A Welcome For Our Renters - The Henlopen Condominium Council, Inc.

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Details: Written by Henlopen Condo; Published: 25 July 2017; Created: 25 July 2017; Last Updated: 25 July 2017

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WEBSITE - GENERAL

The Henlopen maintains a website including both public and password-protected private pages. The public pages provide visitors to the site a variety of useful information about the Henlopen, about Rehoboth Beach and surrounding areas, and about vacation rental and sales at the Henlopen. A separate password-protected page of the website provides our Property Manager's welcome to our renters along with some practical tips for making their stay at the Henlopen convenient and enjoyable. (Renters may obtain the password from the Henlopen Office. 302.227.6409) Another separate password-protected section of the website designed for Henlopen owners only provides many resources for Henlopen owners.

HOW'S THE WEATHER TODAY?

For an update on the weather, please click HERE.

FRONT DESK - General

The Henlopen front desk is your “one-stop shopping” resource relating to the Henlopen. Whenever you have a question about anything related to the Henlopen or a condominium unit, please contact the front desk in person, by email or by phone (302-227-6409), unless you are renting, and your question relates to your rental agreement, in which case you should contact your rental agent.

From May 1 through September 30, our office is open 24 hours a day. In the evening, the security guard may be on rounds or on call for part of that time rather than in the office, but a Henlopen employee is always reachable by calling the office (302-227-6409). After 4 p.m. your call to that number will automatically be routed to the office cellphone. The office cellphone is always covered by a Henlopen employee when the office is not staffed.

ELEVATORS

The Henlopen has three elevators: two in the main lobby and one in the south lobby. All three elevators service the garage. Only the two main lobby elevators service the rooftop pool area. As a security measure, video cameras monitor each of our elevators on an ongoing basis.

RUNNING IN THE HALLWAYS

Most of us cherish our time at the beach, including some quiet time in the early morning and late evening. Unfortunately, our 1970’s vintage building doesn’t do a very good job of protecting “quiet time,” and there are few owners and guests who enjoy the “pitter-patter” of tiny (or not-so-tiny) feet in the hallways, particularly early in the morning or late in the evening. That’s why we try to maintain a policy of no running in the hallways – as tempting as they may be to the younger contingent of guests and visitors. We'd appreciate your help in abiding by this rule, especially during our "quiet hours," which are:

before 8 am on Monday through Friday,
before 10 am on Saturday and Sunday,
after 10 pm on Sunday through Thursday, and
after 11 pm on Friday and Saturday.

FUN AT THE BEACH

Rehoboth Beach offers a rich variety of activities for visitors of all ages. You may find these links helpful in identifying activities that you, your family and your guests might enjoy:

The City of Rehoboth Beach’s Official Website includes a helpful introduction to the City’s background, beach and boardwalk.
The Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce Visitor’s Guide provides a wealth of information about area activities, local events, and attractions.
So do the expansive listings at Rehobothboardwalk.com and at VisitDelaware.com.

BALCONIES

The Henlopen balconies provide a relaxing place for owners, guests, and tenants to enjoy the beautiful surroundings of Rehoboth Beach. We ask that everyone honor three rules when using the balconies:

No cooking of any kind is permitted on the balconies;
No towels or clothing may be hung over the railings; and
No water or any item may be thrown from the balcony.

We also would remind you that the Henlopen is a smoke-free facility. As noted elsewhere, this means that all of the common areas are smoke-free areas. Although some owners may permit smoking in their unit, we ask that smokers be considerate of their neighbors and not smoke on balconies.

Owners are responsible for cleaning balconies and any and all balcony furniture. The Council is responsible for all repairs and maintenance related to balconies, including maintenance of outside lights.

BEACH ACCESS

There are several ways access the beach from your Unit.

----For those walking without beach equipment, carts and umbrellas:

The preferred and most popular way to reach the beach is to take the main lobby elevators to the second floor and go out onto the plaza deck heading toward the ocean. Go down the stairs leading to the footbath and out onto the boardwalk.
You may also take the south lobby elevators to the lobby level, turn right outside the garage entrance to the sidewalk, pass the Hotel entrance on your right and continue to the breezeway to the boardwalk and beach.
If you prefer, you can take the northeast stairwell down to the ground level and exit within a few feet of the beach.

