Elkins Apartments is pleased to provide our residents with 24 hour Emergency Service. Hopefully, you’ll never need this service, but if you do, you will certainly appreciate having our trained service staff just a phone call away. Before you pick up the phone to call us, though, we want you to know what to expect.
Emergency Service is just that: service we provide to you in the event of a true emergency. We have developed a response procedure for emergencies and other situations that arise during non-business hours. We believe that if you know what to expect from us, you’ll be better prepared to deal with an unexpected event.
Time to look it up on a website? Probably NOT an afterhours emergency…. Lack of AC, hot water, or a clogged drain are not emergencies at 9pm (or 3am). Report them to the office through your portal and they will be reviewed within 8 hours, regardless of the time or day.
Emergencies
No Heat in your Apartment
This is only an emergency in extreme cold weather in winter time and when the heater is not working due to mechanical malfunction. If your gas or electric is shut off for non-payment of your bill, call your electric or gas provider.
No Electricity in your Apartment
Blown fuses are not considered after-hours emergencies. Please familiarize yourself with your fuse panel and/or breakers. In some instances the fuse panels or breaker boxes may be in both the apartment and the basement. You are responsible for keeping 15 or 20 amp fuses on hand just as you are responsible for your own light bulbs.
Electrical outage may be considered an emergency ONLY if there is no electricity throughout the unit AND:
- you have called Duke Energy AND Duke Energy is not at fault
- you have checked all circuit breakers by flipping them hard to the OFF position and then hard to the ON position and have reset any and all GFI breakers (these are the little buttons sometimes found on outlets in bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, and garages) OR any fuses have been checked and replaced if burned out.
Partial outages do not constitute an emergency. If a wall switch or outlet begins to smoke or smell like it is burning, turn off the switch or unplug items from the outlet and turn off the circuit breaker or remove the fuse, then report the problem during normal business hours or by leaving a voice mail on the main office line, 812-339-2859.
Gas Leaks or “Smell of Gas”
Please contact Vectren at 1-800-227-1376 from a phone NOT located in the apartment. Sparks from phones, even cell phones, can ignite gas. Natural gas has the unmistakable odor of rotten eggs. If you suspect an appliance is leaking gas, turn off the appliance and turn off the gas supply to that appliance (you should be able to find a shut-off handle somewhere on the supply line). And not everything that smells like natural gas, actually is.
Flooding of your Apartment
Call immediately if there is risk of damage to possessions or the property and you cannot contain the leak. Turn off the water valve to the broken pipe or to the exterior water main, if you can locate it, until a contractor arrives. Do everything within your power to contain any leaking or flooding and, if necessary, contact other residents who may be affected by the leak.
Fire
Call 911 first!! Then call us.
Carbon Monoxide Presence
If your have gas heat or water, you should have a carbon monoxide detector installed—most of our units with gas already have such units. They may be purchased at most any hardware or home improvement store. Carbon monoxide cannot be smelled. If your carbon monoxide detector sounds, take the following action:
- If no one is exhibiting symptoms of CO poisoning, then check the detector. If it is a battery operated one, take it outside. If it continues to sound, it is defective (or the battery is low).
- Otherwise, get all family members outdoors immediately
- Call 911
It is preferred that you leave all windows and doors closed provided everyone has left the apartment. This will allow a more accurate reading of CO levels to be measured when the Fire Department responds. Any open doors or windows may allow CO gases to dissipate before the arrival of the Fire Department.
Total stoppage of the plumbing drain system
If your plumbing drain system ceases to work, none of your sinks, tubs or toilets will function properly. The stoppage of one toilet or drain when other bathrooms are functional is not an emergency, see below. Any other “Life-Safety” or “Property Protection” issues arising from storm damage or criminal damage to the property.
Not Emergencies
No Hot Water in your Apartment
This may be considered an emergency ONLY if there has been no hot water for an extended period of time: days not hours. In the event of no hot water, and it is not during a contractor’s normal business hours, we may be unable to repair the problem in as timely a manner as we would like, so be resourceful in the meantime.
Clogged or Backed Up Toilet
This may be considered an emergency ONLY if there is only one toilet in the unit AND you have made every effort, including plunging, to clear the stoppage yourself. In any case, turn off the valve behind the toilet, shut the lid and clean up any mess – due to health issues Elkins Apartments representatives will generally not begin work until the area is cleaned up and essentially free of bacterial contaminants.
Noise Complaints or Security Issues
Please contact the Police @ 911. (If the problem is not serious enough to involve the Police, you still may wish to make us aware of it, so we can address the issue properly, by leaving a Voice Message, describing the problem in detail, at 339-2859. Do not call anyone on the emergency list.)
Air Conditioning
Failure of the AC system is NOT an emergency. Please report the problem on the web, via voice mail, or during regular office hours. But try these things too!
Locked Out of Your Apartment, or any problem involving your lock and/or key
If you lock yourself out of your apartment, you will need to call a locksmith. Lock-outs are not after hour emergencies. THE LOCK MAY NOT BE CHANGED unless absolutely necessary – and it is the Resident’s responsibility to ensure that any new lock is re-keyed to our masters. If you are locked out during normal office hours, please stop by our office to sign out a spare key. This spare key must be returned to the office by the close of business the same day. Keycode doors are slightly different and you may call the emergency line after you have taken reasonable steps to enter the home (getting roommates to share their code) and there will be a keycode reset charge. Seriously, keep the keycode somewhere you can find it in an urgent situation–like your phone (passcode locked, of course!).
How to Contact Us
Call the office at 812.339.2859 and PRESS 3 (afterhours emergencies only)
This will put you into the afterhours emergency queue. It will call ALL emergency numbers. If there is no answer, it is very important you leave a detailed message.
Calls to the emergency queue (#3) or any afterhours emergency numbers during normal business hours OR for non-emergencies, e.g.. AC issues, clogged toilets or drains or anything else that can be handled during normal business hours may incur a minimum $50 afterhours misuse charge per call.
For the best response when you call the after-hours emergency service, please provide:
- your name
- your address
- your apartment number
- your telephone number
- and a description of the problem.
Once you have contacted the emergency service, you must remain at your apartment so the maintenance technician can reach you by phone. At this time, he or she will make arrangements for meeting you at your apartment to resolve the problem.
Please remember that you must leave your telephone number with the emergency service and you must be at home in order for the maintenance technician to respond.
Missed Appointments, Neglect and Unnecessary Service Calls
The resident is responsible for the payment of any invoice for which a repair was made for damage, etc., caused by their misuse or neglect. The resident is also responsible for the payment of any service call charged by a contractor for:
- a missed appointment
- for not providing access to the unit when requested
- for not leaving any keyless bolting devices unlocked and/or not following other instructions resulting in the contractor not being able to gain entry to the property
- in the event that there is a pet that the contractor feels is threatening in any way
- for other reasons that are clearly the fault of, and/or are under the control of, the resident that do not allow the contractor to complete the necessary work.
Residents may cancel an appointment by calling our office during regular office hours and speaking with a member of the management staff no less than 90 minutes prior to their scheduled appointment with the contractor.