General Information for Tenants

The best way to submit a work request is through your online tenant portal. You can enter a work order 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and it will automatically sent to our maintenance system. Once received by one of our office staff, the work will be assigned to a contractor. You will also be emailed a copy of the work order, containing all contractor information. The contractor will call you to schedule an appointment that meets your needs. If you do NOT hear from a contractor in 24 hours, you may call them and reference the work order. If you do not have an appointment booked or receive a call back from a contractor in 48 hours, please notify our office. We do NOT schedule appointments for our contractors, and you will need to schedule and/or cancel all appointments with them directly as needed.
Please submit all non-emergency work orders through the tenant portal, as it helps prevent miscommunication and missed messages. If we need additional information, we will contact you. (PLEASE NOTE: The online system is NOT monitored outside of our normal business hours. Work orders will be assigned to a contractor by staff Monday thru Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00pm.) 

Please keep in mind that any damage caused by tenant abuse or neglect will be a charge to the tenant.  The following are examples of items that you would be responsible for:

1. ELECTRICAL – Light bulbs, fuses, light switches, switch and base plug faceplates, light shades, light globes, light fixtures, smoke/fire detector batteries, and garage door opener batteries.
2. PLUMBING & PLUMBING FIXTURES – Frozen exterior water spigots due to hoses left attached during freezing temperatures, leaking faucets, toilet tank lids and seats, towel bars and tissue dispensers, shower curtain rods, medicine cabinets, shelves and mirrors, sink drain plugs, clogged drains and clogged garbage disposals. (Owners only pay for clogged drains when roots have caused the blockage.)
3. APPLIANCES – Stove cleaning, missing or broken refrigerator shelves and drawers, punctures in ice/freezer compartments.  (Do not use icepicks or sharp objects to remove ice when defrosting – always use a pan of hot water).
4. FURNACE & WATER HEATER – Furnace filters, furnace/hot water heater pilot relighting.  (You may call the Utility Company to relight the pilot light).
5. Curtain rods, curtains, and drapes (Do not wash yourself! These items require dry cleaning).
6. Windows, locks, glass breakage, screens, etc.
7. Doors (internal and external), storm and screen doors, including all hardware, glass, and attendant screens.
8. Flooring – Tenant is responsible for all damage created by tenant.
9. Garage doors – Tenant is responsible for replacing batteries in remotes, any dents put in doors, etc.
10. Insect/Rodents – Tenant is responsible for extermination.
11. LAWN CARE – Colorado Springs is located within a semi-arid area.  This means weeks or even months may go by without any measurable rainfall.  The heat and dry winds will dry out and burn up the lawn in a few days.  It is the tenant’s responsibility to ensure this does not happen.  Lawns will not stay green nor survive without care and proper watering.  You cannot rely on nature or the weatherman’s forecast.  If you plan to be away from your home for more than a day or two, you need to ensure the lawn will still be properly cared for.  You are responsible, per your lease, for leaving the lawn in the same or better condition than it was when you took possession of the property.
12. BROKEN GLASS – Glass repair or replacement is always a tenant expense unless due to hail or other weather event.

Missed Appointments, neglect, and unnecessary service calls:  The tenant is responsible for the payment of any invoice for repairs caused by their misuse or neglect. The tenant is also responsible for the payment of any service call charged by the contractor for:

1. A missed appointment
2. For not providing access to the unit when requested and/or scheduled.
3. Contractor meeting a child under 18 at home for access. (this is not permitted under any circumstances)
4. In the event that there is a pet that the contractor feels is threatening in any way and the contractor is unable to provide service.
5. For other reasons that are clearly the fault of, and/or within the control of, the tenant that do not allow the contractor to comply with the work request.

The general rule of thumb is “if you break it, you fix it”, regardless of cost.

An emergency is anything relating to the property that is threatening to safety, health or the property, and cannot wait until the next business day for repair.  CLEMENTE REAL ESTATE SERVICES, INC., reserves the right to determine the emergency status of maintenance requests.

The following are some guidelines as to what constitutes a maintenance emergency. 