---For those with strollers, beach buggies, and other beach paraphernalia:

We do not permit these items through the main lobby.
We ask that if you take the main lobby elevators, you need to exit the elevator on the garage level and go out through the basement garage doors. Turn either right or left as you approach Lakeview Avenue and then go around the building heading east to the beach.
If you take the south lobby elevators, exit on the lobby level and turn left outside the garage entrance. Walk out toward the Lakeview Avenue sidewalk and turn left to go around the building heading east to the beach.

When you return from the beach, please remember to use one of the footbaths or the shower at the boardwalk entrance (bottom of the stairs) to wash off any sand from your body and shake sand off belongings before re-entering the building at any of these locations.

ENTRY DOORS, CALL BOXES & ENTRY PHONES

The Henlopen is a secure building that requires security devices to gain entry into the basement garage parking area and the building. The Henlopen office provides each owner, guest, and tenant security devices either on a permanent basis, as is the case with owners, or on a temporary basis for all others.

Visitors may gain access to the building by using one of the two call boxes. One is located outside the main lobby entrance area. Another is located outside the first floor level south elevator lobby.

Owners may register multiple phone numbers in the call box system. Doing so will allow a visitor to dial any of these numbers through the call box and, in turn, allow the individual receiving the call to give the visitor access to the building by pushing a specified number on his/her phone.

BUILDING FLOOR PLANS

The Henlopen is comprised of seven (7) almost identical floors. There are key areas on each floor important to both residents and visitors alike. They include: the emergency exits, the elevators and the all-important trash and recycling rooms. The floorplan attached HERE highlights each of those areas.

The attached floorplan also identifies the location of the units on each floor, using an asterisk for the first number of the unit (e.g., *01, *02, *03, and so on). Please substitute your floor number for the asterisk to identify your unit (e.g., *01 = 201 for unit on 2d floor, 301 for unit on 3rd floor, and so on).

BUILDING SECURITY - General

The Henlopen takes safety and security of its owners, guests, tenants, and visitors very seriously. Each entry door is securely locked 24 hours each day, with access granted only through the use of security devices. In addition, video cameras monitor each entry door, the pool area, the plaza deck, blind spots behind the elevator vestibules in the basement garage, the emergency panic buttons located in the basement garage and other areas not specified here.

During the Summer Season, security guard protection is provided 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

CABLE TV (HD)

The Association has contracted with Comcast to provide High Definition cable television service in each owner’s unit under a "bulk service" contract. You may review a listing of Comcast channels available in Rehoboth Beach HERE. Please be aware that the Comcast channel offerings may change from time to time and that not all channels shown on the listing are available as part of the Henlopen bulk service contract.
The cost for the Comcast bulk service to the Henlopen is included in each owner’s monthly assessment, and there is no additional cost for this service for owners or renters. If you experience a problem with your cable service, please contact the Henlopen office at 302-227-6409.

COURTYARD (PLAZA DECK)

The courtyard, or plaza deck, is open to all owners, guests, tenants, and visitors, It is easily accessed via the second floor elevator lobby. The courtyard features several benches at the oceanfront, several large flower pots beautifully maintained by staff, and easy access to the footbath area, beach and boardwalk. Courtyard etiquette rules are strategically posted. The key rules are as follows:

No smoking.
Use trash receptacles, and keep litter in its place.
No loud gatherings or music after 10 PM.
No skateboards or rollerblades.
No frisbee throwing or ball playing.

FOOTBATH AND OUTDOOR SHOWER

The Henlopen maintains an outdoor shower and footbath area that provides owners, guests, and tenants a convenient way to remove beach sand before reentering the building. The footbath is located at the foot of the stairs leading from the Courtyard to the boardwalk. It can be accessed directly from the beach/boardwalk and from the Courtyard. There also is a one-nozzle showerhead for the same purpose located at the basement garage exit door.

EMERGENCY WARNING SYSTEM

The Henlopen is committed to the safety of our owners and guests and over the years has invested in state of the art equipment to help with and respond to emergencies quickly. Each Owner unit and each of the common areas is equipped with smoke and heat detectors, strobe lights, and loud speakers. All of these components are connected to a main fire alarm panel (the “Emergency Warning System”) located in the Henlopen office.

