Karuk tenant handbook: Important tips for home maintenance

To help residents operate and maintain their new homes, appliances and systems, the Karuk Tribe Housing Authority (KTHA) has prepared a custom, step-by-step handbook!

Stanford Rollins, president of 1 Earth Inc. and green consultant for KTHA, led a recent community meeting for the families who live in Karuk Homes #1, a 30-home development in Yreka, CA. The resident families attended and learned about utility bills and the simple things that they can do to take care of their home and the systems within it, to keep them running smoothly, clean, and comfortable all year long. KTHA staff and the general contractor attended the meeting, and I joined as the project’s lead architect.

Stanford shared the wonderful tenant handbook that has step-by-step instructions on how to operate and maintain the homes’ systems, appliances and flooring.  

“Proactively engaging tenants and educating them on the elements of sustainable design that are being built into their future home, enables them to identify with the project in ways that are personally meaningful to them,” Stanford explained. “This not only creates buy–in, but it also creates an anticipation that will foster a sense of pride in their home and a commitment to take care of it — before they ever step through the door.”

Here are a few general topics that are covered:

• How to understand smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms.
• How to clean and maintain flooring.
• How to manage the heating and cooling of the home.
• How to operate the kitchen appliances.

View the complete handbook here.

Karuk Homes #1, is KTHA’s first Low Income Housing Tax Credit project, but the KTHA staff has an extensive portfolio of more than 180 affordable housing units that it has developed in the last 30 years.

This handbook is an excellent resource for tenants. A custom manual is an efficient solution to educate tenants, which leads to better understanding, reduced confusion and fewer calls regarding simple maintenance problems!