What is Considered a Maintenance Emergency in an Apartment?

Many of our tenants ask this as one of their most common questions – just what counts as a maintenance emergency? Granted, to some that might mean Netflix being unavailable or WiFi going slow.

Jokes aside, there are certain issues that, if they happen, then it’s quite necessary to call your landlord and ask for immediate repairs. Here are a few of them (if you are currently experiencing one of these, please call our emergency line at (866) 226-3808):

No heat in the apartment

If this coming winter is anything like the last one in Portland and Vancouver, then a broken heater is certainly cause for an emergency. Generally, anything under 50 degrees outside would constitute this as an emergency. This is applicable for a mechanical malfunction though, not necessarily for failing to pay gas or electric bills.

Power outage

Whether it’s inside your apartment or outside as well, total electrical failure is reason to contact your maintenance team. However, it’ll greatly help everyone if you did a few things first: try resetting the circuit breakers, resetting the GFI breakers on the outlets, and also check any fuses that might’ve blown out.

No more A/C

Similar to a broken heater, this is largely dependent on what’s going on outside. Given that summers here in Vancouver can clear 100 degrees on certain days, a broken A/C on one of these days certainly warrants a call for repairs (generally, any temperature over 90 should prompt a call). In the meantime, grab a fan and get those windows open!

Smelling of gas

This is a case where, if you catch any scent whatsoever of a gas leak, you need to call maintenance immediately (do this from outside the apartment!). You’ll know it’s presence by the strong scent of rotten eggs. Natural gas is a huge hazard – inhaling it can be poisonous, and it’s also easily ignited.

Plumbing issues and floods

Here’s the general rule of thumb: if your leak can be contained in a bucket, then it isn’t necessarily an emergency. If water is flowing into your apartment, though, then this is certainly an emergency. In any case, turn the water valve off to ensure no further flooding ensues.

As property managers, it’s our top concern to keep you comfortable and safe as a tenant. We try to get to repairs as fast as possible – this list, however, are the situations that are moved to the very top of the list. In any case, if you are experiencing maintenance issues, please fill out a maintenance request form.