HOME GUIDE. FAIRFIELD AFFORDABLE HOUSING, INC. Providing Housing Opportunities To Special Populations in Fairfield County. For Tenants and Providers

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1 HOME GUIDE For Tenants and Providers FAIRFIELD AFFORDABLE HOUSING, INC. 111 S. BROAD ST. LANCASTER, OHIO Phone: Fax: EMERGENCY CONTACT FAIRFIELD AFFORDABLE HOUSING, INC. Providing Housing Opportunities To Special Populations in Fairfield County

2 Page 2 Welcome To Your Home We would like to welcome you to your new home. Renting a home has many joys but it also means responsibility and hard work. It is our goal at Fairfield Affordable Housing, Inc. to provide the best value for your rental dollar. We need your help if we are going to keep our rents at low rates. In this booklet, you will find instructions on how to take care of your home and answers to questions that are most often asked by our tenants and their support providers. Some of these things you can do for yourself and others your support provider will have to do for you. By working together to take care of your home, We can keep your house in good repair and continue to provide the lowest rent with all of the services to which you have become accustomed. If you have questions about your home, call us. We will be happy to assist you. The Staff of Fairfield Affordable Housing, Inc. Provider Agreement Page 15 The provider agrees to: 1. Abide by necessary and reasonable regulations established by FAH, Inc., for the benefit and well being of the community and the renters; 2. Keep the house and grounds in a clean and safe condition, including proper disposal of all garbage and rubbish, proper storage of flammable liquids and proper use of electrical outlets, electrical extension cords, plumbing, sanitary, heating, ventilating and other facilities; 3. Assure that garbage and rubbish is placed in the container and that the container is kept in a location that is accessible to the appropriate trash collection service; 4. Refrain from throwing sweepings, rubbish, sanitary items or other foreign items into the toilet bowl; 5. Refrain from smoking in the house or garage and dispose of all smoking related debris safely and properly, not on the grounds nor on any neighbor s property; 6. Use utilities in a reasonable manner; 7. Refrain from having animals in and around the house, garage and yard; 8. Assure that staff do not willfully damage or destroy or remove any part of the dwelling unit property; 9. In keeping with services described in renters Individual Service Plans, prevent to the extent possible damage, destruction or removal of any part of the dwelling unit property by renters or guests and illegal conduct or actions detrimental to the community by staff, renters or guests; 10. Prevent anyone other than renter from living in the house; 11. Take prudent action to maintain good relationships with neighbors; 12. Park only in designated parking spaces; 13. Allow FAH and its contractors to enter the house for inspections and to make repairs; 14. Notify FAH or contractor of the need for repairs to the house and of unsafe conditions in the house or the grounds which may lead to damage or cause injury; 15. Pay for any repairs, including material and labor, in the case of willful or negligent damage by provider staff to the property or grounds; 16. Surrender all keys to the house on the last date of providing service to any individual living in the house.

3 Page 14 Page 3 Tenant/Provider Responsibilites Table of Contents Changing light bulbs Housekeeping Trash Receptacles Leaves Yard Debris Carpet Cleaning TENANT/PROVIDER RESPONSIBILITIES Troubleshoot Routine Maintenance Salt and Shovel sidewalks/driveways prior to contractor or/fahi arrival Be available at home for FMHA inspections Be available at home on extermination dates to allow contractor to exterminate inside of home Keep water softener supplied with salt Keep water filters clean/replaced Notify provider company of any known maintenance issues Notify FAHI of any routine/emergency maintenance concerns 2. WELCOME 3. TABLE OF CONTENTS 4. MAINTENANCE REQUESTS 5. CLASSIFICATION OF MAINTENANCE REQUESTS 6. HEALTH AND SAFETY PROCEDURES 7. INSPECTIONS 8. APPLIANCES 9. ROUTINE PROCEDURES 10. EXTERMINATION /CLEANLINESS PROCEDURES 11. CLEANLINESS PROCEDURES CON T/TOOL KIT 12. LAWN CARE/SNOW REMOVAL FAIRFIELD AFFORDABLE HOUSING, INC. Does NOT permit smoking in your home or garage. If you or your provider choose to smoke, you must smoke outside and you must dispose of your cigarette butts in an appropriate container. These containers must be emptied or disposed of properly at the end of the day/shift. Cigarette butts are not to be disposed of in bushes, on the ground or in the yard. Please dispose in a safe manner to avoid a fire hazard. 13. LEASE SUMMARY 14. TENANT/PROVIDER RESPONSIBILITIES 15. PROVIDER AGREEMENT BACK PAGE CONTACT INFORMATION

