User Manual for 2605-A Oaklawn Avenue

Last update:  January 3, 2024

AC (air conditioner) • Address for mailing • Bath vent fan, heater • Batteries • Bicycles • Breaker box
Cats • Cleaning for move-out • Compost • Countertop Credit Score
Deposit Refund • Dogs • Door Locks • Drains
Fire Blanket + Extinguishers • Freezing Weather • Gardening • Grocery • Heaters • Humidity
Insurance • Internet • Laundry • Lawn-mowing • Light bulbs • Locks
Mail • Motion Lights • Move-Out • Mowing • Paint • Pets
Recycling • Rent: from international banks, applied to credit score • Renter's Insurance
Safety • Security Lights • Sewer • Shower backing up • Shower Curtain • Smoke Alarms • Subletting
Toilet backing up • Trash/Recycling/Compost
Utilities • Walls • Washer • WiFi

Summary of items required of tenants

1. Keep sunlight, liquids, and hot pots off the countertop.  Your countertop is made of epoxy, which will yellow if exposed to sunlight, stain if things like coffee and tomato sauce aren't wiped off soon, and melt/scratch if you put hot pots or pans on them.
2. Mow the front yard and your half of the middle yard as needed.  Text me when you need the (battery-powered) mower and I'll bring it over.
3. Use the drain screen in the tub, and if the tub gets clogged then don't use a drain cleaner, call me.
4. When mail addressed to Adam, Cristian, or Teresa (back house) is mistakenly placed in your mailbox, please put it in their ("B") mailbox.
5. When mail addresed to 2605-A arrives for anyone who doesn't live there, put it in green mailbox behind your mailbox.
6. When mail addressed to another house is misdelivered to your mailbox, please be a good neighbor and walk it over to the neighbor's mailbox.
7. Check your AC filter monthly to see if it needs to be cleaned, and clean if necessary.
8. In freezing weather, follow the freeze precautions.
9. Test the AFCI and GFCI breakers once a month.  Contact me so I can show you how to do it.
10. Test the smoke alarms once a month.

Safety precautions

Tile floors are extremely slippery when wet.  If you mop the floor, use the least water possible, and run the fans to speed up drying.  If it's raining, take your shoes off at the door when you come in from outside or you will slip and bust yo' ass.

Gas clothes dryer.  The byproducts of gas combustion are hazardous, so:

1. When running the dryer, crack a window.  This provides a source of air since the dryer pulls air from the room and pushes it outside.  This is true even for electric dryers: without a source of supply air, dryers are inefficient since they struggle to pull air through, which means longer drying times and higher utility bills.
2. Test the carbon monoxide alarm monthly by pressing the button to make sure it sounds.
3. Let me know if the batteries die and I'll provide more.  (Everything else uses rechargeable batteries.)
4. Don't run the dryer while sleeping.
5. If you ever smell gas in the house (rotten egg / methane smell), leave the house immediately and do not turn any light switch on/off.  (The spark can ignite the gas.)  Then call me, and if I don't answer, call 911 and then call Texas Gas at 800-959-5325.

Turn the light switch off at the wall before changing light bulbs or cleaning the ceiling fan blades.

Don't put anything in front of the bathroom heater, such as a trash bin.  If you want a trash bin under the sink, let me know and I'll take the heater.

AC / Air Conditioner

Filter cleaning.  Check the filter monthly to see if it needs to be cleaned.  Remove the filter by pulling the front part of the AC towards you.  Take it outside and brush it off with a rag, then reinsert it.  Don't wash with water, using a wet filter is a recipe for mold.  If the Filter light has come on, just press it to turn it off.

Batteries for remote.  Let me know when the bundled batteries die and I'll replace with rechargeable ones.

Address for mailing:  See Mail

Bathroom

Vent fan

To operate the fan, crack a window in the bedroom, raise the bath window (no higher than the fan), and then press the power button on the remote control.  Exhaust fans don't work well unless there's a good source of supply air, which is why you need to crack a window elsewhere.

Heater

Don't put anything in front of the heater, such as a trash bin.  If you want a trash bin under the sink, let me know and I'll take the heater.

Batteries

The door locks and smoke alarms use rechargeable batteries, so don't throw them away!  I provided battery chargers to you (AA + 9V), and a spare 9V battery.

