Please report any of the following to the Front Desk IMMEDIATELY: Overflowing toilet, sink, bathtub, or washing machine; broken pipes; broken locks; broken exterior windows
Are you experiencing a maintenance issue? Report it to Front Desk!
Even though we have both a Maintenance and a Housekeeping staff on site, it is the responsibility of all residents to maintain the cleanliness of the building. Room and suite inspections will be carried out at various times of the year. At the end of the year before you leave, a final room and suite inspection will be conducted. You and your suitemates may be charged for any necessary extra cleaning or repairs – this is preventable by cleaning your room and suite on a regular basis throughout the year. As well, all repairs should be reported immediately so that they may be attended to on a timely basis.
Electrical Appliances
Every kitchen has three major appliances: an electric stove, a refrigerator, and a microwave oven. It is very important that you use these appliances properly and clean them regularly. The following covers most of the pertinent information about them, including cleaning instructions:
Electric Stove
The stove should only be used for cooking. Never use it to heat the suite.
The stove should never be left unattended when the burners are being used, and should be checked frequently when the oven is on.
ALWAYS use the range hood fan when using the stove, oven, or microwave to help remove smoke and cooking odours. If possible, open your suite window to clear any smoke, but NEVER open the suite door to let the smoke out. If any smoke from cooking reaches the hallway, it could set off the building-wide fire alarms.
When cleaning the stove, remember that heating elements may still be hot even when they are dark in colour, and the surfaces near them may also become hot enough to burn.
The drip trays under the burners have replaceable aluminum foil covering them. Please replace these covers when they become dirty (they are available at the Front Desk at no charge).
The oven is self-cleaning. Any stoves that have the dials on the front aren’t self-cleaning. The aluminum foil coverings must be removed when the oven is self-cleaning. Do not put anything in the oven during the self-cleaning cycle. Please read Setting for Oven Cleaning.
The stovetop should be wiped clean regularly. Also, you should regularly clean the front of the stove, the oven rack, the range hood (on top and underneath), and the stove drawer.
Never use a chemical cleaner on the burners or inside the oven.
Never try to repair or replace any part of the stove or move the stove.
Microwave Oven
Never try to operate the microwave with the door open. This may result in exposure to harmful microwaves.
Always run the range hood fan over the stove when operating the microwave oven. Depending on what you’re cooking, it can create just as much smoke and cooking odours as the stove and oven, and you should vent the air as much as possible by turning on the fan and possibly opening the windows.
Use microwave safe cookware. Never put metal objects or aluminum foil in the microwave.
The microwave cooking guide has additional information regarding this unit, as well as many cooking suggestions.
Clean both the interior and exterior of the microwave regularly with soap and water.
The microwave outlet should only have the microwave oven plugged into it.
Refrigerator/Freezer
The controls for the refrigerator are on the upper part of the main compartment; the freezer controls are against the rear wall inside the freezer area.
The unit is frost-free, so defrosting should never be necessary. If ice does build up, do not use sharp objects to pry or chip away the ice. Simply shut off the refrigerator using the dial setting and let the ice melt.
Try not to leave the door open for too long – this wastes energy, can ruin food, and can eventually damage the compressor. Make sure the door seals when you close it.
Don’t turn the fridge control past ‘2’ or you’ll freeze your fruits and vegetables.
Remember that you will be sharing your fridge with 3 or 4 other people, so don’t be a fridge hog!
Clean this unit with soap and water. Clean the exterior and the seal around the door as well.
Baking soda in a small container like a fast-food container or margarine tub, in both the freezer and refrigerator sections, can eliminate strong odours and protects food from absorbing strong odours.
NEVER TRY TO REPAIR, REPLACE, OR MOVE ANY APPLIANCES.
Contact Maintenance if any problems arise.
Common Bathroom Problems
To prevent water overflow, avoid clogging the toilet with large amounts of toilet paper. Never flush food, garbage, or sanitary napkins down the toilet. If a leak or overflow occurs the following steps should be taken:
To stop water from flowing into a toilet, shut off the valve at the side of the toilet near the floor. There are also valves under each sink.
Do your best to contain the water on the floor by mopping it up.
Inform your Don, the Front Desk, or the Residence Office as soon as possible. If the problem is out of control or after hours, only they can call a plumber. Always follow up by submitting a Maintenance Request Form at Front Desk. During regular office hours, Maintenance can be paged and will respond as soon as possible. If the problem is on-going, fill out a Maintenance Request Form indicating the bathroom (F or G) that is giving you the problem.