In addition to the main panel in the Henlopen office, the Emergency Warning System has a satellite warning panel in the Building Superintendent’s residence. The system is monitored by an outside company 24/7 who notify Henlopen staff if an emergency situation exists. In the case of a fire, the system automatically notifies the Rehoboth Beach Fire Department, and the system will send out a building-wide alarm with directions on how to evacuate the building in a safe manner.

The Emergency Warning System is equipped with a microphone that allows staff to communicate emergency situations, and all clear notices, by broadcasting directly over the loud speakers in each unit. That loudspeaker function in each unit allows staff to communicate directly with occupants in owner units.

Another feature of the Emergency Warning System is the low temp signal. To ensure that owner unit water pipes do not freeze, we require that owners set their thermostats no lower than 55° during the off season. If the temperature in an owner unit falls to 42°, a signal is automatically sent to the Emergency Warning System that lets the Henlopen office know there is a problem. The Henlopen staff will respond to this warning and communicate any issues directly to the unit owner.

The Emergency Warning System can notify staff of various other situations in an owner’s unit that may need immediate attention. Such situations may involve smoke detectors activated due to hot steamy showers or overcooked meals, temperatures in a unit that drop below 42°, a water leak in the pool room, or a smoke detector that has been tampered with or removed.

EMERGENCIES: MEDICAL & NON-MEDICAL

MEDICAL EMERGENCIES: Unfortunately, there are times when owners, guests, tenants, or visitors may need medical assistance. If you find yourself facing a medical emergency, dial 911, report your situation, and then call the Henlopen office (302-227-6409) so we can help coordinate with emergency personnel.

NON-MEDICAL EMERGENCIES: Other than for a medical emergency, owners, guests, tenants, and visitors at the Henlopen should call the Henlopen office (302-227-6409) to report an emergency situation, hazards and other safety concerns. These might include, for example: child locks him/herself in a bathroom, a water leak, or a power failure. You should call the office for these types of personal and non-medical emergencies.

There is an IMPORTANT EXCEPTION to this rule for what you should do in the case of personal, non-medical emergencies. The exception addresses what you should do in the case of a fire. In the case of a fire, the Emergency Warning System will automatically report a fire to the Fire Department. Do NOT call the Henlopen office. Rather, listen to and follow the instructions that will be broadcast into your unit from the loudspeaker in your unit.

If you are instructed to evacuate the building and you need help to do so, call 911.

WEATHER & STORM PREPARATION

Living on the ocean, we always face the possibility of harsh weather and severe storms, and at times, the State of Delaware has ordered emergency evacuations. The Henlopen staff will keep all individuals in the building apprised of these types of emergency situations. You can stay on top of all developing weather situations in Rehoboth Beach at this weather.com link. Use this link to access emergency information provided by the City of Rehoboth Beach.

Most of the Henlopen owners are non-residents. This makes for a quite empty building in the off-season. However, this also provides a high level of anxiety among owners when major snow storms, Nor’easter storms, and hurricanes are about to descend on Rehoboth Beach.

The Henlopen has an effective storm preparation plan that effectively minimizes the impact from these storms, and effectively monitors the building during storms. Our building-wide preventive maintenance program ensures that all equipment that helps to minimize the impact of any storm is in good working order, i.e. sump pumps in the basement garage are tested quarterly. In preparation of storms with heavy rainfall and strong winds, the staff ensures that all storm shutters are locked in the down position, that balcony furniture is either secure or brought inside your unit, and that all pool deck furniture is secure. In addition, these areas are routinely checked through the duration of any storm.

And finally, the Property Manager typically provides frequent emailed updates (and will post updates on this website going forward) to keep our out-of-town owners current on the situation in the event of hurricanes and nor’easters.

EVACUATING THE BUILDING

If the need arises, you may hear an order to evacuate the building coming over the loudspeaker in your unit from the Emergency Warning System.

To prepare for that possibility, it would be good to review the evacuation map for our building. It will enable you to identify the fire exit stairwell closest to your unit. Click HERE to review the evacuation map, and identify the closest exit for your unit.

If you don’t have a hard copy of the evaculation map in your unit, please print out a copy and keep it in a prominent location. Or, if you prefer, you may contact the Henlopen office for a copy of an evacuation map for your unit.