The air conditioner remotes and the CO alarm have alkaline batteries, because they should last for years in those devices.  If they die, let me know and I'll provide new ones.

Bicycles

If you don't have a car, you can get a discount of $16.28 off your City utility bill.  If you qualify, and if the City utility bill is still in my name, let me know and I'll call and claim it for you.  (If the utilities are in your name then you'll need to make the call, 512-494-9400.)

Sources for used and cheap bicycles.  Note that with most sources for used bikes, there's a good chance the bike is stolen, except for the Yellow Bike Project, since they're a non-profit and all their bikes are donated to them.

• My beater bikes.   You're welcome to use any of my beater bikes for free during your stay if you pay for the repairs they need.  That work is probably less than the cost of a new bike.  The best place for repairs is Clown Dog Bikes near UT, run for over twenty years by a friend of mine (who used to live in a rental house that is now the Schoolhouse Pub in our neighborhood).  The City buses have bike racks, put your bike on the #20 bus (the stop is across from Bird Bird Biscuit) and get off at San Jacinto.
• Yellow Bike Project.  They have limited hours for bike sales, see their website.  To get there you'll walk 13min. to 12th St. at Cedar (Cedar is the same thing as Stafford), then take the #6 bus 11 stops to 1201 Webberville Rd.
• Pawn Shops.  Closest ones are on E. 7th and Airport.  It's customary to haggle about the price.
• Craigslist
• OfferUp
• Nextdoor
• Walmart.  For new, assembled bikes, these are probably the cheapest.  They start at around $170 plus $80 for assembly.  You'll want a 26-inch bike unless you're especially short.

Theft.  Bicycle theft is common all over Austin, and a lock is not enough:  thieves cut both U-locks and cable locks with bolt cutters or angle grinders.  Your best bet is to use both a good U-lock and a cable lock, since defeating each requires a specific tool that's useless against the other, and most thieves don't carry both.  The best places to lock your bike is in the small shed, or on one of the metal posts under the stairs.

Lights.  State law is you must have a headlight while riding at night (and riding without one is a deathwish anyway).  Rear lights are not required (rear reflector alone satisfies the law), but again, riding without one is suicidal.  I've had good luck with cheap headlights and rear lights from Amazon, <$10 each.

Bikes on the bus.  All City buses have a rack on the front to use at no extra cost.

Trailer.  I may have a trailer you can use for the duration of your stay, ask if you want it.  You're responsible for theft and maintenance (tires/tubes).

Breaker box

It's on the east side of the house, NE corner.

Cleaning:  See Move-Out

Compost: See:  Trash

Countertop

Keep sunlight and liquids off the countertop. Your countertop is made of epoxy, which will yellow if exposed to sunlight, stain if things like coffee and tomato sauce aren't wiped off soon, and melt/scratch if you put hot pots or pans on them. 

The product I used was Alumilite Clear Cast (food-safe).

Drains

Depending on what's backing up, see either Toilet, or for the shower, see Sewer.

Fire blanket + extinguishers

There's a fire blanket under the kitchen sink.  For small fires, this is better than a fire extinguisher because it's easy to use, there's no horrible mess to clean afterwards, and you don't have to pay to have the extinguisher recharged.  There are instructions on it (i.e., just pull the tabs to expand it, then throw it over the fire.

There's also a fire extinguisher in your kitchen for larger fires.  Notify me if the indicator shows that it has insufficient charge and I will have it charged.

Freezing weather

Some of your plumbing is outside and WILL freeze and break if it gets too cold, even though they're insulated.When the temperature will be ≤30°F for at least four hours, you have two choices:

1. Drip all the inside faucets.  (Dripping the outside faucets doesn't work, but dripping the inside faucets relieves the pressure on the outside pipes.)  The downsides of this method are a bigger water bill, the sound of the dripping can be annoying, and there's a small chance a pipe might burst anyway.  OR:
2. Turn the water off at the street and then open all the faucets in the house (hot and cold), but not outside faucets.  The downside of this method is that the water in the pipes will still freeze (just not burst the pipes), and you won't be able to get any water until it melts.

