Tenant`s Manual 572A Union Village Road Draft
Contents
1. 3 1 Electricity The tenant pays the electric bill for the apartment excluding water heating which is included in the rent You should immediately notify the electric com pany Green Mountain Power Company of the start date and new billing name and address There is a small charge to initiate service They will need to know the apartment street address Section 1 3 1 1 Heating The apartment has electric baseboard heating The exterior walls and ceiling are well insulated and tight but because of the uninsulated floor the tenant s heating costs more sensitive than usual to their temperature preferences If you Tenant s Manual rev 10 4 like a warm room you will lose some additional heat to my space at about 66 F through the floor Also note this is effectively zoned heating you can save significant energy just by only heating the rooms you are using e g only the bedroom at night or only the big room during the day The apartment has its own electric meter on the southwest side of the building the one labeled 2 You can read kilowatt hours kWh directly 3 1 2 Cooling Vermont can get hot but usually only a couple weeks of the summer The property is shady with a high canopy so it is generally cooler than in town We are also up out of the valley heat and humidity I am planning on adding something for heat mitigation this spring either an air conditioner or a whole house fan A whole house fan actuall2. Do not reset a breaker until you have cleared the cause of the trip There are ground fault interrupters GFIs on the kitchen and bath recep tacles Each has a light to indicate if it is tripped and a button to reset it 4 1 3 Water and Wastewater We have well water The water is very hard i e contains calcium carbonate CaCOg3 as it comes from the well We have a water softener which replaces the calcium ions with sodium to make NasCOs baking soda Softened water will not form scale or soap scum The cost of water heating is included in the rent The wastewater system is a septic tank and leach field Water use is limited by the septic tank capacity Please try to conserve water The water from the sillcock on the southwest side of the house is not softened 4 2 Grounds 4 2 1 Yard and Gardens 4 2 2 Deck 4 2 3 Parking 5 House Customs and Rules Of course read your lease it has a lot of good information My apologies for the legal gobbledygook it has been gradually improving but still has a way to go This section is intended to cover question about day to day living It excludes much of the obvious and many things already mentioned in the lease Much of the content id negotiable such as the sharing of resources Tenant s Manual rev 10 9 5 1 Cleaning Our biggest concern is to avoid damage to the house from bad cleaning tech niques which are usually ineffective anyway When in doubt please ask The owner i
3. Go about a mile Right at New Boston Rd Right at the Norwich Transfer Station Bare right Park anywhere and ask the attendants wearing orange to show you around Smith s Lawn Service 802 649 1094 Our neighbor Fred on Blood Hill Rd W who also also plows the driveway Town of Norwich Tracy Hall 300 Main St PO box 376 Norwich VT 05055 802 649 1419 Location of the offices of many Norwich departments U S Postal Service 293 Main St Norwich VT 05055 802 649 1608 U S IRS W 9 Form http www irs gov pub irs pdf fw9 pdf A form needed to declare the income from the deposit escrow account Verizon Wireless West Lebanon NH 603 298 9900 http www verizonwireless com A popular cell phone service provider They sell the network extender we use http www verizonwireless com accessories samsung network extender scs 2u01
4. If you cannot stop the alarm call 911 and leave the building 4 1 2 Switches and Circuit Breakers Wall Switches You can figure out most of the wall switches by experimen tation but there are a few mysterious ones e At the entrance door there are two switches the front porch light and one locked on that controls a circuit in the downstairs living space e At the bedroom door there are two switches The one on the left controls a wall receptacle and is intended for switching a lamp The other controls the outdoor floodlight on the southwest gable If the automatic motion sensing light bothers you it is sometimes tripped by deer loosen the lock screw and switch it off Tenant s Manual rev 10 8 e The switch for the kitchen ceiling light is hidden behind the room s door near the hinges The switch inside the room on the southwest wall is for a receptacle found on the northwest wall Baseboard heaters There are three baseboard heaters one in each room There is also a ceiling fan heater in the bathroom for comfort while drying off but it is not an efficient way to heat Each baseboard heater has a thermostat on it controlled with a knob It is not calibrated you just have to fiddle with it we hear this works well Be careful to leave space all around the heaters for air flow for efficiency and safety Circuit breakers The circuit breaker panel for the apartment is in the hall to the left of the bathroom door
