AIR CONDITIONERS AND SWAMP COOLERS

Air Conditioning units are not furnished in Family Housing homes. Most families will purchase their own window units or swamp coolers to be installed. Please remember that approval is required for these items to be installed. Contact the Crest Resident Services Office to place a work order for installation. A Maintenance person will come to install the specified item.

APPLIANCES - CARE AND CLEANING

Refrigerators:

1. Regular refrigerator cleaning is recommended. Food particles accumulated over a long period of time are difficult to remove. Clean with a mild soapy solution.

2. Ice build-up in the freezer is damaging. Most unit freezers are frost-free, but may still build up some amount of frost. If frost build up occurs, your freezer should be defrosted. Never use a knife, ice pick or other sharp instrument to remove ice from your freezer. This could cause a puncture in the unit and you will be charged to replace the refrigerator.

3. Refrigerators can and should be moved for cleaning. The interior and exterior, as well as the areas under, behind and adjacent to the refrigerator must be cleaned before vacating.

4. Residents are responsible for replacing burned-out appliance bulbs in the refrigerator.

Stoves:

All stoves in Family Housing are gas. If your stove stops working, submit a maintenance work order at the Crest RSO so that the problem can be determined and repaired. Residents are responsible for replacing the burned out appliance bulbs in the oven, where applicable. Please refrain from using your stove/oven to heat your home.

Washers and Dryers:

Each unit contains hook-ups for electric washers and dryers that may be placed in the kitchen area. Some units are equipped with gas dryer hook-ups. Residents with their own dryers must call the Crest RSO prior to installation to have Maintenance come in and install the exhaust vent for a $15.00 charge. If a Resident has a gas dryer and there is no gas line installed, the Resident must request a work-order to have the gas line installed for a charge of $100.00.

Each unit upon move in has a clothesline with approximately 5 lines for outdoor, air-drying. Please contact the Crest Resident Services Office to report any problems with your clothesline.

DECORATING

We encourage you to decorate your house to create a desirable and comfortable environment. The use of bedspreads, posters, pictures, lamps, plants, window treatments and area rugs, etc., is encouraged. However, interior walls and ceilings should not be punctured in any way. The University has concluded, based on test results made by the campus Environmental Health and Safety department, that we have lead paint as a base coat on interior walls, trim, and on exterior windows, doors and wood trim. These test results, while not taken in your unit, were used in the University’s evaluation of the building. However, it should be noted that no lead paint has been used on these surfaces in more than fifteen years. We have established many coats of lead free paint that have reduced exposure to the material by encapsulating the lead paint base coats in the above-mentioned areas. The stucco was also tested with negative results for both lead and asbestos.

Lead can enter your body in two ways: inhalation and ingestion. Children under seven years of age fall into the high-risk category. The ingestion of paint chips by children of this age group is the most common cause of lead poisoning. Our collective action is designed to protect this group as a primary concern, while establishing a reduced or eliminated risk for all.

We have abated some materials containing lead through installing windows and using metal flashing to enclose exposed wood trim, both on doorframes and windows. We have also cladded (encapsulated) exterior wood fascia, paneling and other wood surfaces that pose a potential peeling problem, in order to reduce any potential lead risk to the children and other residents.

The potential for exposure is extremely minimal. However, if you experience any exterior or interior paint peeling, or believe you may have disturbed any interior or exterior paint, please notify the Canyon Crest Resident Services Office at 787.2083 immediately, so that an evaluation can be completed and appropriate safety measures can be taken.

Wall or contact paper may not be used; nor may you paint. Should you wish to lay carpet, please do not use sticky adhesive to glue it down. This could cause damage to the tiled floor and could be a potential cost upon move-out.

Contact the Crest Resident Services Office for assistance if you have a project in mind and are not sure about the guidelines.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

An electrical panel located in your kitchen controls your power. If a breaker trips off, a red flag will show on the tripped breaker--flip the switch off and then on again. If there is no return of power, contact the Crest Resident Services Office. Do not plug into a neighboring unit, as it is a fire hazard.

HEATING UNITS

The hot water heaters and the furnace in the Crest Family Housing complex are gas units. Residents are responsible for contacting the Gas Company prior to their move in to have the service turned on. Residents should request the Gas Company to check their gas-run equipment at the time of move-in to make sure everything is working correctly. If a problem does exist with the equipment, the Gas Company representative will notify you that equipment is not in working order. Please contact the Crest Resident Services Office to place a work order for maintenance to repair.

Every six (6) months, Residents are encouraged to vacuum out the vents of their furnace and open the front panel to vacuum out the dust and cobwebs from inside the furnace. Also, please do not use the water heater closets as a storage area. These areas need good ventilation and should never have ignitable materials in the vicinity. Never store gasoline, propane or any type of flammables in or near the water heater closets.

PLUMBING

If you are having plumbing problems (i.e. backed up toilets, sinks, bathtubs, showers, etc.) call the Crest Resident Services Office immediately. Do not put any chemicals into these drains (particularly Liquid Plummer, Drano, etc.).

Located under all sinks and behind the toilets are chrome valves that supply water. If for any reason you have a water leak or toilet overflow, turn the valves off to stop water flow and contact the Crest Resident Services Office or call the RA on duty at (951) 961.0274.

STREET LIGHTS

Streetlights are on photocells, which allow the lights to come on automatically at dusk. All bulbs are checked monthly to assure that each area provides adequate lighting. Between these monthly checks, we would appreciate you notifying the Crest Resident Services Office if lights are not working properly.

WINDOWS

1. Report any windows that do not operate properly. All windows should open, close and lock for proper ventilation and safety.

2. Please regularly open windows, especially in the bathroom after showering, in order to allow proper ventilation and help prevent the growth of mildew, which may cause costly damages and health concerns.

3. Report broken windows immediately, and the Maintenance staff will replace it. If the Resident is responsible for the damage, charges will be assessed and added to the Resident’s Housing account.

4. Do not place tin foil on the windows to eliminate sunlight. Light rays that reflect off of the tin foil and onto the windows, super-heat the glass, which may cause it to break. If this occurs, the Resident is responsible for cost to replace the window.

5. To keep the complex aesthetically appealing, Residents may not place signs, stickers, etc., on windows, doors, or on exterior building surfaces.

WINDOW COVERINGS

Upon move-in, no window coverings are provided. Residents are welcomed to be creative with mini blinds, shutters, drapes, curtains, etc. to cover windows.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please remember to remove any and all of these items prior to your final move-out inspection in order to avoid charges.