Gardening

You're welcome to garden in the middle yard, front yard, or the tub/toilet in the front yard, though I would think twice about eating any urban food unless your garden bed is raised and you use clean dirt from elsewhere.  Urban dirt is typically contaminated with termiticides, lead from paint, and microplastics.

Grocery

The closest grocery stores are:

• Fiesta, 22 min. walk, not served by bus
• H-E-B, 33 min. walk, 15 min. by bus

Heating

1. If the wall units don't provide enough heat then let me know and I'll provide oil-filled electric radiators.
2. For the bedroom, there's only one circuit for the bedroom (besides the laundry), so plug the oil-filled heater into either of the bathroom outlets (next to the light switch, or under the sink), and then don't use the bathroom heater at the same time.
3. For the living room, plug into any outlet (except not the wall unit's outlet).

Humidity

If you notice excessive humidity, there's probably a leak in the dryer vent hose.  Let me know and I'll fix it, and bring over dehumidifier to use to get the humidity back down.

Insurance

You must buy renter's insurance  with these specs:

1. Lists me as an Interested Party (Michael Bluejay, 2602 Rogers Ave, Austin TX 78722, 512-402-4364, 2605[at]2605.me)
2. Has at least $500k liability (aka "personal liability") coverage.  ($100k for tenants who moved in 8/2022)

I spent a couple hours researching to find the best insurer, and I like State Farm because:

1. They have the cheapest rates.  For $5000 personal property, $500 deductible, $500,000 liability, it was $11/mo. in December 2023.
2. That rate is for better insurance (lower deductible, more liability coverage) than other insurers' cheapest offerings.  That is, for apples-to-apples on the kind of coverage, State Farm is even cheaper.
3. They don't charge a surcharge for paying monthly instead of yearly.  (Lemonade charges an extra $1/mo. for monthly payments.)
4. They have far fewer complaints against them than Lemonade. (MarketWatch)

With State Farm, you have to call instead of buying online.  The highest-rated local State Farm agent on Yelp is:  Yan Tung, (512) 372-8864, website

Here are the answers to the questions they may ask:

• ADDRESS:  2605-A Oaklawn Ave, Austin TX 78722.
• KIND OF BUILDING:  Single Family
• CONSTRUCTION:  CMU (concrete masonry unit)
• FIRE ALARM:  Not sure whether they mean "smoke alarm".  Yes, there are smoke alarms, and no, they're not Central.
• BURGLAR ALARM:  No
• SMART WATER VALVE:  No
• PETS:  Depending on the insurer, they might want to know if other housemates have a dog, even if you don't.  So if you don't have a dog but someone is sharing the house who does, answer as though it's your pet.

Internet

• The providers that serve this area are Astound, AT&T, Spectrum, and Google Fiber.
• Cheapest:  As I write this, Astound is the cheapest, $25/mo.  That's what the back house tenants use.
• Splitting with the back house.  If you'd like to share the Internet service with the back house (and the back house tenants agree), I'll run a cable from their house to yours.  Your WiFi would then start at a router inside your house, you won't have to connect to the back house WiFi (which you can't see anyway from inside your house).  If we go this route, it'll drop your Internet to $12.50/mo.
• Get the slowest speed.  If you don't split with the back house, then get the slowest speed.  Faster speeds are a scam, because you can't use the extra speed.  It's like if you go to buy a car, and the three cars they show you have speeds of 1000 mph, 500 mph, and 300 mph.  You can't legally drive even 300 mph anyway, so the extra speed is useless.  Netflix on an Ultra HD TV uses only 25 Mbps, and web browsing uses even less.
• Use the 5GHz network, because microwave ovens run at 2.4 GHz which will interfere with the WiFi signal (meaning no Internet while the microwave is running).

Laundry

1. See the important safety precautions about running your gas-combustion appliance.
2. Crack a window when running the dryer, because it needs a source of makeup air.
3. Front-load washers can get stinky if you leave the door closed when you're not using it.  So you'll be happier if you leave the door open when not in use.  This isn't a rule, just a suggestion.

Lawn-mowing

You're responsible for mowing the front yard and your half of the middle yard.  Whenever you're ready to mow let me know and I'll bring my battery-powered mower over.

Light bulbs

If you want bulbs that are less bright or a different color, let me know and I'll supply.  I have lots of light bulbs.  Oh God, I have light bulbs.

