What if I am locked out of my apartment?
Unfortunately, lockouts are not an emergency. If you have a resident manager and he or she is not available, you will need to contact a locksmith at your own expense.

Can I paint the walls in my apartment a different color?
Making any changes to the unit without permission is strictly prohibited in your lease and may be grounds for eviction. Please obtain prior written approval from VCH beforehand.

How long can I have a visitor stay with me in my apartment?
Overnight visitors are limited to 14 days per year. Longer visits must receive written approval.

What do I do if the smoke detector in my unit starts beeping?
In most cases the 9-volt battery in your smoke detector needs to be changed. These can be purchased at your local market or hardware store. If you cannot reach the smoke detector due to vaulted ceilings, please complete a repair request form.

What do I do if the fire alarm in my building is going off?
Contact the fire department and exit the building. Report the incident to your resident manager or the on-call maintenance for your building. The fire department will notify you when it is safe to go back in the building.

What do I do if I lose my apartment keys?
In most cases we will be able to provide you with a new set of keys for a fee. However, if it is after hours and you are locked out, you will need to contact a locksmith.

I am having a plumbing problem! What do I do?
Call your resident manager or our office immediately! If it is after-hours, please contact the on-call maintenance number for your building.

I need some work done, what do I do?
Simple! Either call your resident manager or just fill out our repair request form. We will take it from there and contact you shortly regarding our solution to fix your maintenance request.

What should I do in an emergency?
In case of fire or flood or other major emergencies, please dial 911. Other maintenance emergencies can be reported to our 24 hour maintenance emergency line at 310-350-1491.

Who pays for repairs in my unit?
You will only be billed for repairs if the repair was a direct result of actions that were the tenant’s responsibility. Remember tenant’s are responsible for damages done by their guests.

I want to install a satellite dish, what should I do?
Please contact your property manager or the administration offices for assistance.

When is my rent due and who do I make the check payable to?
Your rent is due on the first day of each month. Please make all rent checks or money orders payable to Venice Community Housing or VCH.

What do I do if I have lost utility service in my unit, i.e. electricity, cable, gas, water?
If it is your cable, gas or electric, check to make sure you are current with your payment. Then contact the service provider and find out if they are having a service problem in your area. If your payments are current and there are no known outages, contact your resident manager or our management office for assistance.

Can I break my lease?
Breaking your lease can be detrimental to your credit and rental history. In special circumstances, a tenant can break their lease, however, fees to re-lease the unit, including leasing, advertising, administrative and maintenance costs, will be incurred. Please refer to your rental agreement for more information.

Can I sublet my apartment?
Subletting your unit is not allowed and can be cause for eviction.

I am thinking about moving out. What should I do?
You need to provide us with 30 days written notice to your resident manager or to our office.

What do I do if a roommate leaves but I am staying?
All tenants vacating should give a written notice of vacating the unit. This will release them from financial responsibility of the rent if the current tenancy is month to month.

What happens to my deposit if a roommate leaves but I stay?
Your deposit is a joint deposit that remains with the unit until it is vacated. It is the responsibility of the new tenant or remaining tenant to give back the portion of the deposit to the vacating tenant. We only issue deposit refund checks when the unit has been vacated.

What is a Security Deposit?
A security deposit is essentially any money paid by a tenant to a landlord, which is subsequently held by the landlord for the purposes of providing compensation for a tenant’s failure to pay rent, for repairing damages to the premises, exclusive of ordinary wear and tear, caused by the tenant or a guest or licensee of the tenant, for cleaning the premises upon termination of the tenancy, and for remedying any future defaults by the tenant in complying with any term under the rental agreement to restore, replace, or return personal property or appurtenances, should the rental agreement authorize the security deposit for this use.

Can a security deposit be used for the last month’s rent?
No. If a tenant has not specifically paid the last month’s rent when he/she moved in, he/she must pay his regular rent during his last month of tenancy. However, a landlord may use the security deposit if the tenant defaults by not paying all of his rent before he/she moves out (Civil Code Section 1950.5(b) (1).

I want to receive my full security deposit refund after I move out. What can I do to insure that I receive as much as possible?
Keep in mind that your security deposit will be used to restore your rental to a rentable condition. After anyone moves out, we have all carpets professionally cleaned. The apartment is also professionally cleaned. If you choose to have your own company do this cleaning, please provide us with receipts. This will prevent the cost from coming out of your security deposit. You are entitled to a walk-through before you move out, so we can point out what will be charged.