An emergency contact sheet is a short, private list of the people and official services your household may need during an urgent situation. Keeping the right names and numbers together can reduce confusion during a power outage, severe weather event, maintenance emergency, or medical concern.
The sheet should support good judgment, not replace it. Call 911 for an immediate threat to life or safety, follow current instructions from public officials and utilities, and use the property's approved maintenance process for rental-specific problems. Keep private medical, account, and access information secure.
Include only information your household is authorized to use:
Add the finished sheet to your Cleveland-area move-in checklist and keep a protected copy where authorized household members can find it.
List the current phone number for each resident. If a child, older adult, or household member with a disability may need extra support, discuss the plan directly with that person or their authorized caregiver rather than making assumptions.
Choose one trusted contact who lives outside the household and, when practical, another who lives outside the immediate Cleveland area. During a local disruption, an out-of-area contact may be easier for separated household members to reach. Confirm that each person agrees to be listed and knows what help you might request.
Your contact sheet can also note:
Don't place Social Security numbers, account passwords, door codes, alarm codes, full medical histories, or copies of identification on an exposed sheet.
Use each provider's official bill, website, app, or customer-service channel to confirm its outage and emergency reporting information. Don't rely on a search result, social media comment, or old screenshot when current instructions are available from the provider.
List the providers that actually serve your rental, such as electricity, natural gas, water, and internet. Include the official outage-reporting method and note where the account number is stored securely rather than writing the full number on a public sheet.
The power outage checklist for Cleveland renters explains how to prepare flashlights and phone power, avoid electrical and generator hazards, and decide when a rental-specific issue also needs a maintenance report.
For public safety, label 911 for fire, suspected gas leaks, downed power lines, immediate medical danger, violence, or another urgent threat. Keep non-emergency numbers separate so no one confuses routine information with emergency help. Follow current local instructions because phone numbers, service areas, and procedures can change.
Your contact sheet should show how to reach the approved maintenance channel and where to find after-hours instructions. A maintenance request creates a clear record for property-specific problems, but it doesn't replace emergency services when someone faces immediate danger.
Use the maintenance request process for rental concerns such as a leak, damaged lock, nonworking property equipment, or another issue that needs the housing team's attention. Describe what you can safely observe, where it is happening, and when it started. Don't open electrical panels, enter locked utility spaces, climb onto a roof, relight equipment without authorization, or make permanent repairs.
If you aren't sure which CCH contact path fits a non-emergency question, use the official contact page. Never send passwords, bank details, full identification numbers, or unrelated medical records in a maintenance message.
Some households may benefit from listing a primary health care office, pharmacy, insurer, medical-equipment provider, caregiver, or accessibility-support contact. Ask the person whose information is involved what should be included and who may see it.
Keep the visible sheet limited to contact details and simple action notes. Store medication lists, diagnoses, policy numbers, and other sensitive records separately in a secure place. For medication storage, powered medical equipment, or evacuation support, follow the current instructions from the prescribing professional, equipment provider, utility, and emergency officials.
A paper backup can help during an outage, but place it somewhere reasonably private and accessible to the people authorized to use it. Don't post household health information in a shared hallway, lobby, mailbox area, or public online folder.
An emergency plan doesn't need to be complicated. Choose one nearby meeting place and one alternate location outside the immediate area. Decide who will check on children, pets, older adults, or others who may need assistance, without putting anyone in danger.
During severe weather, follow current official alerts and use the safest available shelter guidance for your building. The severe-weather guide for Cleveland renters covers watches, warnings, safer shelter areas, and post-storm hazards.
Write one short check-in message household members can send when voice calls are difficult, such as their location, whether they are safe, and where they are going next. Don't include door codes, hidden-key locations, or other access details in group texts that may reach the wrong person.
Keep one working copy where authorized residents can reach it and one protected backup. A wallet card or phone note can be useful, but secure the device and avoid saving more private information than the situation requires.
Review the sheet after a move, roommate change, utility-provider change, new school or workplace, medical-contact update, or phone-number change. Set a simple reminder to check it every few months and write the review date at the bottom.
The Tenant Resource Hub keeps current maintenance, payment, move-in, and renter-support links together. Use those live pages to confirm CCH contact paths instead of relying on an old printed copy forever.
Yes, but label them clearly. Use 911 for an immediate threat to life or safety. Keep routine or non-emergency contacts in a separate section so household members can quickly choose the appropriate path.
No. Call emergency services or the appropriate utility first when there is immediate danger, then follow property instructions when it is safe. Use the approved maintenance process for rental-specific concerns that are not immediate life-safety emergencies.
Keep the visible sheet limited and private. Contact names and simple action notes may be useful, but detailed diagnoses, medication lists, policy numbers, and identification records should be stored securely and shared only with authorized people.
Keep a copy in a reasonably private place that authorized household members can access, plus a protected backup. Avoid shared hallways, public folders, exposed mail areas, or any place that reveals private household information.
Review it after any household, phone, provider, school, workplace, or medical-contact change. A quick check every few months helps catch outdated information before an urgent situation.
A useful renter emergency contact sheet is short, current, private, and easy to understand. Organize household contacts, official utility channels, maintenance instructions, public-safety information, and a simple communication plan, then review the list regularly.
Current residents can use the Tenant Resource Hub for renter support and the maintenance page for property-specific concerns. If anyone faces immediate danger, contact emergency services and follow current official instructions.
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