1. Fire:  Call the 911/Fire Department IMMEDIATELY, then notify our office.
2. Broken Pipe/Water leak:  Turn off the water valve to the broken pipe or the exterior water main (which is typically in the utility room with the furnace and water heater), if you can locate it, until a contractor arrives.  Please do everything in your power to contain any leaking or flooding and if necessary, contact other residents who may be affected by the leak if needed in a multi-family dwelling.
3. No Hot Water:  This may be considered an emergency ONLY if there has been no hot water for an extended period of time.  Contact your utility company (If Colorado Springs Utilities the number is (719) 448-4800) to have the pilot light checked prior to calling in an emergency work request.  If the water heater is leaking, notify us immediately to prevent water damage to carpeting, etc.
4. Heater/Furnace Repair:  This may be considered an emergency ONLY if the outside temperature is falling below 50 degrees.  In the case of electrical outage, check all fuses or circuit breakers, contact your utility company to have the pilot light checked prior to calling in an emergency work request.
5. Gas Odor: (Important note: 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).  If you smell gas (a rotten egg smell) contact your utility company immediately.  Open windows and doors to ventilate the area and leave the area until help arrives.
6. No Electricity:  This may be considered an emergency ONLY if there is not electricity throughout the entire house and:
   • The tenant has called the utility company outage line and there is no outage.
   • After tenant has checked all circuit breakers by flipping them hard to the OFF position and then hard to the ON position and has reset any and all GFCI outlets.  (These are the little buttons sometimes found on outlets in bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, or 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 and notify our office.

1. Broken Doorknob, Lock or Window:  This may constitute as an emergency ONLY IF IT PREVENTS THE TENANT FROM PROPERLY SECURING THE PROPERTY.  If temporary measures can be taken until normal business hours, tenants should wait until the next business day to contact management.
2. Clogged Toilet/Plumbing backup:  This may be considered an emergency ONLY if there is only one toilet in the home AND you have made every effort, including plunging, to clear stoppage yourself OR if there is sewage backing up into the home through floor drains, etc.  If clogged by tenant, it will be a tenant charge.  In any case, when overflowing, turn off the water valve behind the toilet, shut the lid and clean up any mess.

Management is NOT responsible for tenants who have locked themselves out of their rental property.  It is the tenant’s responsibility to contact a locksmith to gain entry.  THE LOCKS MAY NOT BE CHANGED unless absolutely necessary, and it is the tenant’s responsibility to ensure that if a new lock is required, CLEMENTE REAL ESTATE SERVICES, INC., is given the new key for safety and security reasons within 24 hours.  A duplicate key may be obtained, at no charge for the occurrence, through CLEMENTE REAL ESTATE SERVICES, INC., during regular business hours.

The above issues are the standard calls, which MAY constitute an emergency.  If you have a situation other than these which you believe to be immediately hazardous, damaging or detrimental to property or safety, please submit an online maintenance request, then call our office, or if after business hours, contact our after-hours emergency line at (719) 749-6289 and leave a detailed message and someone will return your call.

The following maintenance issues are NOT generally considered emergencies:

• Refrigerator not working: Please note, neither the homeowner, nor CLEMENTE REAL ESTATE SERVICES, INC., is liable for loss of food caused by appliance breakdown.  Please consult your lease for additional information.
• Oven not working
• Lock-outs
• Pest control
• A/C Repair: First, make sure your rental home is equipped with air conditioning.  Locate the condenser unit outside the home.  Simply having a “Cool” setting on the thermostat does not indicate a/c is available.  Not all homes have a/c.  If set too low and frozen up, an HVAC tech will not be able to do any work until the unit thaws.  Shut the unit off, as it was likely set too cold and is overworked.  Wait for it to thaw out.  If still not functioning once thawed, submit a maintenance request via your tenant portal online.  A/C malfunction is not considered an emergency.

Nobody likes waking up to frozen pipes or a cold house.  These tips can help keep you and your loved ones warm and comfortable in cold or freezing temperatures.

• Set thermostat to 65 degrees or above.
• Open doors on cabinets where plumbing is on exterior walls of house to allow heat in & air to circulate.
• Allow faucets to drip (especially in faucets that are next to exterior walls of the home)
• Remove any hoses, etc. from exterior spigots

Shutting heat off during a Colorado winter/spring/fall can result in frozen pipes and extensive damages to the home and you will have to pay for those damages.  In the summertime, if you shut off the sprinklers for any reason and do not water the lawn and landscaping, the yard will quickly dry up and die thereby causing you a large bill to re-sod or reseed the yard to bring it back.  Please do NOT shut utilities off when you go out of town and make arrangements for yard care while you are gone.

When in doubt about what to do, call or email our office for more information.

Please keep in mind that Clemente Real Estate Services does NOT own the rental properties, we manage them for 3rd parties. When maintenance costs exceed a certain dollar amount, we are required to get the written approval of the homeowner before moving forward on non-emergency work orders.  Please know that any delays in maintenance approval are NOT indications that we do not care, owner responses and contractors work schedules can take some time. When there is an insurance claim, we are at the mercy of the claims adjusters and will have the owners involved in getting repairs done as soon as possible.

If you are frustrated or have questions, please let us know!  Use the tenant portal for all maintenance requests. Your family’s safety and comfort are important to us.