5. costs and as an incentive to do less laundry we will charge an amount to be determined comparable to what one might spend at a laundromat There will be a coffee tin siting on the dryer for your payment Here are some procedural considerations 1 Turn on the water using the dual ball valve This valve is a safety measure to limit flooding if there is a plumbing failure 2 Set the washer timer As the water will begins flowing be sure it flows into the tub if the tub is off center and the flow misses it or if fabric deflects the flow out it will end up on the floor Tenant s Manual rev 10 10 3 The water is soft you do not need much detergent The tenant will supply the laundry products 4 When you are done washing turn off the water using the dual ball valve 5 When you are done drying remove the lint from the dryer s lint screen 6 There will be a coffee tin siting on the dryer for your payment If you prefer drying on a cloths line let us know 5 3 Snow Removal 6 Suppliers and References In this section we give contact information for some of the suppliers you may need to contact for services and references to other material you may find useful This is not an exhaustive list Please let us know if any of this information has changed so we can keep the list up to date Apartment 572A web site http UnencumberedDesign com 572apt It has photographs and other useful information Advance Transit htt
6. Tenant s Manual 572A Union Village Road Draft John H Harris 2 August 2013 Revision 10 21 July 2014 Contents 1 Introduction 2 Setting Up 3 Utilities Sel Electricity as oo eee ae toe ARO E Ra ak By Be he SLL Heating as ic pb o bg he a ey B12 COOLING sala be do dk A A Reh ee POP AK Solid COOKING sli dis cancer Soe ee SP PE eo ee es a 3 1 4 Cost Estimate 2 at tus idos al ee GS ee a 3 2 Telephone a imunes Gack PA Re A t Sid ternet ol iene ee Reon od Bee Ms a DO E Bg ed 3 4 Recycling and Rubbish o oo o 30 UNS Mall e A da a A 3 06 Furnishing o AS Bk ASAS BA A de eee dl Transportation cia a a Ae ee ted 4 Facilities 4 1 The Apartment Space o 41 1 Bire Safety pm e ad Be ee oS 4 1 2 Switches and Circuit Breakers 4 1 3 Water and Wastewater 0200 AD gt Gronids Sone O 4 2 1 Yard and Gardens Add Deck mo oS Bypass E Bid cious Ge A pe Sane we ea ety 1 ADS Parking seria depuis A dd eee hie Delete Tenant s Manual rev 10 5 House Customs and Rules Bil Cleaning a a teal o el Hk RE DES MR DEE Po A A 52 Teaundty s 2 shee als ek Dh Rete aa A ee ee o dt 5 3 Snow Removal o a pak e 6 Suppliers and References Tenant s Manual rev 10 3 1 Introduction This manual is written for renters of the apartment at 572A Union Village Rd Norwich VT 05055 It does not supersede the lease if there is inco
7. Union Village Rd which has no A after the street number Tenant s Manual rev 10 7 Bus stop Advance Transit has several stops in Norwich their Brown Route and they connect with most other transportation systems The most used are Tracy Hall and Dan amp Whit s across the street It is 2 4 miles from the apartment These two stops are visited on approximately 30 minutes intervals The park amp ride stop is slightly closer and has sanctioned commuter parking but is only visited twice a day 4 Facilities 4 1 The Apartment Space Here we cover information about the facilities and living in the building 4 1 1 Fire Safety The fire egress window is in the bedroom on the southwest side overlooking the deck and back yard The fire extinguisher is kept under the kitchen sink There are smoke and carbon monoxide alarms The tenant is responsible for e Reading the BRK First Alert User s Manual e Replacing the batteries as needed e Testing the alarms once per week The alarms run off of the electric service but each has backup batteries If either power source fails they will chirp to let you know there is a problem You should probably keep spare batteries on hand in case the chirping begins at an inconvenient time Please use alkaline batteries If you get a false trip you can press the button on the alarm to raise the threshold thus possibly silencing the alarm Also open a window to clear the air
