4.02.01

The maximum occupancy and the number of rooms a House may declare as suitable for double occupancy is as follows:

4.03.01

The Facilities Committee will distribute up to 1.5% of the total annual Assessment of the SHC per contract period as Physical Development Grants for Houses.

4.03.02

Grant Applications must be approved by a simple majority vote at a regularly-scheduled, quorum House Meeting.

4.03.03

Houses must submit Grant Applications to the Vice President of Facilities at least 24 hours prior to the Facilities Committee meeting during which they will be reviewed.

4.03.04

The Grant Application must include:

1. a. An explanation of the reason for the proposal.

1. b. Detailed cost estimates for all materials.

1. c. If the House will be contracting outside labor, the House must obtain 3 bids for the work unless the Vice President of Facilities waives this requirement.

1. d. A final cost estimate.

1. e. An estimated project completion date.

4.03.05

The Vice President of Facilities may veto a proposal if they feel that funding the project would not positively impact the long-term physical development of the SHC.

4.03.06

If a project runs over budget, the requesting House will be responsible for covering the difference.

4.04.01 – FURNITURE PROVISIONS

1. a. Upon request, the Vice President of Facilities will provide the following furniture for Houses:
   • Dressers (1 per room without a closet)
   • Twin bed foundations/box springs (1 per Member)
   • Twin mattresses (1 per Member)
   • Twin bed frames (1 per Member)
   • Desks (1 per Member)
   • Desk chairs (1 per Member)
   • Window coverings (blinds, shades, or curtains) (1 per bedroom window)
   • Screens (1 per bedroom window)
   • Dining table space (2 square feet per Member)
   • Dining chairs (1 per Member)
   • Couches (1 per 6 Members, rounded up)

1. b. The House Maintenance and Physical Development Officers are responsible for ensuring that these appliances are always present and functional.

4.04.02 – APPLIANCE PROVISIONS

1. a. Houses may petition the Vice President of Facilities to acquire or replace the following appliances if those appliances are not present or functional:
   • Refrigerator (1 per 6 Members, rounded down)
   • Freezer (1 per 10 Members, rounded down)
   • Microwave (1 per House)
   • Garbage disposal (1 per House)
   • Washer (1 per 10 Members, rounded down)
   • Dryer (1 per 10 Members, rounded down)
   • Water heater (1 per House)
   • Vacuum cleaner (1 per House)

1. b. The House Maintenance and Physical Development Officers are responsible for ensuring that these appliances are always present and functional.

4.05.00
Effective: 12/7/2022
Responsible Executive Officer: Vice President of Facilities
Responsible Committee: Facilities

4.05.01 General Policy Statement

The SHC is committed to living in safe and secure homes, while also creating an empowered environment without interfering with House Autonomy in quality of life/culture issues of the household. The House Maintenance policy is intended to define and streamline steps aimed toward more effective use of our shared resources.

4.05.02 Requirements and Process

The SHC’s Maintenance Team is responsible for ensuring that every House has:

• Safe and functional plumbing that is up to relevant standards
• Safe and functional electricity that is up to relevant standards
• Safe and functional heating that is up to relevant standards

The SHC’s Maintenance Funds will pay for the routine maintenance, repair, and end-of-lifecycle replacement of the following:

• Furniture and Assets affirmed elsewhere in code
• Flooring
• Doors
• Windows, not including window treatments ie. blinds, curtains
• Furnaces
• Plumbing, excluding showerheads.
• Electrical infrastructure, up to and including wall outlets
• Light fixtures
• Outside walls

A House or Member may be, in part or in whole, held responsible for the cost of any service calls and repairs billed to the SHC if any of the following are true:

• The repairs could have been completed by the House or Member with less than 3 hours of member labor and for less than $100 cost of materials;
• The reason for the call was due to negligence or willful damage on the part of the House, Member, or guests of the House or Member.