If you are directed over the loudspeaker system to evacuate the building:

1. You should leave the building using the nearest exit on the evacuation map, position yourself away from the building and congregate in the park on the west side of the building (Lake Gerar side) to receive further instructions from emergency personnel.

2. If you need assistance to evacuate the building, you should immediately dial 911 and provide emergency personnel with your location and condition.

3. If you have a caretaker, the caretaker should open the entry door and wait in the hallway to direct emergency personnel. If you have pets, you should if possible isolate the pets from emergency personnel.

Emergency personnel or Henlopen staff will instruct all occupants when it is safe to re-enter the building.

HELPFUL LOCAL TELEPHONE NUMBERS

THE HENLOPEN:

Your first, best resource for information regarding the Henlopen is the Henlopen Office: MAIN NUMBER, between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.: 302-227-6409.
After 4 p.m., your call will automatically be routed to the office cellphone. The cellphone is always covered by a Henlopen employee when the office is not staffed.

LOCAL AREA RESOURCES:

EMERGENCIES – POLICE/FIRE/AMBULANCE: 911
City Hall: 302-227-6181
Police Department: Non-emergency   302-227-2577
Fire Company: Non-emergency 302-227-8400
Beebe Medical Center: -General 302-645-3300 / -Emergency 302-645.3291 / -Walk-in Med. Clinic   302-645-3010
Rehoboth Beach Animal Hospital: 302-227-2009
Savannah Animal Hospital: Emergencies 302-645-8757
Rehoboth Beach Beach Patrol: 302-227-2280
Coast Guard: 302-227-2121
Post Office: 302-227-8406
Public Library: 302-227-8044

LUGGAGE CARTS

The first thing to do when you arrive at the Henlopen is to move your personal belongs from your auto to your unit. The Henlopen provides luggage carts and grocery carts for just such a task, and they're also available for when you decide to leave. These carts are located in and around each of the two basement garage elevator vestibules.

As the posted signs say, we ask that you return each cart you use to where you found it immediately after using it. Thanks for doing so. It will help assure that the next owner or guest will have a cart available on arriving at the Henlopen.

NOISE

As an older cement block and steel building, the Henlopen is porous, and sound travels. And as a general matter, condominium living necessarily requires some adjustment to personal lifestyle. For those reasons, we ask our owners and guests -- out of consideration for others-- to exercise due consideration at all hours when entertaining and when using radios, stereo equipment, TVs, musical instruments, and other items to ensure that the sound will not disturb other owners and guests of the Henlopen. Similarly, we ask our owners and guests to exercise reasonable tolerance of occasional noise.

Our Rules specifically address noise issues. They do not allow loud-volume radios or TVs or noise that disturbs occupants of other units, providing the following general guidance:

“No unit owner or occupant shall engage in any altercation at any time, or otherwise shout, yell, or disturb the owners or occupants of any other unit. Television, radio and other electrical or battery-operated devices subject to volume control shall not be played above moderate levels if any unit owner or occupant objects, regardless of time of day or night.”

In addition, our Rules provide specific guidance regarding "quiet hours" at the Henlopen, as follows:

“No unit owner or occupant shall engage in any noisy activity before or after the prescribed times below.“
Sunday:BEFORE 10 am / AFTER 10 pm
Monday-Thursday: BEFORE 8 am / AFTER 10 pm
Friday: BEFORE 8 am / AFTER 11 pm
Saturday: BEFORE 10 am / AFTER 11 pm

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE DISTURBED BY NOISE THAT VIOLATES OUR RULES:

If you are disturbed by noise that violates our rules, please call the Henlopen office. Our Security Staff will visit the offending unit and issue a warning. Please be aware that intervention by Henlopen Security Staff after the first warning will involve the local police.

PACKAGES AND OTHER DELIVERIES

Accepting packages on behalf of our owners and guests is one of the several concierge services provided by the Henlopen staff. As a courtesy to those who rent condominium units in the Henlopen, the Henlopen front desk will accept parcels addressed to a tenant during the tenant's stay. However, we will not accept parcels prior to the scheduled start day of the tenant's rental agreement.