8. dy wired for your line Comcast the cable TV company also offers voice over IP VOIP service Cell phone reception at the apartment varies with the provider So far the best reception at the apartment and in Vermont in general is with Verizon Wireless In general cell phone coverage is poor in Vermont and New Hampshire due primarily to the hills and lack of development What we lose in connectivity we gain in beauty Reception will improve at the cost of beauty as new cell towers are built Remember to test your cell phone when you visit Here are a couple helpful strategies e CDMA cell phones such as Verizon Wireless and US Cellular reception in the apartment can be augmented with a network extender essentially a household cell tower that connects your phone to the cell phone carrier through the internet If you get internet service Section 3 3 we can provide the network extender box You should get very good reception and there is no monthly fee e For those living in Vermont or New Hampshire who want a cell phone for their primary number we recommend getting a service such as a call forwarding service that allows you to have your cell phone number ring to other numbers as well so you can receive phone calls regardless of your location Comcast and Google Voice offer such services 3 3 Internet I use FairPoint Communication the telephone carrier for both telephone and DSL DSL is a digital modem technology t
9. ne s Waste Service There are others 3 5 U S Mail The shipping address of the apartment is 572A Union Village Rd Norwich VT 05055 The Norwich post office also has post office boxes If you choose either or both you must fill out a form at the Norwich post office The mail box is by the driveway entrance on Blood Hill Rd West even though the address is on Union Village Rd Note that Blood Hill Rd has a dead end in the middle This sometimes confuses visitors and deliveries Always add the West modifier to Blood Hill Road when giving directions 3 6 Furnishing Furnishings are not really a utility but equipping the apartment to you taste might be a cost so we include it here When you are settling in we will try to work with you on providing furnishings you need or space for your own furnishings Let us know your needs when you are negotiating the lease 3 7 Transportation Transportation is another service that is not really a utility but is a concern for deciding on renting at a given location For most a car is needed to get to the bus stop to park or to campus at least in winter Dartmouth campus Google says it is about 4 miles 9 minutes to the Dartmouth square The Advance Transit Brown Route goes directly to campus Another good strategy is to drive to the Dartmouth Dewy parking lot and then ride the Advance Transit shuttle around campus 1Note that this is different from the owner s address 572
10. nsistency between the two documents the lease takes precedence There is more useful information at the web site Section 6 2 Setting Up The apartment is secured by signing the lease and delivering the damage deposit You will need an IRS W 9 form filled out This is needed to open the escrow savings account to report the minuscule interest income you will make so it can be taxed Once the lease is executed the renter can proceed with setting up utilities You should read Section 3 and be sure you will have everything you need The tenant can move in after the first month s rent is paid There are two keys one for the front door and one for the basement needed to access the laundry facilities If you have any problems or questions please contact the owner John Har ris or the property manager Lis Flannery There is contact information in Section 6 for us as well as many suppliers you may want to contact 3 Utilities In this section we cover expenses not included in the rent It is in its own section to make it easier for prospective tenants to estimate their overall cost We have not tired to estimate all the many options with many vendors The best way to find out is to ask the vendors yourself so talk directly with the providers about prices terms and services The information in this document is neither comprehensive there are many other suppliers nor up to date Some contact information is provided in Section 6
11. p www advancetransit com The bus system for lo cal transportation It connects with most other locally accessible transporta tion systems Beauchene s Waste Service 603 298 7952 One supplier of curbside trash col lection BRK First Alert User s Manual http UnencumberedDesign com 572apt brk sa7101ce pdf The manual for the smoke and CO alarms Comcast http www comcast com Cable TV internet and VOIP provider Dan amp Whit s General Store 319 Main St Norwich 802 649 1602 A very authentic well supplied and friendly general store Google Voice http google voice A supplier of telephone services that may be helpful in dealing with Vermont and New Hampshire s spotty cell phone reception Green Mountain Power Corp Brattelboro VT05302 888 835 4672 The elec tric power company John Harris 572 Union Village Rd Norwich VT 05055 owner and neighbor downstairs 802 649 8130 mailto JHHarris UnencumberedDesign com The property owner and your neighbor downstairs FairPoint Communications 866 984 2001 http fairpoint com The tele phone company Tenant s Manual rev 10 11 Lis Flannery 802 649 1906 mailto ballymote ballymote us Property manager Norwich Transfer Station http norwich vt us transfer station The Town of Norwich s recycling center It is about 2 miles away on the way to campus Left on Union Village Rd Go about 2 miles into Norwich Right at Turnpike Rd
