Tenant Resource Center
Reporting a repair
How to report a maintenance issue in a Minmosa-managed home, what counts as an emergency, and what to do in the first few minutes while help is on the way.
Is it an emergency?
For fire, gas or immediate danger to anyone, call 911 first. Then tell us.
Call us straight away for
- Water that will not stop — a burst pipe, an overflow, or water coming through a ceiling
- No heat in cold weather, or a cooling failure in extreme heat
- No electricity to the whole home, or anything sparking, smoking or burning
- No running water, or a sewage backup
- A door or window that will not secure the home
- A gas smell — leave first, call the gas utility and 911, then us
Use the phone number on your lease for these, at any hour. Do not use a form and wait.
Water first, everything else second. If water is escaping and you can safely reach the shut-off, close it. That one action turns a plumber's afternoon into the whole problem, rather than a subfloor.
We show every tenant where the main water shut-off is at move-in. If you are not sure where yours is, find it before you need it — in most older Durham houses it is a valve where the supply enters, often in a crawl space or a closet.
Everything else: report it in writing
Put it in writing even if you have already called. A written report creates a record that protects both sides, and it means the right part often arrives the first time.
Include
- What is wrong, in plain terms
- Which room, and which fixture or appliance
- When it started, and whether it is getting worse
- A photo or a short video if the problem is visible
- When someone can access the home
- Whether there is a pet we should know about before someone opens a door
Report small things early. Almost every expensive repair we have seen started as something that would have been cheap to fix six months earlier — and a small leak reported in week one is not the same job as the same leak in month three.
Who is responsible for what
Structure, systems and supplied appliances are ours to sort. Keeping the home clean, using things as intended, and damage beyond ordinary wear and tear sit with the tenant. Our guide to maintenance responsibilities works through the gray areas — clogged drains, broken windows, HVAC failures — and what North Carolina law sets as a baseline. It is general information, not legal advice.
Seasonal upkeep is covered in a seasonal maintenance rhythm for a Durham house, including freeze preparation — the routine that matters most here precisely because hard freezes are infrequent.
If a repair is taking longer than expected
Tell us in writing and we will give you an update — we would far rather hear about a problem early.
Withholding rent or paying for repairs and deducting the cost is generally not a safe assumption in North Carolina and can expose you to an eviction action.
Programs, funding, eligibility requirements, phone numbers, and availability can change. Contact the organization directly to confirm current information.
Assistance programs are operated by third parties. Minmosa does not run them, has no say in who they help, and receives nothing for referring you. Eligibility, applying for assistance, or contacting a resource does not change your lease obligations or payment deadlines unless Minmosa agrees otherwise in writing.
Resources last reviewed .