We encourage everyone to notify the front office in advance of the delivery of any items to the Henlopen. Advance notice will help ensure that deliveries are handled in an efficient and effective manner, ensure that packages are securely received and held, ensure where relevant that staff has sufficient time to pad the service elevator and ensure that delivery personnel can gain access to an owner’s unit when necessary.

When packages arrive, staff enters the date and number of packages into a package log organized by unit. Staff notifies owners who are present in the building via phone call and will notify all others via email that a package has arrived.

PARKING – VEHICLES, SCOOTERS, BICYCLES

Introduction. The basement garage is maintained as a secure environment, requiring security devices to access and a panic button system in case of emergencies. Except for year-round residents with state-issued placards or license tags for disabled persons who may obtain reserved parking spaces, parking spaces are unassigned, and each condo unit is entitled to only one parking space.

Henlopen Parking Pass. One yearly parking pass for each owner is available in April each year. Owners are required to sign for the annual parking pass. Each parking pass is coded to protect the owner’s privacy. Parking passes must be prominently displayed while your car is parked in the basement garage from Memorial Day through Labor Day each year.

City Parking Permits. If you need additional parking, you also have the option of using parking permits from the City of Rehoboth Beach. It provides each owner with two free transferable parking permits for use throughout the city in non-metered parking spaces. You also may apply for decals for each of your cars through the City of Rehoboth Beach for use in non-metered parking spaces throughout the city.

One Parking Space Per Unit. The structural restrictions of the Henlopen basement garage, including the height limitations of certain areas of the garage, make accommodation for parking vehicles, scooters and bicycles a challenge during the Summer Season. It is critically important to observe the limitation to one parking space per condominium unit during the Season.

Mandatory Parking Area for Scooters; Bicycle Parking Areas. To maximize the space available for full sized vehicles, we have established a mandatory, separate designated parking area for motorized scooters during the summer season. See that policy HERE. We provide four designated areas in the basement garage for bicycle parking.

PETS

Only Henlopen owners are permitted to have pets in their unit, and only two dogs, cats or other ambulatory pets are allowed per unit. Pets must be kept on a standard leash (up to 6’ in length) or otherwise secured at all times when outside their owner’s unit. The Henlopen provides reasonable accommodation for service animals upon presentation of appropriate documentation.

REPORTING HAZARDS AND SAFETY CONCERNS

Henlopen staff perform daily routine inspections of the common areas, but you and the other owners of our 145 units and our guests may on occasion spot issues that our small group of staff members may not have noticed. The Property Manager greatly appreciates your reporting to the Henlopen office any hazards or safety concerns in the common areas. Please immediately report all common area hazards or safety concerns to the Office at 302-227-6409.

SMOKING

The Henlopen is a smoke-free facility. This means that all of the common areas are smoke-free areas, as is the plaza deck/courtyard. Smoking is not permitted in any of these areas. Although some owners may permit smoking in their unit, we ask that smokers be considerate of their neighbors and not smoke on balconies.

SWIMMING POOL & LOUNGING DECK

The Henlopen pool is located on the roof. The two elevators in the main lobby provide access to the pool area. The south lobby elevator does not.

Between Memorial Day and September 30, the pool is open to owners, guests, and tenants seven days each week between the hours of 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM. During the pool season, unless otherwise notified, a lifeguard is on duty during normal pool hours (10:00 AM to 6:00 PM).

A lounging deck with tables, chairs, umbrellas, and lounge chairs is adjacent to the pool. The lounging deck remains open after the pool closes until 8:00 PM each night. After the pool closes for the season on September 30, the lounging deck remains open through October 31 from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM.

Click HERE to see current pool rules.

TRASH ROOMS

There are three trash rooms located on each floor for the disposal of kitchen waste and recyclable items. On each floor a trash room is located near all units whose last two digits are 01, 10 and 21. A floorplan showing the location of the trash rooms is available HERE. And the rules regarding disposition of different types of trash are available HERE.

WIFI SERVICE

The Henlopen provides building-wide WiFi service to owners, guests, tenants, and visitors. This access to the Internet is covered as part of the condo fee, and there is no additional charge for the service. Access to the WiFi service is pasword-protected. You may obtain the password for access the Internet from the Henlopen office by phone or in person.

The Henlopen’s WiFi network is provided, maintained and monitored 24/7 by Xfinity 855-638-2855.