They're all LED and should last forever, but I will replace if any die.  If you choose to replace yourself:

1. Turn the light switch off at the wall before changing light bulbs or cleaning the ceiling fan blades.
2. I'd like to get the old bulbs because I mark where I got them and when I installed so I can monitor which brands are unreliable.

Locks (doors)

1. If you don't charge the batteries and they die and you can't get in, you can remove the bottom rubber cover and press a 9V battery against the contacts for temporary power to open the door.  I put a spare 9V (rechargeable) battery on top of the water heater in the water heater closet in the back yard.
2. Don't throw the batteries away!  They're rechargeable batteries.  I provided a charger.
3. To open, enter your code and press the Lock button.  Yeah, it's unintuitive that you have to press "Lock" to unlock.
4. If you mess up the code entry, just press the lock button to reset and start over.
5. Press the Lock button to lock.  After it stops making noise, try to open the door to make sure it's truly locked.
6. If you want to change the door code let me know and I'll reprogram.
7. If the lock beeps three times when you try to lock, it's one of these things:
1. Bolt did not extend into the strikeplate.  Try to open the door and if it's unlocked, pull the door shut tightly and try to lock again.
2. Low batteries (charge them using the provided charger)
3. The house has shifted and the bolt cannot enter the strikeplate smoothly.  If you've charged the batteries, and fiddling with the door as you try to lock doesn't solve the problem, let me know and I'll adjust the strikeplate or enlarge the hole.
8. If the lock beeps three times when you try to unlock, it's one of these things:
1. It's likely low batteries.  Charge them using the provided charger.
2. If it continues to beep after charging, let me know and I'll remedy.

Mail

Address for mailing:

[your name]
2605-A Oaklawn Ave.
Austin, TX  78722

Mailboxes

1. LETTERS.  The mailboxes are where the corner of your house meets the driveway, yours is the one on the left.  Write your last name on it if it's not already written (and re-write it when the sun bleaches off the writing).  Letter carriers strongly prefer that the last names be on the box.
   
2. PACKAGES.  The wood locker next to the black mailboxes lets you receive packages with minimal risk of theft.  Give senders this address for packages:

[your name]
2605-B Oaklawn Ave.
MAILBOX LOCKER CODE IS 2468
Austin, TX  78722

Mail for others

1. If any mail comes addressed to Adam, Cristian, or Teresa, please put it in their ("B") mailbox.
2. If any mail comes addressed to a different address (wrong mailbox), please be a good neighbor and walk it over to the neighbor's mailbox.
3. If any other mail comes that's not for you, please put it in the green mailbox behind yours.  I'll retrieve that mail periodically.

Mail forwarding.  See Move-out.

Motion lights:  See Security lights

Mowing

See Lawn Mowing

Paint

1. You may paint any wall any color, but if I don't approve of the color you must repaint to the original color before move-out.
2. If you want to paint the top-half of the bedroom paneling, you must use an oil-based primer first (such as Kilz Low Odor), otherwise the paneling will swell and be ruined.

Pets

1. No pet deposit, no pet fee, no pet rent.
2. Your lease allows up to two dogs and two cats.  You do not have to notify me when you get a new pet within these limits.
3. All waste must be picked up from the yards immediately since the yards are shared.  Dogs must be supervised outside and never left alone.
4. Cats must be inside cats.
5. If you or a guest feed any stray animal, you must get it spayed or neutered.  I have traps, I can help.  The sign that a stray has been fixed is that one ear will be "tipped", where the tip is cut off flat instead of being pointy.

Plumbing:  See Sewer

Recycling:  See Trash

Rent from international banks

My payment processor, Apartments.com, can't accept payments from certain international credit and debit cards.  If you're trying to pay from a foreign bank through Apartments.com and it says that additional authentication is required, the payment will not go through, even if you call your bank to authenticate.  If you're in this situation, here are some options:

1. U.S. bank account.  If it all possible, open an account at a U.S. bank or credit union.  If your account is at UFCU or RBFCU, you can transfer money directly to my UFCU account (900101264) or RBFCU account (221850149).  If your account is at another U.S. credit union or bank, your debit card will work at Apartments.com.
2. ACH.  ACH is a system for transferring from bank to bank, but not all banks allow you to use it.  If they do, my bank info is:
1. University Federal Credit Union
2. Routing #314977405
3. Account #900101264 (checking)
3. Wise.  Wise is a discount international money-sending service.  As I write this, the cost for sending $1000 from the U.K. to the U.S. is about £4.
4. Bank wire.  This is the most expensive option, and it might not even be possible—your bank might require you to physically walk into a local branch to initiate the wire.  Even if you can place the order online or by phone, the fee may be around $40.  Most banks also charge a fee to the recipient, but I have one of those rare banks that doesn't, at least not at present.

