What a crazy time we are living in!
As we continue to respond to the seemingly ever changing landscape surrounding COVID, we wanted to send out the following guidance. If you have any questions regarding your specific property, please reach out to your property supervisor.
For reasons too numerous to mention we are seeing more positive COVID test results- more positive test results bring with them the very real possibility and likelihood that things will shut down again. It is the goal of Cambridge that our employees, our residents and our vendors remain safe and healthy. To that end, we may be returning to site management offices experiencing a temporary change in office hours and also the way we conduct business. This means the very real possibility of again providing coverage through call forwarding, remote access to email, checking night drop slots, and lots of public postings in and around the office area so members of the public know how to reach staff when they attempt to visit an office which is otherwise closed.
With the desire and need to limit staff exposure to the virus we are again instituting the following parameters and procedures for maintenance employee response to maintenance requests.
The attached form describes the types of issues in apartments that would justify an active response from our maintenance staff.
If a resident calls and their maintenance issue is not listed as an Urgent/Emergency Priority Work Order in the attached form, please let them know that you will record their request and that it will be handled in the order it was received following the lifting of the limited contact order prompted by the Coronavirus situation.
Our staff and resident health is a primary priority at this time. A work order should be filled out completely including the date and time of the request, and details about the maintenance issue report. Permission to enter should be obtained after we return to a more normal business format.
For those issues that are listed as a Urgent/Emergency Priority Work Order, please contact the maintenance technician that is on duty for your property. If they are unavailable or if it’s after normal work hours, please reach out to the on call afterhours emergency tech.
Remember, before proceeding to respond to a priority maintenance request, staff should inquire as follows:
- Has anyone staying in (or living with) the household tested positive for Covid-19 within the past 21 days?
- Is anyone staying in (or living with) the household who has been tested and is awaiting for COVID-19 test results?
- Has anyone staying in (or living with) the household who has been sick with the COVID-19 symptoms within the past 21 days?
- Has anyone staying in (or living with) the household decided to self-quarantine due to either symptoms or exposure to COVID-19?
Maintenance Technicians should take the following precautions when responding to a Urgent/Emergency Priority Work Order:
You are responsible for your safety and the safety of those around you. Please take all precautions:
- Protective masks and gloves should be worn at all times while in the unit
- Avoid unnecessarily touching any surfaces within the apartment
- Residents should be asked to vacate the apartment while the PRIORITY or EMERGENCY service is being completed
- Dispose of gloves after use
- Wash your hands immediately after working in a unit
It’s very possible a maintenance request may come in that does not fit in one of the categories we’ve outlined. If you on unsure whether the maintenance request qualifies as a priority and deserves
response during the limited contact period, please contact your supervisor, Scott Busch, or your regional manager for further input. While postponement of work orders will cause some
inconvenience to residents, we want to ensure residents continue to have an apartment that meets their basic needs.
Thank you again for all that you do. If you have any questions of concerns, please do reach out.
Stay healthy!