the cool caress of conditioned air on your skin. But if your house or apartment isn’t cooling, it can quickly turn a dreamy summer day into an uncomfortable nightmare.
With summer temperatures already coming our way, now is a great time to tune-up and test you’re A/C system. Test your system only when the outside temperature is above 60 degrees. Anything below can damage the system.
Spring cleaning
First, start with using a duster or vacuum with a brush attachment to clean all of the vents and around the unit itself of dust and dirt. Most importantly are the return vents and the largest vent with the filter behind it. Then, change your air filter with the help of our guide: DIY Checking and Changing Your HVAC Filter. This should be done at least every 2 to 3 months, so get to it if you haven’t changed it in a while. Change it more often if you are not in the habit of regularly cleaning or if you have a pet.
Testing the system
Set the thermostat to Auto and Cool mode and then set the temperature to a few degrees cooler than the room. Give it a few minutes and you should hear and feel cool air coming from the vents. If all is good, then you’re all set.
If it’s not working…
If your house or apartment isn't cooling, the cause isn't always in the A/C unit. These steps can rule out problems.
Inspect and replace your air filter
If you bypassed this step above…If the filter is dirty, the unit will run continually, but the temperature in your house won’t cool down, Changing the air filter is something everyone can do, but many people don’t think about changing it before they call.
Give your breakers the once-over
Sometimes a high-voltage breaker can trip and cause the unit to stop working. If that’s the issue, flip it back and you should be back in business.
Check your thermostat
Occasionally, the solution to the problem is simple — you just need to replace the batteries on the thermostat. Look for a blinking battery light or symbol on the thermostat to indicate the batteries need changed.
Look over your drain line
If ice covers your coil, or liquid that couldn’t have come from another source surrounds the line, your line is likely leaking refrigerant and a professional inspection is warranted.
Observe your outdoor unit
Is the blower still working? If you have an outdoor unit then you should be able to see and hear if the fan is still on. If it’s working, it’s likely not the problem.