PMI James River residents do have real maintenance responsibilities. Submitting a maintenance request does not automatically make every repair, service call, or related cost the landlord's responsibility. Your signed lease and Maintenance Addendum assign routine upkeep, consumables, reasonable troubleshooting, prompt reporting, access cooperation, and certain property-care tasks to you.
This guide explains those responsibilities in plain language based on PMI James River's current lease documents. Your own signed lease and addenda control if they differ. For troubleshooting and maintenance-request instructions, start with our Resident Maintenance resources. If you are unsure how quickly an issue should be handled, see our guide to emergency, urgent, and routine maintenance.
Your Lease Assigns Real Maintenance Responsibilities
The first rule is simple: check the lease before assuming that a task belongs to maintenance staff or the landlord.
PMI James River's current lease requires residents to keep the home clean and sanitary, use appliances and building systems safely and reasonably, perform routine household upkeep, keep access to mechanical and utility equipment clear, and perform reasonable user-level troubleshooting before requesting service.
The lease also assigns residents responsibility for common consumable items. Depending on the home and equipment, this can include:
- HVAC filters
- Water filters and water-treatment supplies
- Light bulbs
- Replaceable batteries
- Similar routine consumable items
The lease also assigns certain minor maintenance, adjustments, repairs, and replacements to the resident at the resident's expense. Other specific repair duties may also appear in the lease or a property-specific addendum. Do not assume that every broken or worn item automatically requires a landlord-paid service call.
Residents are also expected to use supplied appliances and equipment correctly. For example, the current lease requires the lint trap to be cleaned after each dryer use and the door of a front-loading washing machine to be left open when the washer is not in use.
Plumbing and HVAC Have Specific Resident Rules
Plumbing problems are one of the easiest places for a preventable issue to become a resident responsibility.
Under the current Maintenance Addendum, toilets are for bodily waste and toilet paper only. Products marketed as "flushable," wipes, paper towels, feminine products, pet litter, grease, food, and other foreign material should not go into toilets or drains. Chemical drain cleaners are also prohibited, and residents should not remove plumbing traps or other plumbing components.
The addendum also states that a plumbing stoppage occurring more than five days after occupancy is presumed to be the resident's responsibility unless PMI James River's selected vendor determines that the cause was defective plumbing, tree roots, natural forces, or another property condition outside the resident's responsibility.
Garbage disposals also need to be used as designed. Use cold water and only small quantities of suitable food waste. Grease, bones, shells, fibrous material, metal, glass, and similar items do not belong in the disposal.
HVAC responsibilities are similarly specific. Residents must keep supply registers, return vents, thermostats, and equipment access unobstructed. Filters generally must be replaced at least every 90 days, or more often when manufacturer instructions, written property instructions, or the filter program require it. If a filter is provided for installation, install it within the required timeframe and in the correct airflow direction.
ENERGY STAR's HVAC maintenance guidance explains that a dirty filter makes a heating or cooling system work harder and can contribute to equipment damage. Under the PMI James River lease, missing, dirty, incorrectly sized, or improperly installed filters can also make the resident responsible for resulting service or repair costs.
During freezing weather, residents have additional duties. Required utilities must remain active, the home must be kept at the temperature required by the Maintenance Addendum, and specified freeze precautions must be followed, including protecting plumbing and disconnecting outdoor hoses. A heating failure should be reported promptly.
Report Problems Promptly and Troubleshoot First
The lease requires residents to promptly report defects, damage, leaks, moisture, visible mold, pest activity, unsafe conditions, and needed repairs. Waiting can allow a small problem to become a larger one, and delayed reporting can affect responsibility for the additional damage.
This is especially important with water. The EPA's residential moisture guidance emphasizes that moisture control and quick response to leaks and water intrusion are important for limiting mold growth and property damage.
For nonemergency maintenance, use PMI James River's designated maintenance process. Before submitting a routine request, perform the safe user-level checks that apply to the problem. Depending on the issue, that may include:
- Confirming that an appliance is plugged in
- Checking a replaceable battery
- Checking the thermostat setting
- Checking whether a breaker or switch is off
- Checking a GFCI outlet when appropriate
- Checking the HVAC filter and making sure vents are open
- Confirming whether a power outage affects the surrounding area rather than only the rental home
Do not dismantle equipment or work beyond normal user controls. Residents should not alter HVAC wiring, dampers, service panels, internal controls, plumbing components, or other building systems without authorization.
When you submit the request, include useful facts: what happened, when it started, what you already checked, whether the issue is intermittent or constant, and photos or video when they help explain the condition.
PMI James River determines the maintenance classification, scheduling priority, vendor, scope of work, and whether an item should be repaired or replaced. The maintenance triage guide explains how that classification works.
When a Maintenance Cost Can Become the Resident's Responsibility
PMI James River does not charge a resident merely for submitting a good-faith maintenance request. That does not mean every request becomes a landlord expense.
Under the current lease, a resident can be responsible for repair, replacement, cleaning, treatment, or service costs when the condition results from the resident's acts or omissions, misuse, negligence, a lease violation, delayed reporting, failure to perform required upkeep, or failure to complete reasonable user-level troubleshooting.
A resident can also be responsible for a service call when a qualified vendor determines that no repair was required because the equipment was operating as designed. Common examples include an appliance that was unplugged, a depleted replaceable battery, a tripped breaker, an incorrect setting, or an HVAC problem caused by an overdue filter.
The practical rule is to report legitimate problems, but do the required basics first. A maintenance request should describe the problem accurately. The vendor's findings may ultimately determine whether the issue was a property repair, a resident responsibility, or simply a system operating normally.
Missed appointments can create responsibility as well. Residents must coordinate with assigned vendors, make the work area accessible, secure animals, and either be present or permit authorized entry. A missed appointment, late cancellation, or failure to provide access can result in costs under the lease.
Yard Care, Pests, Access, and Property-Specific Duties Still Matter
Some responsibilities depend on the individual rental.
If your lease says you are responsible for exterior and yard maintenance, those duties can include mowing and edging during the growing season, watering, weed and pest control, leaf removal, keeping accessible ground-level drains and downspout outlets clear, following irrigation instructions, and handling snow and ice removal where required.
If yard maintenance is not assigned to you, you still have responsibilities. Residents must cooperate with scheduled exterior work, provide reasonable access, secure animals, remove obstructions, remove pet waste, keep exterior areas free of trash and debris, and avoid damaging landscaping or irrigation equipment.
The Maintenance Addendum also assigns residents routine pest-prevention and treatment responsibilities and requires cooperation with inspection, preparation, treatment, and follow-up instructions. Report pest activity when required rather than allowing the problem to spread.
Property-specific equipment may create additional duties. Wells, septic systems, sump or condensate pumps, water-treatment systems, humidifiers, dehumidifiers, irrigation controls, and similar equipment can have written operating instructions that form part of your maintenance responsibilities.
Vendor access is also part of the maintenance process. Make the work area available, secure pets, protect valuables, and follow the access requirements in your lease. A resident does not always need to be home for an authorized maintenance visit, but access cannot be obstructed. A minor should not be left as the only person present with a vendor or inspector.
The best way to avoid confusion is to know what your lease assigns to you before something goes wrong. Handle the routine maintenance you agreed to perform, use the home's systems correctly, complete reasonable troubleshooting, report problems promptly, and cooperate with scheduled service.
For maintenance instructions, troubleshooting, and request procedures, use the PMI James River Resident Maintenance page. For broader portal and resident information, visit our Resident Resources.
Published: January 24, 2025
Updated: August 22, 2026
