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Maintenance
[Repair Responsibility] [Reporting Maintenance] [Entry Procedures] [Cleanliness & Sanitation][Stairwells & Landing] [Pest Control] [Carpet Care]
Repair Responsibility
You are responsible for the proper care and use of your apartment and the community facilities you use.
Please report maintenance problems to the WMU Apartments Office as soon as they occur or as soon as you become aware of them. You can also call to inquire regarding the status of maintenance work requested.
Every effort will be made to accommodate any work order that presents a priority concern for you.
Reporting Maintenance
Please call the WMU Apartments Office with all requests for maintenance between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. weekdays. If maintenance emergencies occur after 5:00 p.m. during the week or on weekends and university holidays, please call the University Police at 387.5555. You can also fill out a routine maintenance request form online.
Emergency
An emergency is defined as a threat to the life/safety of apartment residents. (example: electrical power failure affecting entire apartment, broken window glass, no heat, lock malfunction. etc.) Typical response time to address emergency items is within four hours.
Routine
Routine requests are defined as those things that need prompt attention, but do not pose an immediate life/safety threat to residents or facilities. Typical response time is about 5 days or one week. Periodically routine requests are backlogged due to the large number of requests received during the period when many new residents are moving out/in.
Entry Procedures
Because our maintenance staff responds to thousands of work orders annually, it is not possible to schedule work in advance. Work orders result from residents requesting repair when something breaks or malfunctions, as well as from inspections that occur when residents vacate and/or when new residents move in. Accordingly, there may be work orders for your apartment that you have not requested and do not know about.
Our maintenance staff is authorized to enter an apartment if the resident is not home when they arrive, however, they are trained to strictly observe an established procedure before entering an apartment. The procedure requires that they knock loudly, at least three times, pause and listen for a response from inside the apartment and then open the door slightly and call "maintenance" loudly, again waiting to hear a response. If they do not hear a response, they then enter the apartment. Because it is possible that a resident might be sleeping or showering and thus, be unable to hear the maintenance worker, there is the potential for a worker to inadvertently enter an apartment, thinking the resident is not there. Therefore, we encourage residents to ensure privacy by using the security chain lock on their door when they are home.
Cleanliness & Sanitation
It is your responsibility to keep your apartment clean. Dirt and garbage should not be kept in the apartment nor should it be swept or placed out-of-doors or thrown in stairwells or walkways. Dispose of trash in the dumpsters at each apartment area. You and your roommates need to decide on cleaning responsibilities, because everyone will be assessed cleaning charges equally for anything not clean when you vacate.
Stairwell & Landing
The stairwells, landings, entries, walkways and other public areas should also be kept free of trash, toys, garbage or miscellaneous items. Items stored in these areas block access and pose a safety hazard. Violators will be asked to remove such items immediately. You are responsible for the area outside your apartment and are asked to contribute to the community environment by keeping the grounds and surrounding common areas clean and free of litter.
Pest Control
An inspection and treatment of each apartment is conducted every semester as part of an extensive preventive pest control program maintained by the WMU Apartments Office. Problem areas may be treated more than once per semester. Please call the WMU Apartment Office to report problems.
If a building or stairwell appears to have a severe pest problem, please call the apartment office immediately. If necessary, a clean-out of the entire area will be scheduled. Participation in this clean-out is mandatory.
Carpet Care
Carpet is professionally cleaned in all apartments between residents when the apartment is vacant. It is the resident's responsibility to keep the carpet clean while living in the apartment. Carpet should be vacuumed at least once a week to avoid a build-up of dirt. If the carpet becomes badly soiled, you can call the office and schedule an appointment to have the traffic areas cleaned. This will be done at no charge once a year. If you need to do it more often you can rent a steam cleaner from a grocery or equipment rental store. Please follow the directions on the machine and cleaning solution containers.
If the carpet becomes stained or damaged, you are likely to be charged the cost of replacement. Many household cleaners contain bleach that can damage carpet. Be very careful when using such products in carpeted areas. Red food dye also causes stains that usually do not come out in the cleaning process. Be very careful with foods such as red pop, Jell-O, cherries, candy, etc., as they may contain red food dyes. Cigarette burns can sometimes be patched, but when there are several burns the carpet must be replaced for an entire room.