HOGBACK II 

   College Life

   Country living

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

Security
You should lock up whenever you are all leaving for longer than a day. A key should be left in an agreed upon location so that tradesmen can get access to the house for purposes of maintenance. If for any reason the key gets lost , call me, and I probably have a spare squirreled away somewhere on the property.
Renter's & Liability insurance
Hogback is covered by a specific student rental policy. Due to the fact that some family insurance policies have discontinued liability for any student living off campus, My Insurance company has insisted that every student have  liability insurance. This is also critical for you as lack of liability insurance in todays world can result in some expensive litigation. There is no doubt that with the typical fraternity type activities, there is a high risk of personal injury, or the reverse. Please contact your insurance agent and verify coverage off campus. 
Utilities
You must call BARC electric Co-Operative, and have the power connected in your name.BARC 1-800 846 2272 BARC now offers high speed fiber internet connection for blazing fast data speeds.  They will require a security deposit, but you will get it back at the end of the year. Internet costs $80/mo
Heating  A/C
The house is heated and cooled by twin heat pumps. This means that when it is running you should keep windows and doors closed. When you don't want to use the air conditioning, DO NOT TURN IT OFF, simply turn the thermostat to high, about 80 degrees. Then it will cut on only if the temperature gets that hot. It is necessary on humid days to run the a/c to keep the air in the house dry. In winter NEVER turn the HEAT OFF. Always turn the temperature setting as low as possible if you leave the house. It will keep pipes from freezing, and will not use much electricity. The thermostat is a multi level thermostat, that can change the settings at various times during the day or night. It also has an option to run emergency heat. be careful because selecting this option will run heating elements that will be very expensive. In cases of very low outside temperatures, the unit will automatically turn on the electric heat when it determines it necessary.
The Lawn
Grass is great but must be cared for. Lawns need to be mowed every second weekend until winter arrives. Set the mower height on medium, do not cut the grass too short. Do not leave objects on the lawn for a long period or they will kill the grass  Keep the lawnmower in the small shed under the deck. At the end of fall, when there is no more mowing to be done, Run the mower until it is totally stops due to running out of gas. leaving gas in the mower over the winter will kill the engine, and you will be looking at  a new lawnmower cost. 
The Forest
Surrounding the house is forest, and there is to be no cutting down of any trees without checking with the landlord. Occasionally you may find it necessary to have a beer can pickup, as beer cans do not appear naturally in Virginia forests.
Trash removal

Please make sure you do not leave trash bags round the deck or outside, as animals will shred them, and you will have to pick it all up. the trash has to taken down to the dumpsters on Rt 11. just the other side of the interstate.

Rent
Rent payment is due on the first of the month. payment is by a single payment via venmo or any other e-cash transfer methods  
End of year leaving
When you graduate, you have the issue of what to do about furniture. Its possible that the incoming students will buy or accept some it. It is critical that the house be cleared at the end of the school year for the extensive maintenance that usually occurs. If you have furniture in the upper rooms, it's usually safest to transfer ownership to the next student as moving in back down the staircase can do a lot of damage. Incoming furniture can be stored in the bedroom with the sliding door in the basement. Living room furniture can be left in place.  Any furniture left on decks, other than outdoor furniture will be disposed of. 
Safety
NO bar B Qs are allowed on the upper wooden deck. This is an insurance company requirement and must be followed. Bar B Qs can be set up down beside the firepit on the concrete slab.
 FIREARMS
If firearms are being used on the property there must be a secure storage cabinet. Discharge must be done at a time reasonable to the neighbors, and not after 10:00 pm and before 6:00 am. Empty shells must be collected and disposed of. Its all about consideration for others.  Its always smart to be proactive and go visit the neighbors and discuss such things as gunfire, and who to call if a party noise gets too offensive, its easier to work with them than the sherrifs office.
FIRE SAFETY
Smoke detectors    Insurance requires smoke detectors in every bedroom and hallway.  The smoke detectors will be checked by the landlord quarterly. Any detector found missing will be replaced and you will be charged for the cost of the unit plus a $50 fine for its removal.
General Points
Kitchen
Stove, make sure you leave a foil drip pan in the bottom at all times. It will make cleaning much easier.
Empty trash regularly as it will stink quickly
Keep fridge clean and take care of the plastic bins and supports, they work out very expensive to replace.
Laundry
Clean lint from dryer before every use. 
The laundry is for YOUR personal use, allowing your friends to use it will cost you dearly in electricity.
Bathrooms
Changing the paper can be a chore, but you can figure out how to do it. see notes on Septic system.
Adverse weather
Never put salt on the driveway after a snowstorm. It will make the ground turn into quicksand, After any heavy snowfall Josh plogger will come and plough the road. Wait for it. Yes somebody with 4 WD will be able to get down, maybe even two, but once the snow is packed down to ice, it is not possible to plough it, and the road will be impassable until the snow melts.While Rodney will plough as soon as possible, in many storms it is a day or even two before this can be done. In many cases it is a day or two before the secondary roads are ploughed. The smart thing, since you all have a fraternity house in lexington,; is to get whatever books you need for the next day, and move into the fraternity house on a temporary basis, until the storm clears. If you decide to "ride out" a storm remember the water is supplied by a pump, and the biggest danger is a power outage. If that happens you will have no water, so fill the bathtub with water, enough to flush toilets and some washing. stock up on bottled water and food which does not require cooking.