Set Up Essential Services

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As a tenant you may be responsible for making the necessary arrangements to get utility services. Leases vary as to which utilities are included in the rent. Heat (using gas, electricity or oil) is often included in the rent. If not included in rent, heat will most likely be your biggest expense. Please note that the price of fuel has increased within the last year. Please see our budget sheet for a breakdown of expenses. Water is almost always the landlord's responsibility when you are renting an apartment and often the tenant's responsibility if you are renting a house. Tenants are always responsible for telephone service.

The companies you will have to contact for these services are:

• Verizon, Comcast, & Campus Technologies - for telephone service
• Energy Company of your choice - for electric service
• Philadelphia Gas Works - for gas service
• Philadelphia Water Department - for water meter reading
• Internet Services - for connecting to the internet
• Campus Technologies (Internet, cable and phone)
• Other Services - Cable service
• VERIZON - http://www.verizon.com

Verizon provides its customers with local service and access to a long distance company of choice. To request service, call 1-800-640-4155, toll-free, in Philadelphia only. Or, if you are outside of Philadelphia, call 215-571-7050. The hours you can call are: Monday through Friday, 8:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M. and Saturday, 9:00 A.M. - 1:00 P.M. If you live with other roommates, AT&T offers a Free Call Organizer Service, which divides your monthly bill by roommate. Call 1-800-654-0471.

You can request telephone service over the phone or via their website. Verizon recommends that you request service via the phone because problems can occur without the tenant or Verizon's knowledge. Sometimes, you may also be asked to fax to 1-800-834-4484 copies of the following:

Two pieces of ID (one of them a valid picture document: driver's license, passport or student ID; the lease (landlord's name and telephone number); if you are a foreign student. There may be hook-up charges in addition to any monthly fee requirements. Telephone services will start within three business days.

CAMPUS TECHNOLOGIES INC.
http://www.phillynet.net

Phillynet.net is the local brand name under which Campus Technologies Inc operates in Philadelphia. Under the Phillynet.net name, Campus Technologies Inc provides technology services (primarily internet and data access, local and long-distance telephone and digital cable TV) to residents of subscribing property owners' apartments in University City.

Campus Technologies Inc is a technology company specializing in providing technology to the multi-tenant industry.

The Phillynet.net website is the portal for all users of Phillynet.net services.

PECO ENERGY COMPANY
http://www.peco.com

PECO was Pennsylvania's only energy company until Pennsylvania deregulated its energy resources. PECO continues to be a energy resource supplier and is the number one used energy company in the Philadelphia area, but you should know that there are several energy companies you can choose from.

To request service from PECO you can apply on-line at http://www.exeloncorp.com/ourcompanies/peco/pecores/. (Note: you should fill in this application at least 5 days prior to the date that you want service on. You will be notified via e-mail when your application has been accepted).

If you need to report emergencies, call the office number during office hours and call 1-800-841-4141, after 5:00 P.M.

PHILADELPHIA GAS WORKS
http://www.pgworks.com

Gas can be turned on within 48 hours from notification (workload permitting). There is no service charge. You can apply for service by phone or in person at the following locations.

Office	Location	Days of Operation	Hours of Operation
Center City	1137 Chestnut Street	Mon., Tues., Thurs., Fri.	9 AM - 5 PM
Frankford	4410 Frankford Avenue	Tues., Thurs., Fri.	9 AM - 5 PM
Germantown	212 West Chelten Avenue	Tues., Wed., Fri.	9 AM - 5 PM
North Philadelphia	1337 West Erie Avenue	Mon., Wed., Thurs.	9 AM - 5 PM
South Philadelphia	1601 South Broad Street	Mon., Wed., Thurs.	9 AM - 5 PM
West Philadelphia	5230 Chestnut Street	Mon., Tues., Wed., Fri.	9 AM - 5 PM

If you have to go to the office to arrange for service, be sure to have a copy of your lease or a notarized letter from your landlord as well as two pieces of identification. It would be useful if one of the pieces of identification had your old address listed. They will also need to see your social security card. (International students should bring passports along.) Your credit history will be checked to determine if you will be required to pay a deposit. To report emergencies, call 215-235-1212.

PHILADELPHIA WATER DEPARTMENT
http://www.phila.gov/water/

Most tenants do not need to pay their water bills, as the cost is included in the rent. In the event that you are responsible for the water bill, remember to tell your landlord that you would like the water left on at your new residence. Then, simply arrange to have a final reading, so that all previous billing can be finalized. If you have any questions call 215-686-6880.

INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS

For remote access and high-speed computing information provided by the University, visit http://www.upenn.edu/computing. There are many local and national remote access options to choose from, varying in cost, speed, convenience, and availability in a particular area.

ISP WEBSITES

COMCAST: http://www.comcast.com/
VERIZON: http://www22.verizon.com/content/verizonglobalhome/ghp_landing.aspx
EARTHLINK: http://www.earthlink.com
AT&T: http://www.att.com
AOL: http://www.aol.com

WIRELESS COMPANIES AND STORES

The stores can sign you up with many service providers such as Sprint, T-Mobile, Cingular, and Verizon. You can also go to the individual companies website to sign-up.

WEBSITES

AT&T - http://www.att.com
Verizon - http://www.verizon.com
Sprint - http://www.sprint.com
Cingular - http://www.cingular.com
T-Mobile - http://www.t-mobile.com


CABLE TELEVISION

Cable television in the University City area may be provided by Comcast, Verizon, or Time-Warner (Wade Cable).

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Last modified: 2011-12-20 14:16:52