When is My Maintenance Issue an Emergency?
Hi, friends.
We’ve all been there. It’s the middle of the night, and you hear a slow drip from your kitchen faucet that won’t quit. You’ll want to get that fixed—but you know it can wait until the morning. But what about situations that are riskier? When should you call maintenance right away?
We’ve put together a few examples of both emergency and non-emergency situations to help you understand what to do when something isn’t right.
Maintenance Emergencies
Your wellbeing—and the safety of your home—are the top priorities for a good property manager. If you feel unsafe, don’t wait! The following situations are emergencies that warrant an immediate call to maintenance.
If you smell smoke or see fire. First, call 911 and get to safety—then you should call maintenance.
If you smell gas. This is a life-threatening emergency and could indicate a gas leak or a broken gas line.
If there’s a broken lock on your door. If you aren’t able to secure your home, it’s an emergency.
If you don’t have heat in below-freezing weather. Extreme cold is a serious safety concern that warrants a call to maintenance.
If your power is out. Call your utility company first to see if it’s a local outage—if so, they’ll take care of it. If it isn’t, call your property manager to check for an electrical problem in your building.
If you don’t have water at all. Again, check with your local utility company to see if there has been a local shutoff. If not, you should call maintenance to check your building.
If there is flooding. If there has been a sewer back-up into your home or severe weather leading to flooding, call your property manager right away.
If there’s been a break-in. Once you have called the police and the situation is safe for you, let your property manager know what happened. They’ll want to check for damages and secure the building.
Non-Emergency Maintenance
Sometimes, you’ll run into situations that are inconvenient, but aren’t unsafe. In those cases, it’s okay to wait until regular business hours to address it. Submitting a routine maintenance request will ensure that the issue is handled as soon as possible.
If there’s a minor leak (like a dripping faucet or a ceiling leak that can be contained by a bucket).
If your air conditioning or heat are broken in non-extreme weather.
If your stove burner isn’t heating up.
If there’s no hot water.
If a light bulb went out in a common area.
If your toilet is clogged (with another toilet available).
If a window is stuck.
If you spot a pest like a mouse.
Remember, safety first. Your property manager is here to help. If your building is managed by BRIGS, you can submit a maintenance request here.
Until next time,
The BRIGS Team