Site Policies and Rules

All profits benefit animals.

To have any chance of convincing larger developers to copy the model, the homes developed through this project must operate profitably. However, all profits will go toward promoting animal welfare.

Charity begins at home (or, in this case, at Haven Homes), so the first animals to benefit will be those living at Lion Canyon through a series of benefits for cats provided at no cost to the tenants.

Keep Lion Canyon peaceful.

Lion Canyon is designed to be a calm, quiet refuge for both people and cats, which means excessive noise—like loud music or parties—is not allowed. Because the property manager works from home and lives 100 feet away, this policy will be enforced.

If you did not plan on making much noise anyway, then you can see this quiet policy as a pure benefit, since it won’t restrict you and will ensure your sleep, study, work, or enjoyment of your home will not disturbed by your neighbors. (Sleep is important for everyone’s health, especially cats—in fact, kittens need to sleep 16-20 hours a day for proper development.)

On the other hand, if you see this quiet policy as uncomfortably restrictive, then Lion Canyon probably isn’t for you. However, since practically no other housing in the area has such restrictions, you have no shortage of other options.

No flames or vapors.

Smoking, candles, incense burners, and anything that produces smoke or vapor other than steam are all prohibited. In addition to reducing fire danger, this also protects the eyes and respiratory tracts of cats, as well as prevents unnecessary anxiety and irritation, since a cat’s sense of smell is about 14 times more sensitive than that of a human.

Only cats are allowed.

Dogs are awesome and many dogs are wonderful with cats, but the misbehavior of a single dog—or even its scent—could disturb all cats on the property, so no pet dogs or any other pets are allowed at Lion Canyon—only cats.

(We love dogs, and one of the next Haven Homes project planned is for large dogs; however, Lion Canyon is for cats only.)

Cats must be cared for.

To protect the health and wellbeing of all tenants and pets:

All cats must be indoor-only.
All cats must be spayed/neutered.
All cats must be vaccinated.
All cats must be provided with adequate food, water, and mental stimulation.

Everyone can use the patio.

Since San Diego has famously perfect weather year-round, you may want to spend much of your time outside. You are welcome to do so on the giant 1,250 sq. ft. raised patio, which has outdoor seating and a 600 sq. ft. covered area with lights and fans, for your quiet enjoyment from 8 am to 10 pm.

Don't alter the home.

If you want something changed in your home, just ask—please do not attempt to do it yourself. Even if you just want to hang something on the wall, just ask me—I have special hooks that cause minimal drywall damage and I know what's inside all the walls.

If you are using a hammer, saw, drill, screwdriver, or practically any tool on something that isn't your own property, then you are almost surely violating this rule.

Avoid plumbing and water damage.

If you want to avoid costly repair bills, pay close attention to this section, because other than causing a fire, almost every way you could possibly cause expensive damage to the home is related to plumbing or water damage.

As of this writing, the pipes are all brand new, so if your drain backs up, the odds are incredibly high that you caused it through misuse.

Never use these products.

Using any of these products can cause thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars in damage.

Drano
Liquid Plumr
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser

Never flush anything but TP.

Just ask any plumber: There is no such thing as a “flushable” wipe, regardless of the lies printed on the label.

The lease says: “Tenant shall not allow any tampons or other hygiene products, cotton balls, tissues, bandages, dental floss, wipes of any kind (including those marked 'flushable'), sweepings, rubbish, sand, rags, ashes or any other substances other than toilet paper or human excreta to be thrown or deposited therein.” Follow this to the letter.

Never use shower caddies.

Shower arm pipes are not designed to support more weight than the shower head. Heavy shampoo bottles apply constant pressure on the shower arm. Then that weight is suddenly taken away, then put back—and not always gently—by people who have just put soap near their eyes. This will inevitably cause a leak in the pipe behind the wall, which is incredibly expensive to fix, let alone the cost of any other water damage the leak causes. Do everyone a favor and use the multiple shelves that have been built into each shower instead.

Use drain strainers.

In the bathroom, use a strainer to keep hair from clogging the drain.

In the kitchen, use a strainer to keep out everything that shouldn't go into the disposal, including:

Fats, oils, grease
Eggshells
Used coffee grounds
Potato peels
Fibrous foods
Expandable foods, like rice and pasta
Starchy foods, like oatmeal
Corn husks
Nuts
Trash
Celery & onions
Meat
Bones
Fruit pits
Seafood shells
Broken glass or metal

Don't put grease in the drain.

It bears repeating: Do not pour fats, oils, or grease down any drain. It will stick to the pipes, harden, and cause a foul-smelling clog.

Run cold water with disposal.

Always run cold water down the drain when using the garbage disposal. Otherwise, the motor will overheat and burn out.

Don't let mold/mildew form.

Open bathroom windows and turn on the ventilation fan during and the shower, and keep ventilating afterward until the bathroom is dry. Similarly, always use the ventilation fan when cooking on the stovetop. Clean up spilled water promptly. Failing to take these steps will lead to mold or mildew forming.

Don't attract ants.

Do not leave food out uncovered, and use airtight containers when possible. Do not let dirty dishes sit very long outside the dishwasher. If ants do invade, remove whatever was attracting them and wash all their pathways with soap and water—this disrupts the scent markers they use for navigation.