4 Page 4 Maintenance Requests Lease Summary Page 13 Routine Repairs: All routine repair requests must be reported to FAHI by completing a WORK ORDER REQUEST form. Fax the form to We normally complete routine repairs within days of receipt of the Work Order Request form. If you have any questions regarding the status of the maintenance request, please call our Emergency Repairs For Emergencies during regular business hours, please contact or During non business hours, including weekends and holidays, please call PLEASE DO NOT CALL SUSIE DURING REGULAR BUSI NESS HOURS. PLEASE DO NOT CALL AFTER HOURS WITH ISSUES THAT ARE NOT EMERGENCIES. ONLY EMERGENCY CALLS WILL RECEIVE SERVICE AFTER REGULAR BUSI NESS HOURS OR ON WEEKENDS OR HOLIDAYS. Special Projects Occasionally, we may have to do extensive work to a property. We will work with you and your provider to inform you of the work schedule and ensure that the work is completed at a time convenient to you. Your rent is determined by the FCBDD and your portion payable to Fairfield Affordable Housing, Inc. is due in our office by the 5th of the month. Rent is payable by check or money order only. Cash is not accepted. The lease is for a term of 1 year and extends automatically on a month to month basis until either the tenant or FAHI gives a 30 day notice. Tenant/Provider must notify FAHI of necessary repairs. You are expected to maintain the house in the same condition you received it in, except for normal wear and tear. If you fail to keep the house in good condition, your lease can be cancelled and you can be billed for damages. Tenants are responsible for paying all utilities. No one else can live in the house except for the people who have signed the lease. You may not paint or change the house unless you have permission from FAHI. Pets are not allowed (with the exception of goldfish, hamster or bird). When you call for maintenance, we consider your request as permission to enter your house. You are expected to respect the neighborhood and do nothing to disturb the peace of the neighborhood. You are responsible to make sure that neither you nor any of your house guests do anything to break the law in your house. Please call us if you have any questions regarding your lease. We will be happy to assist you. Fairfield Affordable Housing, Inc.

5 Page 12 Lawn Care FAHI will provide basic lawn care at your home. We will mow your yard (usually every week unless it has not been growing due to lack of rain). Mulch/rock will be put around the house every other year. If you plant a vegetable garden or a flower garden, we suggest you mark it with stakes or a little fence so our lawn crews don t accidentally mow over it. If you plant flowers around your home, you are responsible for taking care of them. You are also responsible for pulling weeds in the flower beds/ landscape around your home. Raking leaves is the responsibility of the resident/provider. Please do not allow leaves to build up on your lawn as it will restrict our lawn crews from mowing the grass and could damage their equipment. Leaves left on the lawn could potentially damage the grass. Snow Removal FAHI and its contractors will supply snow removal services to your home once the snow has accumulated 2 or more inches. We remove snow from the driveway and sidewalks only. It is important that you put all vehicles in the garage or on the street to allow the crews to remove the snow properly. Snow will only be removed from areas the crews can access. We highly recommend that you keep a snow shovel and salt/calcium (for concrete areas), and a broom on hand to aide you in removing ice/snow when the accumulation is less than 2 inches. We also recommend that you salt /calcium the steps and walkways prior to predicted precipitation. Please refer to the SNOW POLICY you were sent. Classifications of Maintenance Requests Page 5 Routine Leaky Faucet Appliance Repair (refrigerator provider needs to see that food is removed or iced down in cooler) FAHI is not responsible for spoiled food. Furnace Filter Replacement Pest Control (routine only) Lawn Maintenance Garage Doors Window Screen Repair Snow Removal Garbage Disposal Various other minor repairs Emergency Gas Line broken or leaking Fire Loss of Power due to failure within the home and not with your local utility company. Broken Water Lines Exposed Electrical Lines Loose Ceilings No Heat Broken Exterior Door Locks Any other condition that might cause harm to the tenant or others or cause damage to the property.

6 Page 6 Smoke/Carbon Monoxide Detectors Each FAHI home has an interconnected smoke/carbon monoxide detector system. The system is powered by your homes electrical system. When the system detects smoke, carbon monoxide or excessive heat, an alarm will sound. You should then follow your fire evacuation plan. The monitoring company will contact the fire department who will dispatch fire trucks to the scene. The monitoring company will also call FAHI and inform us that smoke/ carbon monoxide detectors have gone off at your property. If the key pad shows anything except READY, please call FAHI to arrange for service. If there is a power outage, the system will operate for several hours. It has a battery back up system which is constantly recharging when power is present. If your phone is not operational, the alarm will sound in the event of a fire but no signal will be sent to the monitoring company and the fire department will not be notified. In case of a fire when your phones are not working, follow your evacuation plan and call 911 from a neighbor s house or from a cell phone. Fire Extinguisher Fire extinguishers are located in your home for your use when needed. If you experience a fire, we recommend you leave the home immediately. Should you ever use your fire extinguisher, please contact FAHI for a replacement. Fire extinguishers are tagged and inspected annually. Garbage Please keep your garbage in garbage cans with lids on them. This will keep bugs and animals away from your garbage. Remember to regularly clean out the inside of your garbage cans to keep them free of bugs and odors. If you have a shed or garage, please store your garbage cans inside the garage/shed and return them to that location after your garbage is picked. up. Please put your garbage out weekly. Page 11 Bathroom Care You should thoroughly clean your bathroom with a disinfectant cleaner once a week. If this is not done, soap scum will begin to build up on your tub/shower and sink. Also be sure to clean your toilet with toilet bowl cleaner and a toilet brush. Lack of cleaning will also cause your bathroom to smell and will cause fungus and mildew to grow in the bathroom grout/ caulking. Be sure to use your ventilation fan to avoid moisture build up and to ventilate odors. Toilets Be careful not to flush any paper products down a toilet other than toilet paper. Items such as paper towels, personal wipes, rubber gloves or feminine hygiene products will clog your toilet and should not be disposed of in this manner. If your toilet becomes clogged, you should use a toilet plunger and attempt to solve the problem before calling maintenance. If you have a toilet that continues to run after flushing, please contact our office immediately. A running toilet will result in very high water bills. Household Tool Kit We recommend that you have a simple tool kit in your home (hammer, screw driver, pliers, lubricant, toilet plunger, etc.). Very often there will be simple repairs to your house that you or your provider can complete. For instance, you may be able to tighten a loose screw on a kitchen cabinet or oil a squeaky door hinge. This will save a trip by FAHI maintenance and help keep our costs down.