Unsupported methods:  I don't accept any of these kinds of payments.

1. Cash
2. Check or money order
3. Crypto

Rent on credit reports

1. I do not report your rent payments to the credit reporting agencies.  Almost no landlord reports to the CRAs.  So, on-time payments won't help your credit score, and late payments won't hurt your credit score.
2. A service called Piñata can add your rent payments to your credit report, potentially boosting your credit score.  If you want to use their service, they'll charge me $2/mo., which I'll pass on to you.  Note that I will answer truthfully about whether your payments were on-time or late, so if you think you might pay late, then don't sign up for this service.  Also, if you already have good credit, then you don't need this service, which would just be a waste of $2/mo.
3. Other ways to raise your credit score.  My day job is writing articles, lots of them about personal finance, so I'm knowledgeable about this.  Here's my article on How to Fix Your Credit.

Renter's insurance:  See Insurance

Security Lights

All the exterior motion lights are controlled by switches that have protective covers so you don't accidentally turn them off.  If you need a light to be always on, you can switch to always-on mode by turning off the light for a second or two and then turning it back on.  Switch back to motion-detection mode by turning the switch off for a second or two and then turning back on.

Don't turn the security lights off.  The back house tenants want security when they're coming home after dark.  If a light is bothering you for some reason and you prefer it to be off, let me know and let's find a solution.

Sewer drain

Preventative

1. You must use the shower strainer.
2. You must not put anything down the toilet besides human waste and a reasonable amount of toilet paper.  "Flushable" wipes are a misnomer, you must not use them.

Sink backup

If only your sink is backed up (shower & toilet are fine), let me know and I'll fix it.

Toilet-only backup

Shower-only backup

If your shower is backed up, but the toilet is not backed up, the clog is somewhere in the short span from the tub to where the toilet connects to the main drain line.  In this case, same as above, a short auger should clear the clog.

Toilet and Shower both backed up

If your toilet and shower are both backed up, the clog is somewhere in the main drain line, and it's unlikely a closet auger will reach far enough.  In that case, you are responsible for the clog, because every single time a tenant's main line has clogged since I first became a landlord in 1994, it's been because they put something improper (other than human waste or toilet paper) into the toilet, or didn't use the hair screen in the tub.  Things I or plumbers have snaked out of tenant's sewer lines include cloth rags, plastic gloves, tampons, and  "flushable" wipes (which are a misnomer, they can clog the pipes, they're not appropriate for municipal water systems, and the City doesn't want them in the waste stream).

Snaking a line is dirty work if I do it and an added expense if I pay for it, and it will never be necessary if nothing improper is put down the drains, so as of 2023 I'm putting this on the tenants.

Your options in case of a whole-house backup:

1. Your best option is to call a plumber.  The cheapest I know of is Johnny Rooter, (512) 452-6646, which charged me $168.50 total in 2023 to snake a tenant's line (that was clogged from "flushable" wet wipes).
2. You're welcome to try the closet auger, but it's unlikely to work.
3. Do not use chemical drain cleaners!  They dissolve old cast iron pipes like the one that serves your house.  If the pipe breaks from drain cleaner, expect to be without a working drain (meaning no shower, no toilet, no sink) for days to weeks while a plumber tunnels under the house or digs up the yard to replace the broken pipe.  If that happens and there's drain cleaner in the pipe, expect to lose your entire deposit and then some.
4. Enzyme-based drain cleaners are of no threat to the pipes, but neither are they very effective.

Shower backing up:  See Sewer

Shower curtain

You can wash it in the washing machine if you like:

1. Leave the rings on the curtain rod (don't wash the rings).
2. Throw in a couple of towels, which will help wipe the dirt off.
3. Use detergent as normal.
4. Set the cycle to Delicate and Warm Water.
5. Do not put in the dryer, it will melt.

