Room Setup Guidelines
When setting up your room, please make sure there is at least 18” clearance between any sprinkler heads and your furniture or decorations. Additionally, please make sure there is nothing hanging from or wrapped around sprinkler pipes, ducts, conduits and/or obstructing windows. All doors must be able to open and close freely and cannot be obstructed by furnishings. These tips ensure compliance with local fire codes and are important for life safety. If anything is blocking egress, we will ask for it to be moved.
Modifying the room (painting, flooring, changing fixtures, etc.) is prohibited by your housing agreement unless you have been given written permission from the House Corporation. This clause includes modifying the room doors (no drilling holes, no adding/changing locks, no painting the doors, etc.). We ask that you are careful not to drag furniture on the floors and that you are extremely careful not to damage the walls in the hallways and stairwells while moving furniture. Please wash your bedding before you arrive, in order to avoid staining the walls with dye. If the House Corporation has provided furniture for your house, do not remove it from the room that it belongs in. At the termination of your housing agreement, you will be responsible for the furnishings that were in the room when you moved in.
Please make sure to note the condition of the room via the Move-In Condition Report when you move in and return the form so we have it on record. We also suggest that you take pictures of your room when you arrive, in order to clearly document the condition. If your room is not in the condition that it should be when you move-in, please let us know as soon as possible so we can take steps to correct the condition. If there are any immediate concerns upon move-in, please submit a maintenance request or reply to this email with the room inspection form. If you choose not to complete and return the room inspection form, you accept the room in its current condition and understand that we have no way to know of any deficiencies at move-in. As a result, you may be held accountable for any pre existing issues you did not report to us.
Conduct and Damage
We expect that you treat the fraternity house as you would treat your own home. The House Corporation covers normal repairs related to wear and tear, but all tenants are jointly responsible for the damages in the house. When damage occurs, we recommend that the Chapter report the accountable party or parties to us immediately so that the cost for the damage can be assigned to the responsible tenant(s). We also recommend the Chapter establish and utilize a Judicial Board to hold specific individuals accountable. Any damage that goes unreported, or for which accountability cannot be determined, will be split evenly between all tenants.
Health
Due to the communal nature of a fraternity house, certain measures must be taken by occupants to ensure that the house remains a healthy and pest-free environment. We highly recommend that all spaces be kept tidy. Common spaces should have Chapter scheduled cleaning times and/or a janitorial service to maintain their good condition. It is a good idea to use disinfectants such as Lysol in your regular cleaning process. Frequently touched surfaces and/or highly trafficked areas, such as doorknobs and stairwells, should be cleaned frequently. In order to maintain good hygiene, we also recommend that you regularly wash your bedding.
By being on the premises you are acknowledging that an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 and other contagious diseases exists in any place where people are present and voluntarily assuming all risks related to exposure. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, senior citizens and persons with underlying medical conditions are especially vulnerable. Health and safety measures have been taken for the safety of our tenants and their guests but each individual is responsible for use of the premises and personal conduct that promotes their own personal safety. All persons on this premises must follow all posted instructions and comply with all current national, state, and local law, regulations and guidelines. By being on this premises you agree not to hold the owner, lessor, operator, tenants, chapter, fraternity, guests, vendors, contractors, directors, officers, employees, agents, or volunteers liable for any illness or injury whatsoever.
Your agreements prohibit furniture from second hand stores or websites like Craigslist to protect you against pests such as bedbugs, which have become more common in recent years. These pests are a costly and uncomfortable issue and are often transmitted on used furniture. If bedbugs are found in the house, costs associated with the remediation process may be assigned to anyone who has violated this policy.
Safety
Safety is our top priority. We endeavor to make sure that the house is safe for you and your Brothers at all times but we require you to work with us in this effort. We visit each property regularly, but we are not there in the middle of the night to make sure that everyone has safety on their mind.
Please make sure that your conduct helps us to keep you safe. Be conscious of things like closing and locking exterior doors and not taking on dangerous activities like smoking or burning candles in the Chapter house, which are prohibited by the housing agreement.
Please respect the integrity of all life safety systems such as smoke detectors, fire alarm panels, fire sprinklers, extinguishers, door hardware, etc. and report any problems that you may notice. “Bagging” or removing smoke detectors or tampering with safety equipment can create an extremely dangerous environment for you and your Brothers and is illegal. If noticed, we will take immediate action to correct the situation and any cost of correction and system recertification will be billed back to you.
Maintenance Requests
Just as is true with any property, there are times when things break, wear out, or need adjustments. Please notify us any time you find maintenance is needed by filling out a maintenance request form through our website, by calling our office, or by sending us an email. Sometimes, simple repairs can be handled by an especially handy Brother, but often a vendor is needed. Our staff is happy to coordinate repairs with the House Manager. Vendor work requested by the Chapter may be billed back to the Chapter if the work that is needed is a result of damage.
The Chapter is responsible for providing toilet paper, paper towels, soap, light bulbs, and other normal small items required to maintain the house. Each Chapter should have a small budget for these items which can be accessed through the House Manager. The Chapter should be self-sufficient in regards to the small items mentioned above. Vendor bills for these items may be billed back to the Chapter if it is determined that the Chapter is responsible for the task themselves.