Clogged Pipes: What Not to Put Down Your Kitchen Drain

The inspiration for this post came from a pipe that we recently had to remove from one of our properties that was badly damaged due to improper items being disposed of down the drain (pictured). As you can see, the pipe was severely clogged due to things such as grease and coffee grinds being disposed of in the kitchen sink.  

In a nutshell, the only things that should go down your kitchen sink drain are water and dish soap.

No Grease Please!

In general, we have found people feel that it is alright to dispose of grease down a kitchen drain, as long as they run the water. However, even if you flush water along with the grease, grease can still harden inside your pipes. What you may not know is that many pipes in San Francisco apartment buildings have several hundred feet to travel, so it is almost a certainty that any grease disposed of in your kitchen drain, regardless of whether you flush it down with water, will still harden along the inside of your pipes and cause slow and clogged drain issues later on down the pipe.  (Pun intended!) 

Other Items to Not Dispose of In Your Kitchen Drain

Additional items that are commonly found clogging a kitchen pipe include:

• Coffee Grinds
• dinner scraps/food
• hair

Have questions? Put them in the comments section below!

This post was written by Art Swanson, an award-winning San Francisco property manager and Chief of Property Management Operations at Lightner Property Group. Art has more than 20 years of experience managing properties in San Francisco.

LPG Featured in Fortune Small Business for Use of DocuSign: What this Means for Residents

Today, Lightner Property Group was featured in Fortune Small Business for its use of electronic signature software, DocuSign. We are very excited about this piece, and want to share it with our readers.

The article in essence describes how LPG uses electronic signature software for every facet of its business (in addition to managing apartments, LPG also manages commercial office space, does real estate development and expert witness work) to reduce time and money spent, and also to reduce hassle for its clients (residents being one of our “clients”) and also to be green (we save a whole lot of paper using this technology).

So, how does using this service make our resident’s lives easier?

• Resident’s can sign leases from the comfort of their home or office.  Also, if at the time of the lease signing, they are living in a separate state, it makes the paperwork a lot easier for both the resident and LPG.
• Have you ever signed and faxed a document only to later find out that you by accident forgot to sign your name one place, and then have to fax it all over again? We have too. DocuSign makes sure that you do not miss any places where you need to sign.
• DocuSign is a binding contract. Yes, it offers all that convenience and it is binding, so you don’t have to worry about the legality of the document.

At LPG, technology is central to our success. In addition to DocuSign, LPG also uses the following technology services to offer convenience to our residents:

• FixIt: Residents can e-mail their repair requests instead of having to fill out a written form. Written forms are still available to residents, this is just another option.
• Central Desktop: LPG uses this Web-based, secure service to streamline key elements over the course of residency such as fix it requests, notices to vacate and more.  
• Comprehensive Web site: If you are a resident, you can register for our Web site and have access to tons of information that is helpful over the course of your residency.
• Vertical Response: This is helpful for both potential new residents who are looking for apartments and also current residents. Potential new residents can sign up to get weekly e-mail alerts about apartments that have just come onto the market for rent, and current residents get e-mail notifications regarding their building or LPG-specific promotions.

Let us know in the comments section if you have any questions about any of the technology LPG uses to provide convenience to our residents.

Apartment Repair Requests: What are Reasonable Expectations?

Let’s get started with the basics: Put your request in writing. Wait, let me reiterate, put your request in writing.



If you just mention a repair request in passing to your property management company or owner, you could find yourself down the “he said, she said” path, which is never a fun place to be, especially when you have a leaky faucet that’s driving you bonkers.



After being in the biz for 25 years, we can confidently state that we are experts in this arena and have set up a great protocol for our residents that is both streamlined and convenient. Lightner Property Group requires that its residents put non-urgent repair requests in writing.



If you put your request in writing, below is how the situation will hopefully play out for you as the resident:

• Step 1: You notice that the darn faucet won’t stop dripping.


• Step 2: You WRITE down a repair request. If you are a Lightner Property Group resident, you send your written request to LPG via e-mail, fax or snail mail.


• Step 3 (for the VERY diligent resident): You follow up with a phone call. (If you are an LPG Resident you get an automatic email letting you know your request has been received.)


• Step 4: You wait for your resident manager (if applicable) to give you 24 hours notice that a repair person will be coming to your apartment. You give your resident manager (if applicable) permission to enter your apartment (if you are not able to make the appointment yourself).


• Step 5: You leave and come home to a fixed faucet.