Smoke alarms

1. Don't throw the batteries away!  They're rechargeable.  I provided chargers.  For the downstairs, the battery charger was plugged into the outlet next to the front door (inside) when you moved in.
2. You're welcome to use your own alkaline or lithium batteries if you don't like the rechargeables, but don't throw the rechargeables away.
3. Use the spare battery to prevent the annoying chirp while you're charging.  The alarms are hardwired into the house's electrical system, the batteries are just a backup.  That means when it's time to recharge a battery and you remove it to recharge it, the alarm will continue to chirp annoyingly.  I provided a spare, charged 9V battery (on top of the battery charger) so you can stop the chirping while you're charging the old battery.
4. Test the alarm(s) in your room monthly by pressing the button until the siren sounds, then releasing the button.  If the siren doesn't sound then please notify me immediately.  Note, if you continue holding the button down after the siren sounds, then the other alarm will also fire (or at least it's re supposed to).

Subletting:  See Move-out

Toilet backing up

See Sewer.

Trash, Recycling, & Compost carts

Pickup

• The City picks up on Fridays (meaning put the carts out on Thursday night).
• Trash/Compost is weekly, except Recycling is every other Friday.  You can find the recycling schedule on the City website.
• Place carts ≥5 feet apart from each other, and from vehicles, per City instructions.

Cart colors:

• BROWN:  Trash
• BLUE:  Recycling.  See below, but esp. no plastic bags
• GREEN:  Compost (food waste, yard waste, pizza boxes, takeout containers marked "Compostable", nothing else)

Where to store.  You can keep these wherever you like (e.g., between the fence and the driveway, behind the house), just don't block the driveway or the gate.

Trash cart cost.  The City charges you based on the size of your trash cart, so choose the smallest one that meets your needs.  The choice can be changed at any time.  If you need them, the City will give you extra recycling and compost cart for free if you ask for them.

Don't put trash in the recycling cart.  When there are too many contaminants in the recycling stream, the whole mess gets landfilled instead of recycled.  If you're not sure whether something is recyclable, it's better to throw it out than hope it might get recycled.  "If in doubt, throw it out."

What's NOT recyclable:

• Plastic bags (and don't bag your recyclables; HEB accepts plastic bags if you want to recycle plastic bags)
• Polystyrene (aka Styrofoam).  The City accepts it at their recycling facility far south, but not curbside.  If you won't make the trek, throw it out as trash.
• Food.  Containers which still have some food in them (e.g., queso) are not recyclable.
• Pizza boxes.  They go in the compost cart, not the recycling cart
• Aseptic packaging (cardboard-like cartons of milk, soup, etc.).  Trash it.
• Any glass that's not a bottle

What IS recyclable:

• PLASTIC: bottles with caps still on if you have them.  (Loose plastic caps don't get recycled.)
• METAL: Cans, bottle tops, jar tops (but not loose scrap metal)
• CARDBOARD, PAPERBOARD (e.g., cereal boxes)
• PAPER (including envelopes with windows, staples)
• GLASS bottles, with lids removed (metal lids are recyclable; note that this is opposite for plastic; with plastic, you leave caps on, for glass, you take lids off)

If you want to compost in the yard instead of using the compost cart, you're welcome to, as long as it doesn't bother any neighbor.

Utilities

The City of Austin (CoA) provides electricity, water, and trash service.  You'll pay CoA utilities, unless you're paying te Furnished rent rate, in which case I pay it.  The utilities are currently in my name and I can add your bank account info to my account portal so you can avoid the ~$200 deposit and the ~$20 service startup fee.

If you don't have a car, you can get a discount of $16.28 off your City utility bill.  If you qualify, and if the City utility bill is still in my name, let me know and I'll call and claim it for you.  (If the utilities are in your name then you'll need to make the call, 512-494-9400.)

Walls

Screws may be inserted into walls for hanging items (including TV brackets), but you must ave me do it because the walls are unusual and require special materials and methods.

You can paint any wall, with some limits, see your lease.

Washer:  See Laundry

Updates

12/12/23.  Initial version.