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Maintenance, Custodial, and Cleaning

All campus housing contracts include maintenance services. The Housing Facilities team provides maintenance, custodial, and grounds services, as well as front desk operations for most UC Berkeley campus housing complexes. Housing Facilities prides itself on ensuring the safety and comfort of residents and the campus community.

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Maintenance provided by Housing Facilities

For non-urgent maintenance needs, submit a Housing Facilities Maintenance Request. Log in to the maintenance portal with your CalNet ID. If you would like to follow up on your maintenance request with Housing Facilities, you can email RSSP_servrequest@berkeley.edu with your request or work order number. You can also reply directly from the automated message email you received after submitting a maintenance request.

Please note: Blackwell Hall, Enclave Apartments, and Panoramic Berkeley Apartments are affiliated properties with separate instructions for submitting and following up with maintenance requests.

Common maintenance questions

  • More than one maintenance issue? Please submit multiple requests and only include one issue per maintenance request.
  • Maintenance issue in a common area? Notify your Resident Director (RD), Resident Assistant (RA), or unit front desk for issues in public spaces, including lounges, lobby, kitchen, bathrooms, stairwells, etc.
  • Lost your keys? Contact your unit front desk. Requests for replacement keys must come from the front desk.
  • Maintenance issue with washers or dryers?

Emergency repairs

In case of an emergency, contact your front desk staff. Emergencies include:

  • Flooding or ceiling leaks
  • No heat, hot water, or cold water
  • Overflowing toilet
  • Door or window locking issues
  • Elevator entrapment or out-of-service elevators
  • Power outages

Custodial services

The Housing Facilities custodial team provides housekeeping services for common areas of campus housing buildings.

  • Housekeeping is offered daily, except on administrative holidays, for public spaces: lounges, hallways, stairwells, entryways, and shared bathrooms in residence halls.
  • Be respectful of the custodial staff who clean common areas. It’s your job to put trash in garbage cans and clean up after yourself.

Cleaning your room

You and your roommate(s) are responsible for cleaning your own room. Custodial service is only provided for common areas.

  • You may borrow a vacuum cleaner from your unit’s front desk.
  • Make sure the safety features in your room remain in good working order. For instance, never cover up or remove smoke detectors. Read the Residential Code of Conduct for more safety policies.

Cleaning your apartment

You and your apartment-mates are responsible for cleaning the inside of your apartment. Many apartment buildings offer optional cleaning services that you and your roommates may choose to pay for during the academic year. Optional cleaning services are available in:

  • Channing-Bowditch Apartments
  • Clark Kerr Apartments
  • Ida L. Jackson House Apartments
  • Manville Apartments
  • Martinez Commons Apartments
  • Wada Apartments

Tips for a clean living space

Bathroom care

  • Do make sure you flush the toilet to prevent build-up, which can cause the toilet to clog.
  • Do dispose of personal hygiene products in a trash bin and not in the toilet.
  • Do use non-abrasive cleaners to frequently clean sinks and bathtubs to help reduce the spread of germs and the buildup of mildew and mold.
  • Don’t flush any of the following down the toilet:
    • Cigarette butts
    • Condoms/condom wrappers
    • Cotton balls, cotton swabs/Q-tips
    • Facial tissues
    • Gauze or any other type of cotton, cloth, wipe, pad, or towel
    • Make-up removal pads/wipes
    • Panty liners
    • Paper towels/napkins
    • Personal pre-moistened wipes (baby wipes)
    • Sanitary napkins
    • Tampons

In the kitchen: disposal of cooking grease

  • Do let grease cool before you dispose of it. Our recommendation is to pour leftover cooking grease or fat into a can or glass jar. Once it cools, you may throw away the can or jar in the trash.
  • Don’t pour down the drain — it will clog your drain!
  • Don’t pour grease or fat outside, as it may attract pests and rodents.

Mini fridge and refrigerator care

  • Do clean your refrigerator regularly to prevent odors and mold growth. When cleaning your refrigerator, use baking soda mixed with water to make a cleaning scrub that will help prevent odors.
  • Do keep food tightly covered or wrapped to help prevent odors and frost build-up.
  • Do place items on the shelves without overcrowding the space so that air can circulate freely within the refrigerator.
  • Don’t pack your refrigerator or freezer too full; it will not cool properly.
  • Don’t leave bottle caps and jar lids open inside the fridge, in case of spills.

Stove and oven tips

  • Do maintain the stove and oven by wiping up spills as they occur and cleaning regularly.
  • Do turn off the stove and oven when not in use and when no one is in the apartment.
  • Don’t leave cooking food unattended.
  • Don’t use the stove or oven as additional storage space or as a space heater.

Pest control

  • Do submit a work order right away if you notice pests such as cockroaches, ants, fleas, or mice in your apartment or building: submit online Housing Facilities Maintenance Request form by logging in with your CalNet ID. Submitting a work order as soon as you notice the problem helps to reduce the spread to other rooms and apartments.
  • Do clean frequently to be proactive in preventing pest problems. Keep your living area and kitchens clean of leftover food and crumbs. Make sure food is properly sealed and put away, and take the garbage out regularly.

Trash removal

  • Do take out your trash, recycling, and compost frequently to avoid attracting pests such as ants, mice, and rats.
  • Do put your trash in a trash bag. Tie trash bags shut and dispose of them in the trash room in your building.
  • Do take out your trash before it becomes too heavy for you to carry, or too heavy for the bag to hold without breaking.
  • Don’t use public trash cans or the trash cans in the laundry room to empty your trash.

Keeping your space safe

Safety: extension cords — don’t use them!

  • Do use a power strip with a circuit breaker.
  • Don’t use extension cords, zip cords, or multi-plugs.

Safety: smoke detectors

  • Do keep your smoke detector installed and in good working order.
  • Do use safe cooking practices. For instance, if you cook with oil, try using less! Large amounts of oil in your cooking leads to lots of smoke, as well as grease buildup on counters and appliances.
  • Do use lower heat settings on your stove and oven when possible. Cooking food at a lower temperature will help to keep it from burning and causing smoke.
  • Don’t remove your smoke detector or cover it. Smoke detectors save lives!