What about an URGENT repair request…




An urgent building problem is something that threatens or could threaten someone’s life or health, or the safety of the property and cannot wait until the next business day for attention. LPG asks that residents first call their resident manager (if applicable) in the event of an emergency. LPG also provides residents with a list of emergency phone numbers to call in the event that a resident manager cannot be reached. LPG has an on-call staff person 24/7 (literally) to respond to emergency calls.



Below are a few examples of emergency repair requests:

• No electricity


• Plumbing problems (i.e. broken pipe, no hot water, heater repair, gas odor)


• Broken window, doorknob or door lock


• Locked out/Lost keys

What are your thoughts? Test out our tips and let us know if you get more timely responses from your property management company or owner.

Your Apartment Security Deposit

For the next couple of weeks, we will be providing you with blog posts around what to expect from your property management company, such as Lightner Property Group, or building owner. Expect posts about repair requests, pet policies, etc. Please feel free to comment about other posts you would like to see included!



"How Much Is My Apartment Security Deposit Going To Cost Me?"



When you are moving into a new San Francisco apartment, it is important to know exactly how much you can be charged for the apartment security deposit. No, it is not some magical number that your property management company or owner comes up with on a whim. It is in fact determined by state law.



In California, an owner is limited to charging two times the total monthly rent for an unfurnished apartment and three times the total monthly rent for a furnished apartment.



Lightner Property Group charges 1.5 times the monthly rent, so for instance, for the studio LPG currently has available in Russian Hill, the apartment security deposit would be $1,942.50 (based upon an acceptable credit score - poor credit requires a greater deposit or other guarantee).



No other amounts can be added to this sum, regardless of how the property manager or owner labels them (i.e. key deposit, last month's rent). If it is collected at the commencement of your lease (other than the 1st month's rent), it is deemed as a deposit and is subject to the state law limitations.



"Do I Get Interest on My Security Deposit?!"



If you live in San Francisco, owners are required to pay interest on your security deposit after it has been held for one year. The interest rate changes each year. Keep in mind that this is NOT based on a calendar year and changes each year on March 1st.



"What About My Security Deposit Return?"



Refund checks are a hot topic, especially given the economic climate. The refund of a security deposit in California is generally controlled by Civil Code Section 1950.8.



A landlord has 21 days from the date of the actual move out date/turnover of the apartment to refund the security deposit and provide the required documentation of any deductions taken from the security deposit.

ICK! What To Do If You Discover Mold In Your Apartment

Mold is a serious problem that the EPA has identified as having the ability to cause health issues and symptoms including allergic reactions, asthma and other respiratory complaints. As a renter, you likely want to know how to identify serious mold, how to clean it up and how to tell your property manager to ensure that s/he has all the details needed to get rid of the mold in a timely manner.

There are several types of mold, and in most instances, cleaning it up can be as easy as purchasing a common household cleaner and partnering it with a pair of ordinary household rubber gloves and a bit of good ‘ol elbow grease. In fact, many of us have had experience with mold in bathrooms that has developed as a result of humidity. If that’s the case, opening up a window, running a fan and cleaning more frequently can help reduce the amount of mold that grows in your bathroom.
It’s when mold has gotten very serious that it’s important to know the best steps to ensure that it gets taken care of as soon as possible.

How to Avoid Mold:

• Your property manager should be inspecting your unit for active water leaks, moisture, moisture damage and evidence of old water leaks at the time of move-in, move-out and at least annually.


• If you identify a water leak, you should alert your property manager immediately since mold can grow in as little as 24-72 hours after the release of water or moisture into an area that contains a source for mold, such as sheetrock or wallboard.


• You should be regularly cleaning your bathroom with common household cleaners to avoid mold.

Steps to Take After Identifying Mold

• The most important factor influencing mold growth is moisture or water. If there is mold growth in your apartment, you must clean up the mold AND fix the water problem to ensure that the mold does not grow back.


• You should document the mold through pictures and a detailed note to your property manager. This will showcase the time and date that you made the claim, and can ensure that the problem is taken care of in a timely manner.


• For property managers, if the mold has existed for a long time, covers a large area or is the result of a large water intrusion problem that includes sewage, we recommend that you should call an Industrial Hygienist For More Information Around How to Avoid and Deal with Mold, Visit MyRentalUnits.com

We put together a quick quiz to test your mold knowledge. Follow this link to test yourself:http://www.quibblo.com/quiz/8DRaYOb/Testing-Your-Mold-Knowledge