Facilities Services
The Facilities Organization is a large and diverse group of departments supporting the educational mission of Princeton University. The following information may be helpful to you as you begin to make your apartment your home.
- The Facilities Service Center is the central point of contact for the campus community for facilities related services including plumbing, electric, heating, cooling, custodial, pest, grounds and a variety of other services.
- To make a service request contact the Facilities Service Center in any on the ways articulated here.
- The Facilities website contains useful information for residents of University Housing Properties.
Appliances
Kitchen Equipment
Your kitchen is equipped with a gas or electric range. On older stoves, the pilot light is always lit. Newer stoves have electric ignition and no pilot light. Any acidic food spilled on your stove should be cleaned off immediately to avoid stains. Repair requests should be reported to Facilities Customer Service (8-8000).
Hot objects should not be placed on counters — plastic laminate damaged by residents in this manner is replaced at the resident’s expense. Grease should not be poured down the kitchen sink drain, since this can clog plumbing.
Your stove should be kept free of any grease buildup (also under the burners) — a cleaning fee is charged to residents who don’t properly clean their appliances. Do not use aluminum foil to collect grease; it is a health and safety hazard. Please clean your stove after each use to avoid excessive buildup.
DISHWASHERS ARE NOT PERMITTED.
Refrigerators
Refrigerators are provided in all University apartments. If you have repair needs for your University refrigerator, please contact your superintendent and report the problem.
Holiday Decorations
Be aware of the need for safety precautions with holiday decorations such as lights, trees and boughs, all of which are potential fire hazards.
To protect yourselves and your neighbors, please observe the following guidelines:
- Holiday lights must be UL approved. When illuminated, they must not be left unattended.
- Avoid paper decorations. You may use small amounts, except on doors leading to or in a corridor, as well as on a second-means-of-egress doors if the paper is fire-resistant or retardant.
- Avoid cloth decorations.
- If you use foils, keep them away from electrical outlets.
- Remove decorations before you leave for the holidays.
- Conserve energy — use decorative lights sparingly.
Keys
Keys are issued to each resident upon arrival by the Housing Office. If a student arrives after business hours, keys will be available for pick up at Public Safety. It is the student’s responsibility to return the key(s) at the end of his or her contract period. Only the original key will be accepted. Return of the key(s) at the end of the contract period is necessary to show that the student has actually vacated the apartment and to avoid additional billing. Under no circumstances may apartment keys be duplicated.
Students who do not return all their apartment keys when vacating are automatically assessed a lock change fee, which varies per complex and begin at $65. This is a security precaution for future residents, which is why they must be changed.
Lockout Service
Lockout service is provided for residents who have left behind or lost their keys at a cost of $15. If you are locked out of your apartment Monday through Friday during regular office hours,Please come to the , Housing Office, located on the 5th floor of the New South Building to pick up a loaner key. Loaner keys must be returned within 24 hours after pick-up. Failure to do so could result in a lock change fee assessed, which varies per complex and begin at $65.
After office hours, or on weekends or holidays, please contact Public Safety (8-1000) for lockout service.
Pest Control
The University has a contract with an exterminator for pest control. However, the most effective means of pest control begins at home with residents. It is essential that all residents contribute to this effort by keeping their apartments sanitary. Food should be kept in closed containers and garbage should be disposed of quickly. To do otherwise is an invitation to roaches, the most common pest found in apartments.
If you are having a problem with pests, call Facilities Customer Service (8-8000) Monday - Friday, 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM for assistance.
Squirrels/Raccoons/Bats
Squirrels and raccoons can easily enter through open windows; they search for food, destroy property, and, in general, annoy residents. The campus squirrels are bold and used to living among people. Students should exercise care so that they do not have any squirrels or other unwanted visitors in their apartments, risking the possibility of being bitten. In all cases, please report any wild animal found inside a campus building to Public Safety at 258-1000.
While the likelihood of a bat, raccoon, or other wild animal found on campus being rabid is relatively low, you should always treat with caution any animal that behaves in a suspicous manner (lethargic/erratic moves), do not approach or handle the animal, and report it to Public Safety at 258-1000.
If a bat is found in your apartment, you should immediately report it to Public Safety at 258-1000. You should avoid contact with the bat, vacate the space, and, if possible, close doors and windows to confine the bat until Public Safety responds. Subsequently, any fruit or open food that was in your room should be discarded. Public Safety will secure the room until cleared by animal control personnel and determine who in the room may have been exposed. Important: If you awake to find a bat in your apartment , it should be assumed that you may have had some exposure while asleep. If you have had potential exposure, you are advised to go to McCosh Health Center for medical consultation and consideration of the need for rabies immunization. If the bat is captured and tests negative for rabies, there will be no need for immunization. If you cannot stay in your apartment because of pending clearance by animal control personnel, you will be offered overnight accommodations at McCosh Health Center.
Window screens in apartments should be kept in place and in the closed position to prevent entry by squirrels and bats. Students should contact the Facilities Customer Services Center at 258-8000 immediately to report any missing or broken screen.
Sanitation
Because many people live together in University housing, proper sanitation is vital. Students are responsible for keeping their own apartments and any facilities they use in sanitary condition.
Service Requests
All requests for service or maintenance should be made to Facilities Customer Service (8-8000) Monday - Friday, 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM. Call early to facilitate service. Service charges are assessed for lockout services and calls involving resident negligence.
The University provides an emergency repair service. Priority is given to situations that potentially jeopardize the health, safety or property of residents. Residents in need of an emergency repair should call Facilities Customer Service (8-8000) Monday - Friday, 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM.
If an emergency occurs after normal office hours, contact Public Safety (8-1000) to report the problem.
Snow Removal
Your cooperation is requested during snow removal operations. Please don’t leave toys or bicycles, or park cars, in areas that need to be cleared. The University’s primary concern is to make all roadways passable for emergency vehicles. Parking lots, driveways and walkways are cleared when time permits.