REPAIRS PROCEDURES
During the term of tenant’s Lease, tenant is required to care for the home and perform regular maintenance on the property as well as its equipment.
Plumbing: Tenant is required to keep drains free of grease, hair, lint, and food that can cause clogs. Drains should be flushed out occasionally with a good chemical drain cleaner. The property owner will pay only for stoppages that are caused by faulty construction or by tree roots.
Heating and Air Conditioning: Tenant should understand that failure to change heating and air conditioning filters at least once a month will impede the performance of the unit, and could result in damage thereof. Tenant is responsible for repairs if tenant fails to change filters monthly and damages result. Tenant must also make sure there is no grass, weeds or vines growing on or around the exterior A/C unit. Tenant can use a pressure hose to keep exterior unit free of dust, dirt and grass clippings.
Smoking: There is absolutely no smoking allowed inside the rental property.
Pest Control: Cost of pest control, except for wood-destroying insects, is tenant’s responsibility. This service is not provided by the property owner.
Yard: Unless otherwise stated within tenant’s Lease, tenant is responsible for the upkeep of the yard, which includes lawns, shrubbery, bushes, flowers, gardens, trees, and all landscaping. Tenant is required to water the yard a minimum of one time per week unless Water Restrictions or rain prohibit. Usually, even when restrictions are in place, hand watering is allowed and must be performed if required to maintain the yard.
Foundation: It is extremely important that tenant keep the ground around the foundation of the property watered during intense heat and no rain! If watering restrictions go into effect, tenant should follow the rules per the various stages of the water restrictions as directed by the water utility company, and use soaker hoses on the designated dates and times, or hand water around the foundation. This should be done a minimum of one time per week. Please remember that settling that occurs as a result of NOT watering, will result in damages charged to tenant at move-out.
REQUESTING REPAIRS
If tenant should find that there is something that needs to be repaired, tenant must submit the request to us in writing. The only exception to this policy is when tenant has an emergency repair, which can be reported by phone. If a repair item is determined to be the result of “Negligence”, “Carelessness”, Accident”, or “Abuse”, tenant will be responsible for payment of the services performed. This includes any repair that is required as a result of a break-in or burglary.
Emergency Repairs: Only emergency calls will be handled outside of our regular business hours. Our regular business hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. We have an automated attendant that answers our calls when we are not available to take tenant’s call, or when our offices are closed.
If tenant has an after hours emergency, he/she should call our office at (210) 490-7039 and follow the voice prompts for the emergency mailbox, and we will be paged immediately. Tenant should hear from someone from our office within 30 minutes. IF TENANT DOES NOT HEAR FROM US WITHIN 30 MINUTES, TENANT SHOULD ASSUME THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE EMERGENCY MESSAGE AND CALL US AGAIN.
Emergency repairs are defined as follows:
- FREE FLOWING WATER that cannot be turned off and may result in damage to personal property and the home.
- ELECTRICAL problems that may result in complete loss of power, possible fire, and damage to the home and personal property.
- BACKING UP Of SEWER LINE that may create health hazards.
Maintenance problems in the following categories are not considered emergencies and will not be reviewed until the next business day.
- Heat and Air conditioning problems
- No hot water
- Homes with two complete bathrooms- toilet stoppage in one
- Appliances not working properly
Non-Emergency Repairs: Non-Emergency repairs must be submitted in writing. When submitting a Repair Request, the problem must be explained in detail and tenant’s current contact information must be included. Tenant may complete a Repair Request online (below), or tenant may complete a Repair Request Form and fax it to us at 210-491-9623 or mail it to our office. Repair Request Forms are enclosed within the Welcome Folder for tenant’s convenience. Additional forms can be obtained by clicking on the link repairrequest.pdf (below).
Policies Pertaining to Our Service Vendors: Service vendors are not employees of our company and consequently, we do not control their work hours. If tenant requires a special appointment time with a vendor that is outside regular business hours, tenant will be billed the additional amount that exceeds the regular service fee. Please advise us if a vendor does not arrive or if the work is not completed in a professional and satisfactory manner.
Someone 18 years of age or older must be available on site for work to be performed. Vendors will not enter the property without an authorized adult present.
PLEASE DO NOT ASK A VENDOR TO PERFORM ADDITIONAL WORK BEYOND WHAT WAKEFIELD, REALTORS HAS ISSUED.
Tips for Plumbing
- Do not place pasta or “skins” (potato, cucumber, apple, pear, peach, kiwi, banana, mango, carrot, tomato) into the garbage disposal.
- Never pour any grease down the drain!
- Prevent foreign objects from falling into the garbage disposal; always keep the debris trap over the drain when not in use.
- While running COLD water, cut up a lemon or orange in quarters and toss them in the garbage disposal (Do not include the stem end). This will not only sharpen the blades of the disposal, but will also leave kitchen with a fresh citrus smell.
- Periodically run COLD water through pipes that are not used regularly.
- If a pipe is draining slowly, tenant can use Drano ONLY if there is no garbage disposal.
- If toilet does not flush properly or is about to overflow, reach behind the toilet and cut the water off at the valves to prevent water form spilling onto the floor, and then plunge the toilet. If the toilet does not flush or continues to clog, please report the problem to our office. If toilet begins leaking at the base, turn the water off at the valves and place an old towel around the base to help soak up excess water. Then report the problem to our office.
Property Improvements
All improvements to the property require advance approval. If tenant wishes to make improvements to the rental property, tenant must submit a written request to our office prior to taking any action.
Scheduling
If you have not been contacted to set up an appointment within a reasonable amount of time (5 business days for non-emergency matters), please contact us. We assume that if no word is forthcoming, the request has been handled. Most repair companies perform their services during normal business hours, however pre-discussed appointments may be made for after hours and during weekends at the convenience of the repair company and yourself. Be advised that the Landlord will not authorize the paying of overtime or after hours charges, except in the case of a major emergency. After hours major emergencies (such as major plumbing, electrical, fire, etc.,) may be reported by calling our normal office number (210) 490-7039 and follow the voice prompts for the emergency mailbox and we will be paged immediately.
For your convenience, you may print a repair request form by clicking on the link below or you may submit your request online by completing the Online Repair Request Form below: