Emergency

You may be wondering what constitutes an “Emergency” for purposes of calling the emergency telephone line provided by Downtownian.com. An emergency is defined as any situation or circumstance in your apartment, building, or common outdoor area that threatens the life or safety of you or your neighbors or poses immediate risk of damage to your apartment or common areas of the building.

If you call the emergency line for a non-emergency maintenance request or other inquiry, you may be subject to a fine for falsely reporting an emergency.

Some examples of an emergency include a fire, flood, or break-in. Examples of non-emergencies include a car parked in your parking spot, the internet being down, or a broken washing machine.

In the event of an emergency such as a fire, immediately call 911 and then call us. Use extreme caution in exiting to safety.

Keys

You are issued one key or key fob per resident for access to the main entrances of your building. We issue two keys per mailbox regardless of the number of occupants of an apartment. You will not be issued a key to your apartment, as keypad locks do not require them. You may also be issued a trash key and a courtyard key, if applicable. We do not issue multiple keys in excess of the number of occupants of a unit. If you are locked out, you can call our emergency lockout service, but we are unable to offer “extra” keys for security reasons.

Visitors

You are welcome (and encouraged!) to have visitors in your apartment. We want you to show off your amazing place. It’s important to remind you, however, that you are responsible for your guests if any damages occur or complaints result from loud social gatherings. Your guests are bound by the rules of our buildings while on the premises, including the non-smoking rules, pet policy, and noise regulations. Do not gather in front of the building with guests or engage in loud conversations under your neighbors’ windows. Make sure your visitors are good neighbors too!

Communications

All “official” communications such as service requests, reports of noise or trash violations, or questions about your accounts should be made via your online portal. It’s important we track these messages through a central system so we can make sure the right team member responds and we can resolve any issues quickly and completely. You should, however, always feel free to call the office during business hours with questions. The phone number is 410.753.2132 and press “0” to talk to an on-call team member. Some communications, such as formal notice to terminate your lease, must be made via a specific form, signed, and delivered in hard copy via certified mail to the management center.

Resident Referral Program

Did you know that if you refer a friend or classmate to Downtownian.com and they sign a lease with us, YOU are entitled to a $250 rent credit? It’s true! We want you to tell your friends how much you enjoy being a Downtownian. Simply ask the friend you referred to put your name and apartment number on their application and if they sign a lease, we will take good care of you!

Parking

If you rent a parking space from Downtownian.com, you are entitled to use of that spot 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year – unless there is an emergency such as utility work. Each parking spot is assigned by number so you can park only in your spot. If someone is parked in your spot, do not call the emergency line. We provided you with your parking paperwork a phone number and towing code so you can have the offending parker towed. Be careful, however! If you have someone towed by mistake, you will be held responsible for the cost of the towing.

Common Area Maintenance

We’re not just apartment buildings, we’re communities. We encourage you to take pride in the common areas of our buildings. If there is a maintenance issue that you see or an opportunity to improve the appearance with a fresh coat of paint, let us know! Simply submit a maintenance request and we will have a look at the matter. This is how we maintain beautiful properties, with the help of residents like you. We cannot be everywhere at once, so we rely on you to tell us when something needs to be fixed. Our buildings are old, so we can’t promise perfection, but we do want to make our common areas, including yards and hallways, clean, comfortable, and in good condition.

Plumbing Fixtures

Your apartment has been fitted with the appropriate plumbing fixtures for your use and convenience. It is your responsibility to make sure that they remain in working order or let us know when there is a problem. Avoid clogs by disposing of cooking grease properly and not down your drain. Do not flush inappropriate items down toilets, as clogs could lead to floods, which would lead to lots of costly damage. Tell us about leaks as soon as you notice them so we can fix them and save you some money on your water bill! Finally, DO NOT MODIFY PLUMBING FIXTURES. Additions such as filters, hoses, sprinkler systems, or other items may not be made without express written permission from the management office. Under certain very limited circumstances, upgrades can be made by OUR plumber at YOUR expense, so if this is important to you, please submit a service request.

Late Rent

Rent is always due by midnight on the first day of every month. We do not offer a grace period and if your rent is late, you will be assessed a late charge automatically by our system. The internet being down, the dog eating your checkbook, or even losing your wallet (we’d really hate this to happen, just offering an example!) are not valid excuses for being late. If there is an issue with your rent, please call the office BEFORE rent is due so we can discuss the situation. Late fees will still apply, but more communication is always better. If you are a lucky Downtownian with a promotional rent discount, we unfortunately will no longer be able to honor your discount if your rent is late.

Unauthorized Roommates

If you have an unauthorized person living in your apartment (meaning not screened, approved, and listed on the lease), we reserve the right to immediately initiate eviction proceedings. Unauthorized roommates present a direct and serious threat to the safety and security of your building and your neighbors. If you would like to have a roommate after your initial lease and move-in, it is very simple to have your potential roommate complete an application and we’d be happy to process it and generate an updated lease for you!

Pest Control

We contract with a company to provide regular pest control services to your apartment and common areas, indoor and out, at your building. They have keys to access the property and will knock to alert you they are coming in. Because of the rotation, we do not have a schedule of when they will come by so we cannot provide notice of when they will make service calls. If you notice a pest problem, notify us and we can schedule a supplemental visit.

Management Right of Entry

We have had a lot of questions regarding how much notice we give before we come into an apartment for a service call or inspection. Under emergency circumstances, we can enter at any time upon knocking and announcing ourselves. An example of this would be if a flood has been reported or a gas smell has been detected. “Due notice,” the language in your lease, does not necessarily mean 24 hours. We try to give as much lead time as possible, but we do not always have the ability to give more than a few hours’ notice and a window of time we will be by to perform service. Our team member will knock to announce him or herself and if you are home, ask permission to enter and perform the work. If you are not home, the team member will enter and leave a door tag explaining the work performed.

Laundry Areas

In buildings where we provide common laundry facilities, we maintain the space and machines in clean and working order. Tenants are responsible for using the machines properly, including cleaning lint traps between loads, discarding waste appropriately, cleaning any spills, etc…

Please set a timer to make sure you do not inconvenience your neighbors by leaving loads in machines for excessive periods of time. If you leave clothes in the laundry rooms for more than 24 hours, they may be moved into storage and a fee applied to your account.

If there is a problem with a machine, please do not ignore it. Submit a service ticket and we will fix the problem as soon as we can.