Rental Woes | 4 Signs Of Timeworn Electrical Wiring Your Property Manager Must Address Immediately

Before you move into a rental, it's easy to overlook things like faulty or old electrical wiring because you're simply not looking for them. When the wiring in your rental is damaged, it may trigger dangerous fires and electric shocks. This hazardous situation is particularly worrisome because it could put your family in danger. To make sure that timeworn electrical wiring doesn't catch you off-guard, look for these signs and get your property manager to address them immediately through a professional electrician.

Circuit Breakers Start Tripping Frequently From The Moment You Move In

Circuit breakers help to shield your house from fires by tripping when the circuit overloads. Fuses are also meant to protect from overloads, but will blow out completely and need replacement. Tripped circuit breakers need to be reset. Circuit breakers are typically located in an inconspicuous area inside wardrobes or cabinets. While you can reset them temporarily, keep in mind that they trip frequently because of an overload somewhere in the system because of ageing wiring. Let your property manager know the situation immediately so that a qualified electrician can inspect before a dangerous fire occurs in your rental.

Lighting Dims Or Flickers Often

You're not in a club where lights are flickering on the dance floor for entertainment effect. If lights start flickering or dimming in your rental, it could be because the wiring isn't adequate to manage these modern appliances and will start to overload the circuit. Don't assume that the problem will go away. Let your property manager know immediately so that an electrician can address the problem before something dangerous happens to a member of your family.

Hot Electrical Outlets

Electrical outlets should never be hot when touched and should not have char marks around them. These are warning signs of bad wiring inside the outlet. Electricity typically transfers smoothly between connections, but unfastened prongs or fraying wires can cause current to jump and heat up a part of the wiring. Take a few pictures of these charred outlets and send them to your property manager immediately so that the problem is addressed quickly.

Smell Of Smoke

Smoke smells inside the rental is a huge cause for alarm, so don't take it lightly. The good part is that burning electrical wires have a distinct smell and should be easy to notice. An electrical fire has a pungent smell because of burnt wires. If you think there was a small fire in your home because of the electricity, turn off the circuit breakers and let your property manager know that it is an emergency requiring immediate professional intervention.

Frayed or old wires are not easy to detect before you move into a rental. If you notice these signs, let your property manager know immediately so that a qualified electrician can address the problem quickly.

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