New or long-time — these notes are about making 511 a successful place to live. A big building works when people give each other a little room and a little care.
First week
New to 511? Work down this list. Details are in the sections below, or on Access, Trash, Emergencies, and Moving.
Put your unit number on every piece of mail and every package. That is how the post office and carriers match deliveries to the right box and the right hands.
The mailroom is a shared landing spot, not long-term storage.
Pick up soon after delivery so walkways stay clear and boxes find the right hands.
Do not leave packages in the mailroom for more than 30 days. After 30 days they will be removed.
Laundry (2nd floor)
Payment is by phone app — the name is printed on the machine. Create an account before you bring a basket down.
When your cycle ends, grab your clothes so the next neighbor can start theirs.
Leave the room as you’d like to find it: lint traps cleared, detergent put away, nothing left on top of the machines.
Fire room — shared equipment
Carts and ladders live in the fire room. Use is entirely at your own risk. The building / HOA assumes no liability for personal injury or damage to belongings.
Carts — for loading and unloading.
Ladders — for hard-to-reach spots.
Inspect before each use. Do not use cracked or damaged gear. Report wear to building management so it can be taken out of service.
Go easy in elevators, doors, and hallways so walls and trim stay intact.
Return everything to the fire room right after use. Do not leave carts or ladders in hallways, elevators, or units.
Hallways and stairs
Keep corridors clear so neighbors and emergency crews can move. Trash, boxes, bikes, and personal items belong in units, not in the hall or lobby.
Smoke outside — not in stairwells, hallways, elevators, or indoor community spaces.
If a detector is going off inside your unit, deal with it in the unit. Don’t open the hallway door to air it out — that can trip the building alarm. See Emergencies.
Hallway heat and A/C
Common-area HVAC is set for the building, not for living-room comfort. It manages humidity, protects pipes, and keeps shared energy bills from spiking.
Summer: about 76°F — limits humidity and cooling load.
Winter: about 66°F — protects plumbing and holds a base warmth.
That’s hallways and shared spaces, not your apartment. In-unit heat and A/C are yours (or the landlord’s) — Find these first.
Doors and census
Don’t hold the door for people you don’t know. Limit lobby, stair, and elevator access to residents and invited guests. Guests use the 2N callbox — Access.
Make sure doors close behind you. If one won’t latch, tell building management so it can be fixed.
Keep your census current with building management so fobs and building access stay accurate. Fobs.
Pests
If you see pests in your unit or a common area, use the Resident portal.
Tied, sealed trash and no food or bags in hallways make a big difference. Trash.
Your unit
Water heaters
Individual-unit heaters often last 8–12 years.
Replacing one on purpose is far kinder than a leak into the homes below.
Check the serial/age tag; if it’s over 10 years, plan a swap.
The owner (or landlord) arranges replacement — this is not a building work order.
If water is already coming through a ceiling, follow the leak steps first, then deal with the heater.
Bills and utilities
Electric: EMS3 bills each unit for its use and its share of the building’s common electric (hallways, elevator, exterior lights, and similar). The charge shows in the Resident portal and is mailed to the address on file.
Water, sewer, and trash: covered through HOA fees.
Gas: covered through HOA fees. If you smell gas, leave and call 911 — see Emergencies.
Internet: the building is wired for Verizon Fios; other providers may also be available.
Insurance: owners carry HO-6 (walls-in). Renters carry renter’s insurance. More under Owning your unit.
Find these before you need them
Hallway heat is a building system (setpoints). What cools and heats your apartment is separate — if it dies, that’s a unit or landlord problem.
Water shutoff — often near the water heater or where the line enters. If a hose or heater fails, minutes matter for the floors below.
Breaker panel — know where it is so a tripped circuit isn’t an emergency call.
Smoke and CO detectors in the unit — the owner’s responsibility to keep working. The building fire alarm is a different system; if the building is in alarm, leave by the stairs. Emergencies.
What you maintain vs the association: Owning your unit. Renters: ask the landlord once, then write it down.
How to ask for a repair
Inside your unit (finishes, appliances, windows, in-unit heat and A/C): the owner’s to maintain — Owning your unit. Renters: landlord first.
Shared building: owners log work orders and building questions in the Resident portal so they have a ticket.
Renters: landlord first for the unit, fobs, and mailbox. The owner (not the tenant) should open the portal ticket for common-area work.
Water through a ceiling, fire, gas, or a trapped elevator is not a portal ticket — call in that order. Do not use the emergency phone for a work order that can wait.
Owning your unit
Floors 2–10 are condominiums. What is inside your walls-in space is yours to keep working — the association does not repair or replace it for you. Renters: this is your landlord’s job.
You maintain your part of the building. Finishes, plumbing and electric in the unit, the water heater, in-unit heat and A/C, smoke/CO detectors, and the exterior windows. If a window no longer opens, leaks, or needs replacement, that is the unit owner’s project.
Changing the space — adding or removing walls, new openings, major electrical or plumbing — needs ordinary City of Philadelphia permits and has to follow safety codes.
Tell building management before you start construction. Use the Resident portal so they know trades will be in the building. Freight elevator: Moving.
Warn your neighbors if the work will be loud — a note under the door, the Facebook group, or both. A few days’ notice is a polite thing to do.
HO-6 (walls-in) insurance is the owner’s. Association documents and any extra alteration rules live on the Resident portal.
What HOA fees cover
Shared building costs — official budget and packets: Resident portal.
Gas, water and sewer, and communications for building systems
Janitorial and trash
Management and admin
Front-door service and camera security
Maintenance of shared systems — elevators, hallway HVAC, roof, common flooring and painting, building electrical and plumbing, exterminating, snow removal
Building insurance
Fire safety
Legal
A 10-minute walk from the door
511 sits on the Callowhill side of Broad and Spring Garden. More dining and maps: broadandspringgarden.com.
Subway
Broad Street Line (B) — Spring Garden station is at the intersection, outside the front door.
Buses
Routes 4 and 16 stop on Broad; 43 runs on Spring Garden. Overnight, the Broad Street owl bus covers the subway. Check the SEPTA app — numbers change.
Groceries
GIANT at 510 N Broad (northwest corner); Aldi and other shops are a short walk — see the neighborhood map.
Bikes
Don’t leave bikes in hallways or the lobby. Indego stations are nearby; ask the Facebook group where people actually lock up.
Neighborhood groups
Civic groups and the intersection guide next door.