What Is Considered Emergency Maintenance in an Apartment?

Do you know when to request emergency maintenance for your apartment? Sometimes, it’s fairly obvious. If, for example, you are standing ankle-deep in water and you are in the middle of your kitchen, you likely have a bona fide emergency on your hands and you probably want to request emergency maintenance.

But what if the air conditioner is on the fritz or the heater stopped working? Is that an emergency? And if you notice an issue in the middle of the night, how do you determine if it’s something that could wait until morning or if it’s something you need to deal with immediately?

Sometimes it’s difficult to tell what the situation requires. In fact, according to Peter Lowe, an Apartments.com sales associate in Richmond, Virginia, it’s very common for residents to have difficulty distinguishing an emergency from a non-emergency. Some apartment communities, he said, provide residents “with a detailed list of what constitutes emergency maintenance.”

Let’s explore what might be considered an emergency, which situations may only need a routine maintenance request, and what types of things you could resolve on your own.

What Is a Maintenance Emergency?

A maintenance emergency is something that, if it isn’t repaired immediately, could cause injury, threaten your health, or cause serious property damage. These things could include:

• A broken water line or flooding
• Fire (call 911 first, then maintenance)
• A broken gas line or leak (natural gas smells like rotten eggs)
• A broken lock on your door
• No air conditioning in hot weather
• No heat in freezing weather
• A sewer back-up that is flooding your apartment

What Is Not a Maintenance Emergency?

Not every maintenance issue is an emergency. If, for example, you have a minor drip under your kitchen sink that can be contained with a bucket, you’ll definitely want maintenance to take a look, but it isn’t an emergency.

Here are some other situations where you could probably get away with submitting a routine maintenance request:

• A broken air conditioner when the temperature outside is below 90 degrees
• A broken heater when the temperature outside is above 50 degrees
• Your ice maker stopped working
• The stove burner isn’t heating up
• There’s no hot water
• A lightbulb went out

If you determine that the issue isn’t a maintenance emergency, you should still go ahead and submit a request to be handled during normal business hours. It may take a few days to get the issue resolved since the maintenance team will handle emergencies before tackling other repairs, so be patient.

Use Your Best Judgement

Sometimes, other factors may help you determine when to submit a maintenance request. For example, if you get up for a midnight snack and notice that your fridge isn’t as cold as it should be, this is a problem that needs to be solved quickly — but it could probably wait until morning if you keep the refrigerator door closed until then.

HVAC Maintenance

If your air conditioner goes out, most apartment communities consider this an emergency only if the weather outside is above a certain temperature (i.e., 90 degrees). The same goes for your heat. If it isn’t freezing outside, then it isn’t considered an emergency.

Before contacting maintenance, try to determine why your air conditioning or heat isn’t working. If your utilities were shut off due to nonpayment, maintenance can’t help — you’ll have to call your utility company. If the power is out due to bad weather, maintenance won’t be able to resolve this issue either.

Getting Locked Out

Getting locked out of your apartment isn’t necessarily an emergency. You could call a locksmith to help you get back in rather than calling emergency maintenance. (You could also hide a key or give one to a trusted friend or neighbor so getting locked out isn’t an issue.)

Power Outages

If the power goes out, it could be an issue with the electric company. Maintenance can’t help in this instance, so call your electric provider and see if there’s an outage before you contact maintenance.

Also, check to see if it’s the entire building or just your apartment. If it’s only your unit, try flipping the circuit breakers, reset the GFI breakers, and check the fuses.

Most apartment communities don’t consider a partial outage an emergency. For example, if a wall switch or outlet malfunctions, unplug your items and turn off the circuit breaker. This is usually considered a non-emergency, so submit your maintenance request during normal business hours.

Is It an Emergency? Apartment Maintenance Checklist

This handy checklist can help you determine if your issue requires immediate attention from maintenance:

___Is there a risk of injury or harm to you or others?

• Examples: Gas leaks, exposed electrical wires, broken locks on entry doors.

___Could the issue cause significant damage to the property if not addressed immediately?

• Examples: Burst pipes, severe water leaks, roof collapse.

___Are essential utilities or services disrupted?

• Examples: No heat during winter, no air conditioning during extreme heat, power outage impacting the whole apartment building.

___Does the issue pose a serious health risk?

• Examples: Sewage backups, mold growth, pest infestations.

___Is the issue preventing you from safely entering or exiting your apartment?

• Examples: Broken stairs, malfunctioning elevators in multi-story buildings.

___Can the issue wait until regular business hours without escalating or creating further issues?

What to Do Next

• If you answered "Yes" to any of the above: Contact your apartment's emergency maintenance team immediately.
• If you're unsure: It's better to err on the side of caution and report the issue. The maintenance team can help determine the urgency.
• If there's an immediate danger to life or property: Call 911 or emergency services before contacting maintenance.

Some Things You Can DIY

There are some things you could probably handle, such as a clogged toilet, a burned-out lightbulb, or a dirty air filter. While major or dangerous repairs are better left to the experts, smaller issues could be resolved quickly without a maintenance call.

Some tools to have on hand include a plunger, some 9-volt batteries, spare lightbulbs, and air filters. To replace an air filter in your air conditioning unit, look for the current filter and note the size. Replace it with the same size filter by following the instructions that come with the new filter.

If your smoke detector is beeping because the batteries are low, replace them. Take the smoke detector down and locate its battery compartment. Swap out the old batteries with new ones. Don’t remove the old batteries and not replace them! That’s dangerous and could even be a violation of your lease.

Don't Put Off Emergency Requests

If something is an emergency, don’t put off contacting your maintenance team. Even when it isn’t an emergency, it’s a good idea to report the issue as soon as possible. A small issue now could turn into an emergency if it isn’t dealt with, so go ahead and submit your maintenance request.

Addressing concerns early keeps your home comfortable and safe. If you aren't sure if your issue is an emergency, contact your maintenance team for guidance. They'll help determine the urgency and next steps.

This article was originally published on May 1, 2020.