12. ransmitted through telephone twister pair wires not coaxial cable or optical fiber FairPoint has good people but there have been DSL reliability problems that we hope will be ironed out The apartment is already wired for its own telephone line which can carry voice DSL or both Comcast the cable TV company also offers internet access Speeds should be faster than DSL They offer internet TV or VOIP phone 3 4 Recycling and Rubbish The tenant is responsible for trash removal and recycling I take my trash and recycling to the Norwich Transfer Station our recycling center They have sev eral categories one humorously called No sort The most common categories are in the order you encounter them as you drive in Scrap metal No pressure vessels or glass Tenant s Manual rev 10 6 No sort Clean paper magazines newspaper glass or plastic food containers cans No garbage Styrofoam plastic bags or paint cans Corrugated cardboard Trash Universal waste i e nobody wants it including Styrofoam but no paint oil or chemicals You must buy coupons at the transfer station it comes to about 3 00 per big bag Recycling is restricted to Norwich residents You must have a sticker on your car you can get one 15 per year at Tracy Hall downtown If you recycle and compost there is a compost pile in our woods the overall cost can be very low I have not had curb collection in years One vendor is Beauche
13. s an engineer and may be able help The most important point is do not user abrasives on soft surfaces such as the fiberglass tub insert or counter tops 1 For plastic fiberglass and wood surfaces Use Scrubbing Bubbles or equivalent bathroom cleaner to remove soap scum and lime Use it with a sponge or wash rag Lime on a soft surface must be removed chemically Do not use Soft Scrub it is not soft Its abrasive is the same material as lime and so it is ineffective in removing lime but it is harder than plastics and will scratch them 2 For porcelain glass and chrome plating Soft Scrub is appropriate A 3M green scrubby can be used too 3 For stainless steel cast iron You can use most any abrasive though there is little need to use anything scratchier than a green scrubby 5 2 Laundry So far we have not had a tenant who needed to use the laundry facilities so the following is somewhat tentative as we work out the details The primary considerations are 1 we want to limit the water consumption so we do not overtax the wastewater system 2 we do not want the cat to escape into the wild These requirements seem to suggest the following measures e Please limit your laundry to two loads per week e Arrange a regular time with the owner so he can be sure the cat Pietzi does not have access to the basement when you are using it e The water is soft you do not need much detergent e To cover energy
14. y a whole apartment fan in this case is a fan in the ceiling that is usually turned on for a short period in the late evening and draws in air though the windows and cools the entire living and attic spaces It would be located over the stair well It might be a good choice in this climate and location 3 1 3 Cooking The kitchen stove is electric During the heating season this is free because any energy used to cook also warms the room reducing the energy demand on the baseboard heater The cost of heating water is included in the rent 3 1 4 Cost Estimate We don t have much history but in the period from August 2013 through Jan uary 2014 we had a well controlled experiment During that six month period the apartment s total electric consumption was 3231 kWh This averages to a per month energy consumption rate of 538 5kWh mo 1837kBTU mo for an average energy cost of 80 60 mo at 0 1496 kWh Nov 2013 The tenant reported Hi john sorry the reply took a bit 1 I keep the apartment about 70 deg 2 I keep the whole place about the same temp 3 I can t seem to remember to turn the heat down so it has been at this temp basically all winter So the numbers above represent a fairly warm room temperature with essen tially no energy conservation measures mentioned in Section 3 1 1 Tenant s Manual rev 10 5 3 2 Telephone FairPoint Communication is the local telephone carrier The apartment is al rea
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