When you are the new kid or “new neighbor” on the block, there can be a steep learning curve. The learning curve may include how to deal with a problem in your new neighborhood. Neighborhood issues may include: a pothole, downed power line or tree limb, an injured animal, graffiti, bats, a traffic sign or signal that needs maintenance, a missing garbage cart, overgrown landscaping and more. In a true emergency, always call 9-1-1. However, there are many scenarios where the city, HOA (Homeowners Association) or proper authority needs to alerted to a non-emergency issue. These tips may help you deal with a problem in your neighborhood.
Who Has Authority Over Your Neighborhood?
Before you ever need emergency or non-emergency services it is a good idea to learn about the appropriate services and proper authorities. Where is the nearest fire station or police station? Is your neighborhood part of an HOA? If you bought your home, you probably learned more about the HOA during the home buying process. If you are renting, you can contact your landlord who will communicate with the HOA. If your neighborhood does not have an HOA your property may have covenant restrictions or it could be unrestricted. Even if you don’t have an HOA, there is usually some entity like the city, county, water district, easements or utilities that has some type of authority over your property.
How to Contact the Proper Authorities
The contact information will vary for every city and neighborhood, but we can help you learn how to search for the proper contact info. If your HOA is managed by a company, you will want to find the contact info for that company or your neighborhood’s point of contact. Attending an HOA meeting or asking a neighbor may be a great way to find this information. Joining nextdoor.com or your neighborhood Facebook group may also be a great way to query information. Googling your city’s name along with “non-emergency police number / contact info” may also yield good results for you.
Who To Contact
Your city’s non-emergency number may be good for somethings like a malfunctioning traffic light, but not other things like a power outage or wildlife issue. You may have to do a little more specific searching to find the appropriate department and contact info.
City Specific Information
After a little searching, we found some helpful links! We have branches in Austin, Houston, Dallas and Denver, but we move people all over the United States! If your city is not listed below, use the search tips to help find the right contact info.
Austin: http://austin.about.com/od/governmentcivics/a/Call311.htm
Houston: http://houstonmidtown.com/about/helpful-phone-numbers/
Dallas: http://dallascityhall.com/services/311/Pages/City%20of%20Dallas%20311.aspx
Original Source: https://squarecowmovers.com/deal-neighborhood-issues/