John Orr Tower - Housing - Queen's University

Community HousingNeighbour to Neighbour – John Orr TowerApril 2009“Neighbour to Neighbour” is our newsletter for students in our John Orr Tower apartment building. Theintent of this newsletter is to communicate information to tenants regarding their lease with Queen’s and theirrelationship as members of the John Orr Tower apartment complex and the Kingston Community.Looking to Sublet your unit?To protect yourself, it is important that you complete the necessary paperwork thatmakes a sublet legal. Check out our website for details ‐http://housing.queensu.ca/community_housing ; or drop into our office at 169 UniversityAvenue for instructions. Sublets must be completed prior to leaving Kingston for thesummer.• You can advertise your unit for “Free” at the Accommodation Listing Service• Be Careful!, Be Choosy!• Give consideration to (smoker, non smoker, have pets or not, ability to pay rent)• Avoid high risk situations (eg., group looking for the summer party house)• As Tenants, you are responsible for whoever you choose. Responsible means that if problemsoccur, your tenancy could be placed in jeopardy. Responsibility also means that you have toconsider how you will manage the sublet while you are away from Kingston.Not subletting, going home or travelling• Email community.housing@queensu.ca to arrange for periodic checks of your unit during thebreak if you plan to be away for any length of time (> 3 days). Please include: your unit addressand the dates that you are away.• Check your insurance policy (or your parents) to see whether you are covered if away for morethan 3 days and contact your insurance company as required• Arrange for direct debit rent payments with Community Housing• Remember to maintain payment of your other bills to avoid costly late fees, disconnect andreconnection feesAir ConditionersTenants are reminded that proper installation for an air conditioner isrequired to ensure everyone’s safety along with structural integrity of ourbuildings. If you have not submitted a work order to the Facilities ControlCentre to have your air conditioner installed please do so athttps://housing.queensu.ca/communityhousing/. Community Housingreserves the right to reinstall any air conditioner where tenants have notwork ordered the installation. A minimum fee of $50 to offset the time andmaterial associated with the reinstallation (if required) will apply.• if you have one, only use if necessary ‐ set to 75 degrees or 24 CelsiusConsideration of your NeighboursAs a reminder, living in an apartment building requires that everyone be considerate of theirneighbours. Not all tenants have the same family dynamics or academic schedules. Somesuggestions . . .• Please do not leave children unattended in the playground or in the building playing in thehallways.• Keep apartment door closed so that noise or odours do not carry throughout the building• Be conscious of the volume you play your tv, stereo, and video games• When taking your pets outside for their daily functions, take them away from the sides of thebuilding or entranceways so that your neighbours do not have to experience the odour of urine orworse• Always clean‐up after your pets (poop and scoop)Page 1 of 3

• Keep pets on a leash when out side of your apartment• When using the playground/basketball it would be greatly appreciated if use of the playground /basketball court area was restricted to daylight hours.Safety First . . . Fire AlarmsWhen you hear the fire alarm sound in your building, you should evacuate the building. Weunderstand that curiosity can get the better of us all however, getting out of the buildingsafely and providing unobstructed access for the fire department to do their job is very, veryimportant! Please cooperate and exit the building quickly and safely until you are directed togo back inside by an official from the fire department.September Allocation ‐ IF YOU ARE APPLYING FOR A NEW LEASEApril 22, 2009– Application Form and Transfer Request Form (if applicable) must besubmitted to Community Housing OfficeMay 15, 2009- New Lease or CDN$300 non‐refundable deposit must be submitted to Community HousingJuly 31, 2009- Deadline to submit new lease for tenants who had submitted the CDN$300 non‐refundabledeposit.IMPORTANT : If you will be leaving Kingston before May 15 you will need to submit your formsthe earlier of 10 business days before your departure date or April 22, 2009 in order to ensure time toprocess your application and complete the offer process (i.e. sign a new lease/submit the deposit).September Allocation ‐ IF YOU ARE NOT APPLYING FOR A NEW LEASEApril 22, 2009– Deadline to complete paperwork to conduct an assignment (withopportunity to sign a new lease) prior to the end of your current lease.August 31, 2009– Return vacant possession of the rental unit to Community Housing by 12:00 p.m. (NOON, notmidnight). Return all keys for the unit to Community HousingDid you know . . .Utilities Kingston reports that city reduced its demand for electricity by 14 per cent — or 13,462 kW— during Earth Hour on March 28. Thatʹs more than double the provincial average of a six per centpower drop. Ontario posted the most significant drop in power amongst the Canadian provinces.Maintenance Requests/RepairsGeneral and Non‐Urgent Repairs• E.g. dripping taps, running toilets, pest control, broken screens, lightingproblems;• Leave a message with the Facilities Control Centre at 613‐533‐3155 or submit arequest on‐line at: http://housing.queensu.ca/community_housing.Emergency Repairs ‐ During the Day• contact the Facilities Control Centre at 613‐533‐3155 for “emergency maintenance” assistanceduring the day E.g. overflowing toilet, flood, no power, no hot water or heat, electrical, key orlock problemsPage 2 of 3

After‐Hour Emergencies• Contact Queen’s Emergency Report Centre at 613‐533‐6080 (repairs) overflowing toilet, flood, nopower, no hot water or heat, electrical, key or lock problems OR 613‐533‐6111 (safety, security,thefts)Office ClosedPlease note that Queen’s University observes Good Friday – April 10, 2009 as aholiday.Need to get a hold of us . . .o Email – community.housing@queensu.cao Phone – 613‐533‐2501o Drop In to our Office – 169 University Avenue – Monday to Friday – 9 am to 4 pm ‐ openover lunch hourManagement,Community HousingPage 3 of 3