Resident Hand Book
You are valued as a resident and we would like to make sure all the information that you may need is right at your fingertips. We have put together this handbook to answer the most commonly asked questions.
General Office Information
| OFFICE HOURS | MONDAY thru FRIDAY 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM |
| Mailing Address | PO BOX 129, Graham, WA 98338 |
| Office Contact | Erika – Property Manager (253) 363-3065 |
| Erika@prosperhomes.com | |
| Website | www.prosperhomes.com |
| Maintenance Emergency Only | TEXT & CALL Vlad at 253-343-4227 |
Routine communications should be directed to Erika during normal business hours. Emailing is the best way to contact the office. Emails and phones are not monitored after hours. If you contact us outside of normal hours, we will respond within 24 to 48 hours during normal office hours. PLEASE SUBMIT ANY MAINTENANCE REQUESTS THROUGH YOUR ONLINE PORTAL ONLY.
RENT
Unless otherwise stated on your current lease agreement, Rent is due on the 1st and considered late if not received by the 1st of the month (postmarked on the 1st does not count, we must receive it in our box by the 1st). There is a 5 day grace period before late fees are charged. To avoid late fees, please mail your Money Order(s) or Cashier’s Check(s) (no cash, personal checks or bill pay accepted at any time) to the following address:
Prosper Property Management LLC Payable to: Prosper Property Management LLC
PO Box 129
Graham, WA 98338
WAYS TO PAY RENT
- Mail money order or cashier’s check (Hand deliver it to the clerk at Graham post office to ensure that it will be put into our box immediately)
- Pay by routing number and checking account number on your resident portal (there may be a convenience fee for this)
- Pay by credit or debit card on your resident portal (there may be a convenience fee for this)
HOW TO PAY RENT LATE
- If your payment is late, you will no longer have access to pay rent online until your payment is made in full.
- You will have the option to either overnight the payment to us in full (you will find the full balance owing in your online portal) or you will have to drop off a Cashier’s Check or Money Order (no cash or personal check accepted at any time) at the Post Office in Graham during their business hours.
- If you decide to drop the payment off at the Post Office, please have a stamped and addressed envelope made out to Prosper Property Management LLC, PO Box 129 Graham, WA 98338.
- Hand it directly to the clerk and ask them to put it into our PO Box 129. Give us a call with any further questions or concerns.
SMOKE DETECTORS AND CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTORS
Your home is equipped with at least one working smoke detector and one carbon monoxide detector. It is your responsibility to check them monthly and for replacement of batteries. Disabling or tampering with these devices is a violation of your lease. If you need help testing or replacing these detectors, please contact your property manager in writing.
MAINTENANCE
If you have a maintenance issue, submit a work order through your AppFolio online Tenant Portal with a description of the issue. When submitting your work order please remember to complete the section on how to enter the property. If you need to be present, remember that the maintenance staff schedules appointments Monday – Friday, from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM. In case of an emergency, please see the “what is an emergency” section on the last page of this Handbook. TEXT & CALL Vlad at 253-343-4227 and state EMERGENCY at the beginning of the text. If there is no answer, leave a detailed voicemail description along with your name, rental address and phone number. Vlad’s voicemail will include another number to call if he does not respond within 15 minutes.
- TENANT MAINTENANCE RESPONSIBILITIES
The property owner has a duty to maintain your residence to uniform codes of safety as required by Landlord/Tenant Law. We encourage you to report maintenance items. However, there are items that are the tenant’s responsibility and we have listed them here (please refer to your lease agreement for more details on the list below):
- Replacing light bulbs with the correct size
- Replacing furnace air filters every month (12-month lease means you will use 12 filters)
- Replacing batteries for smoke alarms
- Reporting non-functioning smoke alarms immediately If batteries do not solve the problem
- Reporting all necessary repairs
- Normal insect control
- Utilities must remain on during tenancy, to include times of deployment or vacation
- Disposal of all garbage in the proper receptacles and using the weekly pick up service. If your dumpster has a provided lock and key, it is the tenant(s) responsibility to keep the dumpsters locked at all times.
- If the residence has a fireplace, use caution and care when operating the fireplace and disposing of ashes or coals. Do not dispose of coals in the fireplace until they have cooled outside for a week.
- Check to see if damper is open before starting a fire in the fireplace.