7 Page 10 Pest Extermination When warm weather arrives, so do some other unwelcome visitors such as ants, mice, roaches, or other creepy crawlers. We recommend that you do the following: Vacuum your kitchen floor daily to remove all food crumbs. Wash the floor weekly. Immediately clean up food or beverage spills. Do not leave unwashed dishes in your sink for any length of time. Keep lids on all your trash cans. Make sure your garbage is taken out regularly. If you collect pop cans for recycling, wash them out with water and store them in plastic garbage bags. Take the cans to your recycling location often. If you do begin to see a few bugs/mice, purchase and use over the counter sprays and traps. Be sure to follow the directions on the label. FAHI does provide quarterly extermination of your home. Please refer to the schedule you were sent in December. It is your responsibility to have someone at your home the day you are scheduled for extermination so they can enter and spray inside. It is your responsibility to notify FAHI of any bugs you may notice in your home that continue to appear after extermination. Light Bulbs You should always have a supply of light bulbs on hand to use when bulbs burn out. Always use a low wattage bulb (40 60 watt). We also recommend that you use the new spiral fluorescent bulbs. They last longer and use less energy. Please note: FAHI does not change or supply light bulbs. Wall Maintenance The walls in your home should be cleaned with a sponge or cloth dipped in a mild soap and warm water to remove dirt and fingerprints on your walls. Magic Erasers are also available at your local store to remove smudges and marks. Page 7 Furnace Inspection Your furnace will be inspected annually. Furnace filters are inspected and replaced by FAHI every three months. Please check your filter monthly. If you find that it is dirty and needs replaced sooner, please complete a work order request and we will see that it is replaced. Clean filters prolong the life and efficiency of your furnace. Electrical Inspection The electrical system in your home is inspected every three years. Should you notice anything electrical not working properly in your home, please complete a work order request and FAHI will evaluate it immediately. Cleanliness Inspection Cleanliness inspections will be done in each home monthly. A report will be provided to the FCBDD, the provider and the tenant. It is the tenant/ provider s responsibility to see that any findings are corrected immediately. HQS Inspection FAHI requires each home be inspected for health and safety annually. These inspections are performed by Fairfield Metropolitan Housing Authority. These inspections are scheduled in advance by FMHA and you will be contacted by mail as to the date and time of your inspection. You MUST have someone in the home at the time for the inspection. FAHI will be notified of any necessary repairs resulting from this inspection and will complete those repairs in a timely manner.

8 Page 8 Appliances FAHI provides the electric range and the refrigerator in each home. All other appliances such as the washer/dryer, microwave, etc. are the property of the tenant/provider. FAHI will only pay for repairs to the range and refrigerator. FAHI must be notified when repairs are needed and FAHI will schedule the needed repair. If your home has a dishwasher and requires extensive repairs, FAHI will have the dishwasher removed unless it is required in the tenants ISP. Dishwasher Always rinse off dirty dishes before putting them into the dishwasher. Make sure you do not block the spray arms when loading. Do not put plastic items in the dishwasher. Use only dishwasher detergent in your dishwasher. NEVER use regular dishwashing soap in your dishwasher. Please do not sit on the dishwasher door, or lay heavy objects on the door when it is open as this will break the hinges. Washer/Dryer When loading the washing machine, do not put too much clothing into it. Overloading will cause the machine to shake and sometimes not operate. Do not use more detergent than necessary and always keep your washer/dryer level. Be sure to clean the lint trap on your dryer after EACH load. It is your responsibility to reattach a dryer hose that becomes disconnected FAHI is not responsible for repairs to your washer and dryer. It is the tenant/provider s responsibility to contact a repair person and pay for these repairs Page 9 Vinyl Floor Care Recommendations Clean floors weekly using warm water and a cleaning product. DO NOT use a shining or wax product as these will seal in the dirt. Do not use bleach directly on the floors. Make sure your kitchen table and chairs have floor protectors under the legs to prevent scratching or damaging the floor. Garbage Disposals Always remember to run water when you are using your disposal and for at least a minute after you finish. This helps prevent blockages. Never pour cooking grease into your disposal or sink. This will block the disposal and sink lines. Other items you should never put down the disposal bones, coffee grounds, egg shells, rice, celery or spaghetti. It is best not to put anything down the disposal. If you drop a solid object such as a knife or fork into your disposal, turn it off immediately. Be sure the garbage disposal is not running when reaching into the disposal to remove the item. If the item becomes jammed. Please write a routine work order request and submit it to FAHI. Carpet Care It is your responsibility to keep the carpet clean in your house. You should vacuum your carpet at least once a week to keep dirt from being ground into the carpet. If you see dirt on the carpet, you may have to vacuum more often. Anytime you spill something on your carpet, you should clean it up immediately. We recommend that you always keep carpet stain remover in your home. We recommend that you have your carpets cleaned twice a year. You may have to do this more often if you have excessive staining.