Info for Tenants

Rent: Rent is due on the first of the month. Checks should be made out to "Lincoln Towers" and can be mailed to 419 East Capitol Street, SE Washington, DC 20003. You can also just drop them through the mail slot of our office door. A late charge of $35 will be added to any rent checks received after the 5th of the month.

Parking: On-the-street parking is readily available near all of our buildings, but parking violations are zealously enforced on the Hill. All tenants are eligible for "Resident Parking" stickers that allow you to park all day without fear of evil meter-maids. More info can be found at http://dmv.washingtondc.gov

Maintenance Needs:
Tip #1: Don't let the little things wait! It is much easier for us to deal with problems when they are small and we can often prevent the little things from becoming big things.
Tip #2: Don't expect someone else to notice a problem. If you see something wrong in a building please make the effort to get in contact with us ASAP.

Lincoln Towers has a very loyal maintenance crew and group of contractors, most of whom have worked with us for years. We do our best to attend to maintenance concerns as promptly and efficiently as possible. The chart below is designed as a guide to dealing with maintenance concerns:

When calling, always leave your NAME, PHONE #, BUILDING, and APARTMENT #...

Some notes about maintenance:
Our regular maintenance staff works Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4 PM
Maintenance staff should leave behind a slip updating you about work that has been done in your apartment.
We try to plan ahead with tenants before entering apartments. For example, we do seasonal maintenance in many buildings and will leave a note in all apartments prior to this work. On occasion, we will need to enter apartments without prior notice (e.g. in the case of water leaking from one apartment into the next). We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause.
Our maintenance staff all have keys to the buildings... NEVER let someone into a building who claims to be maintenance but who does not have a key or who is not wearing one of our staff shirts.

Lockouts:
We are unable to provide entry if you lose your key or lock yourself out. Please be sure to leave copies of your keys with a neighbor or friend.
If you call a locksmith to change your locks, you MUST get TWO EXTRA SETS for us.

Trash Disposal:
There are recycling and regular trash bins in each building. All trash must be placed in a sealed plastic bag before being placed in a bin. Items that cannot fit in a trash receptacle will not be accepted by our trash haulers. Please dispose of these items at the local dump. A $100 fee will be deducted from security deposits to pay for the cost of hauling any large items.

Moving/Vacating:
All residential tenants must give at least 45 days notice (commercial/office residents' notice requirements can be found on the contract). ALL leases terminate on the LAST DAY of a given month. Tenants are responsible for paying through the full duration of the lease.
If you plan to vacate the premises a few days before your official "move out" date, please let us know... we always appreciate the extra time to prepare apartments before the next tenant moves in.

When you move out:
Be sure to leave a forwarding address... we will return all security deposits within 30 days.
Leave your full set of keys at our office (419 East Capitol Street)
Leave the apartment ready for the next tenant (floors swept and mopped; cabinets emptied and cleaned; stove scrubbed; refrigerator emptied and washed clean; bathroom floor, sink, tub, and toilet washed clean; apartment emptied of ALL personal belongings and trash).
DO NOT leave any large items in the trash room or anywhere else on the property. Our trash haulers can only take regular size garbage bags of trash. Anything larger must be taken directly to the dump. We will deduct a minimum of $200 from security deposits for any large items left behind.
Please let us know of any repairs required in your apartment... we need to do these repairs ASAP before the next tenant moves in.
If you need to reserve on-the-street parking for a moving van, be sure to get "Emergency No Parking" signs from the police ahead of time (I think they need 7 days notice... call for their current policy). You can go to the station at 500 E Street, SE or call (202) 727-4608.

Security:
Buildings can only be as secure as tenants allow them to be. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
NEVER let someone else into the building unless you are 100% sure that they live there. All maintenance staff have their own keys... NEVER let anyone in if they claim to be maintenance personnel who don't have a key or are not wearing our staff shirt.
NEVER prop doors open.
Always lock deadbolts on your apartment/office. Locks on doorknobs, chains, etc. are really only extra support against break-ins... the strongest lock is always the deadbolt.
If you see someone in the building with whom you are not familiar, introduce yourself! The best way to keep your home safe is to know your neighbors. Report any suspicious persons immediately to our office (202) 544-1925.
Report any theft, break-ins, etc. directly to the police and then let us know.
Renter's insurance is always a good thing to have! Contact your local insurance agency for rates (or ask your credit card company if they cover your personal property against theft).  Lincoln Towers does not cover any costs of replacement of personal property due to theft or damage by water, fire, electrical malfunction etc.