Every House and its members are responsible for ensuring that they:

• Are in compliance with city ordinances (ie. PACE)
• Pass all city inspections by noting issues, solving what they can, and reporting the rest to the SHC through appropriate channels on a continuous basis
• Replace or repair broken window screens
• Maintain function of smoke and Carbon Monoxide detectors
• Troubleshoot garbage disposal issues safely
• Unclog clogged drain lines
• Clean out dryer vents and washing machine filters at least once per six months
• Appropriately notify the SHC of all potential facilities issues that lie outside of the scope of the house’s responsibility or ability

Individual Houses shall be responsible for the purchase of common and inexpensive tools needed for House maintenance. However, a House may petition the SHC Maintenance Committee for funding for tools if the need is demonstrated.

Houses are responsible for the maintenance, repair, and (when necessary and applicable) end-of-life replacement of:

• Lightbulbs
• Interior wall paint
• Toilet hardware, sink hardware, showerheads
• Furniture and Amenities not provided for elsewhere
• Electrical face plates

4.05.03 Reasoning

By identifying who should pay for, fix, or call a contractor to solve an issue, houses can be more effectively maintained; and house and SHC budgets can better account for and/or predict maintenance expenditures.

4.05.04 Related Policies

• 4.03 Facilities Grants – Physical Development Grants
• 4.04 House Provisions

4.05.05 Exclusions/Exceptions

TBD

4.05.06 Contacts
Inquiries regarding this policy, or excepted may be directed to Vice President of Facilities, email facilities@spartan.coop

4.05.07 Definitions

• SHC Maintenance Team
  • The Vice President of Facilities in conjunction with SHC Staff whose roles relate to the maintenance of homes: Maintenance Technicians and Maintenance Dispatcher.
• SHC Maintenance Funds
  • SHC Budget items related to the maintenance of homes: Routine Maintenance, Capital Improvements.
• Appropriate Notification
  • Filling out the Maintenance Request Form, available on the SHC website and through AppFolio, in a timely and effective manner.

4.05.08 Procedures
The Vice President of Facilities, SHC Office Dispatch, and/or SHC Maintenance Tech will provide support and training for members and houses for performing these responsibilities when needed.

If these repairs are more than House and its members can either afford or perform, they may submit service calls and repairs to the SHC to be performed and/or paid, with approval of the Vice President of Facilities, SHC Office Dispatch, and/or SHC Maintenance Tech.

4.05.09 Forms and Instructions
“Appropriate notification” of the SHC to a maintenance issue shall take the form of a Maintenance Request form, available on the SHC website or your member portal. Further instruction for effective submission of this form will be provided on the SHC website.

https://www.spartan.coop/homepage-4/maintenance/maintenance-requests/

History & Revisions

4.06.01

Each year all Houses will undergo city housing inspections, city fire inspections, and insurance inspections. A House may also be subject to random inspections by the Maintenance Committee, the Maintenance Vice President, or the Maintenance Coordinator.

4.06.02

Each House shall be responsible for passing their annual inspections. The Maintenance Vice President and the Maintenance Coordinator shall be responsible for educating the House Maintenance Officers by providing the House Maintenance Officers with a list of possible violations one month before the inspection date.

4.06.03

Any House that does not pass its inspections and thereby incurs any penalties or fees may be responsible for the payment of such penalties and fees. Upon appeal, the Maintenance Committee shall decide if these penalties will be the House's responsibility.

4.06.04

Any House that shows negligence in correcting violations may be subject to a fine recommended by the Maintenance Committee and approved by the Board.

4.06.05

Once the Maintenance Vice President has made an attempt to contact a Maintenance Officer in regards to scheduling an SHC inspection, a Maintenance Officer has to schedule a date for inspection with the Maintenance Vice President and Maintenance Coordinator within three weeks of contact. If the Maintenance Officer fails to do so, the Maintenance Vice President and Maintenance Coordinator may inspect the House without the presence of the Maintenance Officer.

4.06.06

In the event that a Maintenance Officer schedules an SHC inspection with the Maintenance Vice President and Maintenance Coordinator but fails to be present at the House at the scheduled time, the Maintenance Vice President and Maintenance Coordinator may inspect the House without the presence of the Maintenance Officer.