If the toilet is clogged use the plunger. The idea is to seal the drain hole with the rubber part and to then create suction. Stick the rubber end of the plunger into the toilet bowl so that it covers the drain hole. Plunge vigorously a few times and then uncover the hole. Hopefully, the water will then start to flow through the drain hole. If not, try again. Never reflush the toilet until you are sure the water will flow through the drain. Ask for advice and assistance, but expect to do your own plunging!
If your drains seem slow, fill out a Maintenance Request Form at Front Desk.
Temperature Control
There is a thermostat control in the living room of every suite. The following are some points to remember:
The lower scale shows the actual temperature of the room, while the upper one represents the temperature that you want to set. Simply turn the plastic dial to change the setting. Keep in mind that the thermostat reacts to the temperature of the air around it. Thus, the thermostat is affected by the temperature in the living room, not the bedrooms.
There are two heating/cooling units in each suite; these units are known as fan coil units. Each fan coil unit has a fan speed control switch on the front panel that will control the flow of air through the vents to the rooms that the unit supplies air to. Each fan controls the flow of air in more than one room. Therefore, two or more people sharing a fan coil unit may want different temperatures (hot or cold air). The person wanting less airflow will have to cover his/her vent. To do so, partially cover the grill with a piece of paper. It is advisable to discuss your preference with your suitemates to avoid conflicts when adjusting the temperature within the suite. Your Don can assist you in dealing with this issue.
The fans’ on/off feature is controlled from the thermostat. To keep all the fans on all the time, set the fan control of the thermostat to ‘On’. If you set it to ‘Auto’, the fans will turn on and off depending on the temperature. The fans make a very noticeable sound when they turn on or off and this can be irritating if you are a light sleeper. We suggest for harmony within the suite that you always leave the fans on.
You and your suitemates should come to a clear agreement on how warm or cold the suite should be.
Only one system, heating or air-conditioning, is available at a given time. In the early fall, the system is set to heating only. When this happens make sure the thermostat in your suite is set to heat. If you switch your thermostat to cool when the system is heating, uncontrollable amounts of heat will come through the vents. The same thing is true when the system is set to cool and you set your thermostat to heat – uncontrollable amounts of cold air will be released.
Never turn your thermostat controls from one extreme to the other in an attempt to get more cold or hot air. It should never be turned down past 15° C or past 25° C. Please help us conserve energy!
CONSIDER YOUR SUITEMATES WHEN CHANGING THE TEMPERATURE!
Keys and Locks
Every door in the building, including your suite and room doors, will always lock when they close. Make sure you have your key with you whenever you leave your bedroom and/or suite.
If you are locked out of your suite or bedroom, you must go to Front Desk and request a Limited Use Key. This key will provide you with a one-time access and MUST BE RETURNED TO THE FRONT DESK WITHIN ONE HOUR. If you do NOT return this key within one hour, you will be charged $25 to your ROSI account.
If you lose your key card, come to Front Desk and we will cut you a new key (which will immediately invalidate the lost key). The fee for this is $25.00, charged to your ROSI account.
If a door does not unlock, you will will see a red or yellow light flashing, and you should try it again. If your key does not work in your door you can get a replacement key from the Front Desk, free of charge so long as you turn in the old key. If you see a RED light in your lock, this means that the lock needs servicing, and you should fill out a Maintenance Request form at the Front Desk. The lock will continue to operate but needs to be serviced as soon as possible.
Locks in the residence are expensive to replace. Verified access locks at the entrances and in common areas are approximately $1,100 to replace. Suite and room locks are about $500 to replace. Please alert us immediately if your lock beeps, or if the key doesn’t work properly.
For your own safety and security, and the security of everyone in the building:
Never lend your key out to anyone.
Never try to copy your key. You are responsible for any damage done to the key lock system.
Never tamper with a lock or put anything other than a key card into the key slot.
Doing any of the above could result in sanctions or eviction from the Residence.
Occasionally our Maintenance and Housekeeping staff, as well as outside contractors, may need to enter suites and bedrooms to effect repairs or regular maintenance; typically this is done between 9am and 5pm. Whenever possible, written notice will be provided in the lobby or via email.
When entering a suite and/or bedroom, staff will knock and wait for an answer, repeating this twice. They will knock as they enter the room using a master key, and announce their presence as they enter. A card will be left indicating when maintenance was there and what was done.
