• HVAC filters - should be changed once a month
• Remember to turn off and drain the outside spigots during winter
• Keep gutters and drains clear of leaves and other debris
• Never leave the house unheated during the winter

• For non-emergency items this can be in the form of an email sent to mailbox@independent-pm.com. 
• If it is an emergency please telephone the property manager on 571-434-6479.  If the emergency occurs outside normal office hours (9:00am - 5:00pm) please see "What to do in an Emergency" below and then telephone the property manager the following day.

Burst pipe or leaking water

• Locate the Mains Water Valve and turn this OFF (typically by turning clockwise)

• If the leak is from a sink, bath, toilet, etc it may be possible to turn off the water just to that fixture.  Look for a small silver valve on the supply line to the fixture and turn this off (typically clockwise).  If you are sure this has isolated the leak then turn the Mains Water Valve back on. 

• Mop up as much of the water as possible

• If the "leak" appears to be coming from somewhere around the A/C unit then it is most likely that the A/C condensation drain tube is blocked.  If the A/C is turned on and no water is coming out of the drain tube then it is probably blocked and needs clearing.  There may be an access point through which you can try and clear the blockage.

Electrical Outage

• Look at other homes to see if they are also affected.  If so then the power outage is somewhere outside the property and will be dealt with by the appropriate power company.

• If only your property is affected then locate the fuse box and check that none of the circuit breakers have tripped.   If they have try resetting them.

• If the main circuit breaker has tripped and keeps tripping when you turn it back on then try to isolate which circuit is causing the problem by turning all the circuit breakers off, resetting the main breaker and then test one circuit at a time until the main breaker trips again.  Leave the faulty circuit off an turn the rest back on.

• If an outside, kitchen or bathroom electrical outlet does not appear to work the problem may be a tripped GFCI outlet.  These look similar to normal outlets with the addition of small red reset button and black test button.  These can normally be found in the kitchen, bathrooms and basement.  Check all of these and press the reset button if tripped.

Heating or Air Conditioning Issues

• If the A/C or heat pump is not working turn off the appropriate circuit breakers, wait a few minutes and turn them back on.

• If the heat pump external unit is covered with ice turn the unit off for several hours until all the ice has melted and then turn back on.

• Make sure the "problem" is not caused by any programmable thermostat.

Garbage disposal - Attempting to dispose of unacceptable stuffs (eg: chicken skin, celery, egg shells, onion skins, artichokes, bones, potato peels, and much more.   Placing too much matter in the disposal at one time.  Running the disposal for too long or without enough cold water running

Dishwasher - Leaving food residue on the dishes when placing them in the dishwasher. Running it less than once every other month, causing seals to dry out.

Range - Using oven cleaner on self-cleaning oven (ruins interior surface).  Grease accumulation on or around burners (can cause electrical fire).  Food spills and overflows (can clog burner lines, ruin elements).

Central heat/air - Failure to change the filter every two or three months, which can lead to emission of dangerous fumes, as well as higher heating/ac bills.

Fireplace - Leaving the damper closed when starting a fire.  Using lighter fluid on wood. Building too large a fire for the size of the fireplace.  Leaving the screen/glass doors open while a fire or embers are burning

Bathroom - Foreign objects dropped into toilet bowl.  Using excessive amounts of toilet tissue at one time.  Flushing inappropriate matter (eg: cigarette butts, paper towels, etc). Grease and/or hair build-up in pipes.  Not using the fan or opening the window while showering, causing mildew. Water splashing out of tub/shower (damages floors, ceilings, causes dryrot).

Telephone/TV wiring damage - Additional telephone jacks/TV wiring is NOT permitted without prior written approval. If approved, installation and removal must be done by a professional technician.

Closets - Over-stuffing, which can cause sliding doors to slip off track and break.  Excessive weight hanging on the clothes rods, causing rods to fall/break
 

• Protect any hardwood floors by placing pads or carpet under furniture
• Repair any damaged caulking before the checkout inspection
• Please ensure carpets are cleaned by a professional company and, if you have pets, deflead/deticked as per the Pet Addendum
• Remove all your possessions
• Thoroughly clean the property and remove all trash
• Have the chimney cleaned (for wood burning fires only) and gutters cleared (might not be necessary for all properties)
• Eliminate all household pests and vermin - ants, mice, cockroaches, etc are the tenants responsibility.  Landlord is responsible for eliminating termites.
• Ensure all light bulbs are working and that smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors have new batteries and are working.