4.07.01

Any Member who decides to paint their room in any way, will be subject to a House vote to determine whether the room needs to be repainted by that Member at the end of that Member’s tenure, for the sake of attractiveness and viability for future Members a particular room. The House Maintenance Officer will be responsible for bringing this concern before the House at a regularly scheduled House meeting.

1. a. If a House decides that a room painted by its current resident should be repainted, that Member shall be responsible for the labor and cost of repainting the room before that Member moves out.
   1. i. If the room in question is not repainted by that Member within two weeks of the end of that resident’s contract, that Member will be considered non-compliant and $50 will be deducted from their Member Share, to be given to the House for labor and materials.
   2. ii. If a House decides that a room be repainted and the current resident does not comply, the House Maintenance Officer will be responsible for ensuring the repainting the room before the new resident moves. This can include, but is not limited to: repainting the room on their own; the temporary use/hiring of SHC salaried staff and preferred SHC subcontractors; and the delegation of work to Member needing to fulfill work holiday hours, etc.

1. b. The color of paint used to repaint a resident’s room will be neutral in nature and at the discretion of the House.

4.09.01

SHC Houses, by law, must comply with the East Lansing Parking and Code Enforcement policies, as enacted by the East Lansing City Council. In the unfortunate occurrence of a PACE action, the following rules apply:

1. a. Houses are accountable for addressing any PACE warnings or violations they receive, including payment of any fines from the City of East Lansing.

1. b. All Houses sharing a dumpster are equally responsible for trash violations around a dumpster, provided that a written notice is sent to the Maintenance Officers of the involved Houses within 24 hours by the House that receives the notice.

1. c. All Houses sharing property are equally responsible, providing that the Maintenance Officers of the involved Houses receive a written notice within 24 hours by the House that received the notice.

1. d. Houses receiving any PACE violation that requires the help of the Maintenance Coordinator, the Maintenance Vice President, or other staff to rectify must notify the SHC office within twenty-four hours of receiving the PACE notification.

4.10.01

Any Members displaced by emergency maintenance work will be provided with reasonable accommodation in the form of vacancies in other Houses. The Maintenance Coordinator, the Executive Vice President, and the House Maintenance Officer will work cooperatively to ensure that House Members are kept together to the extent possible.

4.10.02

Should a situation arise in which there are not enough vacancies in other Houses to reasonably accommodate displaced Members, the Executive Committee, the individual House, or the Physical Development Committee shall bring proposal for reasonable accommodation or contract release before the Board of Directors for their approval.

4.11.01

The needs and well being of the members shall be taken into consideration first and foremost. A maintenance situation shall be considered an emergency if it violates city, state or federal code; shows a clearly warranted need by the House that has not been previously budgeted for; or threatens a severe disruption of normal living standards, as determined by at least two of the following: the Maintenance Coordinator, the Executive Vice President, and the House Maintenance Officer.

4.11.02

Any money spent on an emergency shall be taken from the Emergency Section of the Maintenance Budget.

1. a. If the Emergency Section of the Maintenance Budget is at $0, emergency money shall be taken from another part of the Maintenance Budget and labeled as an emergency expense.

4.12.01

If, in the course of a project, additional general labor is needed, the first resource shall be interested SHC members.

4.12.02

The rate of pay for work crew members shall be minimum wage plus one third the difference between minimum wage and the approximate wage of hiring outside contractors, or a wage decided upon by the Board of Directors.

4.12.03

The work crew shall be overseen by the Maintenance Coordinator.

4.12.04

All hiring of physical development work crews shall be done with the approval of the Facilities Committee and the Vice President of Facilities.

4.13.01

SHC Physical Development Budget is responsible for all Capital Improvement Projects, and New House Provisions.

1. a. Capital Projects/Improvement shall be defined as: any major system or structural renovation/replacement; any purchase or project over 3% of the year’s routine maintenance budget.

4.13.02

All purchases and/or contracted work over the amount of $500, made by the Maintenance Coordinator or the Maintenance Vice President, must have at least three bids except in an emergency case.