- Disposing of toxic waste properly in accordance with local and county laws
- PLUMBING PROBLEMS
DO NOT use Drain-O or similar products. The only items safe to put down the drains of the property are human waste and toilet paper. The following items are prohibited: paper towels, grease, tampons, sanitary napkins, food, condoms, paint, toys, litter from pet waste, clothing, and any other items of similar nature as listed above. While landlord is responsible to repair plumbing systems when they wear out or break in the course of normal use, tenant is responsible for repairs caused by tenant’s negligence. If tenant or another person during tenancy puts any item down the drain other than human waste and toilet paper and causes a plumbing blockage, the resulting plumbing bill shall be paid by tenant.
- WATER SHUT-OFF
Locate the main water cut-off valve for use in case of emergency. Most properties have a single valve (often located on an exterior wall near the front door, in the garage, utility room, closet or under a sink) which will stop all water from going to the interior water lines. Most fixtures have individual cutoffs to enable you to shut off a leaking toilet, for example, without loss of service to the rest of your water supply. It is your responsibility to know the location of these cutoffs and how to use them to prevent excessive water damage to the property and your possessions in the event of an emergency.
- LEAK DETECTOR
There are leak alarms behind your dishwasher, washing machine and next to your hot water tank. If you happen to hear an alarm sound coming from one of those areas, it is most likely your leak alarm telling you there is a leak. The leak alarm will continue to go off until you dry it off completely. If you have a leak please locate the water shut-off.
- ELECTRIC POWER
Locate the power panel, normally situated on the interior wall opposite the electric meter. In newer properties, you will find circuit breakers in the panel box. These are operated on/off by flipping a switch. To check breakers, turn them off and then on again. Often a tripped breaker will move only slightly and cannot be detected at first glance. There is normally a legend on the inside of the breaker box door indicating which circuits the breakers control. CIRCUIT BREAKERS ARE NOT DESIGNED TO BE USED DAILY OR AS SUBSTITUTE ON/OFF SWITCHES.
- GFCI CIRCUITS
GFCI stands for Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter and these breakers function as a safety device to cut power to circuits when an abnormality (such as a short or overload) is detected. These breakers may be identified by a red or yellow button in the circuit breaker box or are otherwise different in appearance from other breakers. Another type of GFCI looks like the typical wall outlet with a test/reset button between the plug-ins. GFCIs may be found in bathrooms, kitchens, garages or utility rooms. Always check the GFCI breaker(s) before requesting maintenance. Covers on exterior outlets should remain closed when not in use. ALL BREAKERS SHOULD REMAIN “ON” DURING TENANCY
- WATER HEATERS If the water heater fails to provide any hot water, check the breaker. If the tank is leaking, you should contact maintenance immediately.
VACATING
You must provide at least 20 days’ written notice to vacate, either by the 10th or 11th of the month depending on how many days are in a month. When you give notice to vacate, you will receive written acknowledgement from us and we will request a preliminary inspection of the property. Also, we need to advertise and show the property prior to your departure and we must have access (with reasonable notice) during normal hours. Therefore, it is important that the property be kept in good order and the general appearance satisfactory at all times. If you have pets, they must be confined or segregated in such a way that the property may be shown without interference. Any other condition which may affect the showing process must be disclosed to your Property Manager.
IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS AND CONTACTS
| EMERGENCY | Police Department | 911 | |
| Fire Department | 911 | ||
| Routine Maintenance | Resident Portal | Use resident portal to submit maintenance requests: https://prosperpm.appfolio.com/connect/users/sign_in | |
| Tacoma | 253-798-4721 | http://www.cityoftacoma.org/cms/one.aspx?portalId=169&pageId=11953 | |
| Sumner | 253-863-1800 | http://sumnerwa.gov/police/ | |
| POLICE | Puyallup | 253-841-5415 | http://www.cityofpuyallup.org/services/police-department/ |
| Auburn | 253-288-2121 | http://www.auburnwa.gov/services/police.htm | |
| Federal Way | 253-835-2121 | http://www.cityoffederalway.com/police | |
| Pierce County Sheriff | 253-798-7530 | http://www.co.pierce.wa.us/index.aspx?nid=121 | |
| King County Sheriff | 206-296-3311 | http://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/sheriff.aspx | |
| POLICE FIRE | Tacoma | 253-591-5737 | http://www.cityoftacoma.org/cms/one.aspx?portalId=169&pageId=13217 |
| Sumner Puyallup | 253-863-1800 253-538-6400 | https://www.eastpiercefire.org/ http://www.centralpiercefire.org/ | |
| Eatonville | (360) 832-6111 | http://www.eatonville-wa.gov/police | |
| Auburn | 253-288-5800 | www.vrfa.org | |
| Federal Way | 253-839-6234 | http://www.southkingfire.org/ | |
| City of Auburn | 253-931-3038 | http://www.auburnwa.gov/services/utilities.htm | |
| City of Puyallup | 253-841-5550 | http://www.cityofpuyallup.org/services/utility-billing/ | |
| UTILITY SERVICES | City of Sumner | 253-299-5546 | http://sumnerwa.gov/living/utilities/ |
| Elmhurst Mutual Power & Light | 253 531-4646 | http://www.elmhurstmutual.org/ | |
| Firgrove Mutual | 253-845-1542 | http://www.firgrove.org/ | |
| Fruitland Mutual Water Company | 253-848-5519 | http://fruitlandwater.com/ | |
| Murreys Disposal/Dm Disposal | 253-414-0345 | http://www.murreysdisposal.com/ | |
| UTILITY SERVICES | Lemay Inc. Pierce County Refuse | 253-875-5053 | http://lemaypiercecountyrefuse.com/ |
| Pierce County Sewer | 253-798-4050 | http://www.co.pierce.wa.us/index.aspx?NID=1644 | |
| Puget Sound Energy | 1-888-225 5773 | https://pse.com/Pages/default.aspx | |
| Electric (Eatonville) | 253-847-4363 | http://ohop.coop/ | |
| Lakewood Water District | 253-588-4423 | https://www.lakewoodwater.org/ | |
| Rainier View Water | 253-537-6634 | http://www.rainierviewwater.com/ | |
| Spanaway Water Company | 253-531-9024 | http://spanaway-water.org/ | |
| Tacoma Public Utilities | 253-502-8000 | http://www.mytpu.org/ | |
| Waste Management | 1-866-909-4458 | https://www.wm.com/index.jsp | |
Prosper Property Management’s Definition of an Emergency Situation:
AN EMERGENCY IS DEFINED AS: “A sudden, urgent, unexpected occurrence requiring immediate action.” We have further defined it as imminent danger of creating property damage or injury AND it must be one of the following situations:
HVAC
-No heat in the property and the outside temperature is below 55 degrees or is forecast to be below 55 degrees
ELECTRICAL
-No electricity to major appliances such as refrigerator, stove, or HVAC units
-No electricity to over 50% of the home
PLUMBING
-Clogged sewer line: if there is no other usable toilet or shower in the property
-Burst water supply lines
APPLIANCE REPAIR
-Refrigerator not working
STRUCTURAL
-Storm damage to roof: tree limbs on roof, etc.
-Community Entrance blocked
SECURITY
-Break-in/Burglary (Please call 911 first)
-Broken Lock/Broken Window that is easily accessible (i.e. first floor) allowing for potential break-in/burglary.
EXAMPLES OF “NOT AN EMERGENCY”
- No Hot Water in your Apartment This may be considered an emergency ONLY if there has been no hot water for an extended period of time: 24 hrs or more.
- Clogged or Backed Up Toilet This may be considered an emergency ONLY if there is only one toilet in your home. In any case, turn off the valve behind the non-functioning toilet, shut the lid and clean up any mess.
- Immediate Security/Safety Issues Please contact the Police @ 911. If the problem is not serious enough to involve the Police, such as a noise complaint, please let us know by submitting a written complaint detailing the situation. Always feel free to call the office at 253-363-3065 or emailing Erika at erika@prosperhomes.com.
- Assigned Parking Space Disputes
Of course, if there is danger to life, call 911 immediately. If the danger is to the property, please TEXT & CALL Vlad at 253-343-4227 and state EMERGENCY at the beginning of the text. If there is no answer, leave a detailed voicemail description along with your name, rental address and phone number. Vlad’s voicemail will include another number to call if he does not respond within 15 minutes.
In case of an absolute emergency AND you have not heard back from anyone at Prosper, have whatever repairs done as economically as possible. You will be reimbursed for your out of pocket expenses AS LONG AS THE CALL WAS JUSTIFIED AS AN EMERGENCY, AS DEFINED ABOVE IN THIS ADDENDUM. Remember, this must be an emergency that cannot wait until the next business day to be repaired or one that MAY create property damage or injury.
AN INCONVENIENCE IS NOT CONSIDERED AN EMERGENCY.