4.15.01

The SHC shall maintain a supply of tools to be available for use by House Maintenance Officers in performance of their House and corporate duties. These shall be tools that are too expensive for an individual House to afford or would be used so infrequently by one House that it is more practical to have SHC purchase, store, and maintain them for the specific use by any and all Houses.

4.15.02

The Maintenance Vice President shall maintain an accurate inventory of SHC tools and supplies. Said inventory is to be updated each spring and fall.

4.15.03

All SHC tools and supplies shall be kept at 239 Oakhill Ave. locked in the basement SHC Tool Library. The SHC Tool Checkout List shall also be on display at 239 Oakhill Ave.

4.15.04

SHC tools and supplies may be checked out by any member by signing them out on the SHC Tool Library Checkout List and signing the SHC Tool Library User Agreement that are located at the SHC office. Members who will be using the tools can contact the Maintenance Vice President or Maintenance Coordinator for instruction on proper use and safety of the equipment, but the Maintenance Vice President or Maintenance Coordinator will at all times act solely for the benefit of SHC. The Maintenance Vice President shall be responsible for maintaining a checkout list and ensuring the tools return.

1. a. Included in the SHC Tool Library Checkout List will be a list of tools deemed especially expensive and/or dangerous. The member must speak directly with either the Maintenance Vice President or Maintenance Coordinator and obtain written consent in order to check out these items.

1. b. The SHC Tool Library key must be returned to the office the same day. Failure to return the key by the end of the business day will result in a $10 fine each day the key is not returned. If key is lost, the member shall pay $30 for lost key.

1. c. The period for checking out each tool is 2 weeks. Failure to return the tool by the end of the two-week period will result in a $5 fine each day the tool is not returned. In some cases the need for tool usage may exceed a period of two weeks. If this is a possibility, then the case will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis with the member and the Executive Vice President, the Maintenance Vice President, or Maintenance Coordinator.

1. d. The Maintenance Vice President and Maintenance Coordinator will assess any damages or loss to the inventory. A member may be held fiscally responsible for the negligent or unsafe use of tools. The SHC will not be held liable for any damages incurred through the use of SHC tools, as stated in the SHC Tool Library User Agreement.

4.15.05

Individual Houses shall be responsible for the purchase of and inventory of common and inexpensive tools needed for House maintenance. However, a House may petition the SHC Maintenance Committee for funding for tools if the need is demonstrated.

4.15.06 – INTERIM PROCEDURE

The Vice President of Membership oversees the Interim Coordinators each year. The Vice President of Membership provides each Interim Coordinator with the contact information of each new member to the House, as well as providing them with move-in and move-out forms.

The Interim Coordinator is a member of the House, chosen by the House the preceding semester, who is responsible for:

1. a. Contacting all new members and making sure they know when the move-in date is by July 1.

1. b. Scheduling move-in times with all new members by August 1.

1. c. Facilitating room and House cleanup between upon move-out in preparation for move-in.

1. d. Assigning cleaning tasks to all House members (both departing and returning) to ensure appropriate move-in conditions by the first day of move-in.

1. e. Checking the House and rooms for cleanliness and damage on the move-out form, and ensuring that new members fill out the move-in form.

1. f. Collecting all House and room keys from departing members and giving them to new members upon move-in.

1. g. Collecting forwarding addresses for departing members.

1. h. Making sure the House has all of the SHC-provided furniture mentioned in House Provisions, and, if anything is absent, contacting the Vice President of Facilities to acquire it by move-in date.

1. i. Being available for new members during their scheduled move-in time and providing a phone number and email address to them in advance.

1. j. Setting and posting a date and time for the first House meeting. Make sure everyone knows that this is the time you will set the budget and choose House jobs.

1. k. Turning in the list of House Officers and Office Laborers to the SHC Office after the first House meeting.

1. l. The Interim Coordinator will be compensated with a credit of $5 per member moving into the House, but will not be eligible to receive compensation until all move-out and move-in forms and the House Officers and Office Laborers lists are turned into the SHC Office.

4.19.01

All grills are to be used at least 10 feet from the building at grade level.

4.19.02

All grills must be removed from decks or balconies.

4.19.03

Charcoal grill usage is prohibited.