Electrical Maintenance Tips for Tenants

Blog Post

While all major electrical problems are best left to the professionals to address, you will be glad to hear that only a few electrical issues actually demand the aid of an electrican. This is a guide on how tenants can troubleshoot common electrical issues that may arise.

And, please remember the most important thing: your landlord is responsible for the maintenance and repairs for your home, however these tips will help you address issues better and more efficiently for you and your landlord.

If the issue still persists after completing the troubleshooting steps listed below, please submit a maintenance request through the portal.

Outlet Isn't Working
Step 1. Check your GFCI Outlets

GFCI outlets are most commonly found in kitchens and bathrooms, but may have been installed in other rooms as well. GFCI outlets looks different than standard outlets because they have two buttons between the top and bottom outlet, a “TEST” button and a “RESET” button. Pressing "RESET" on a tripped outlet should return power to the area the outlet controls.

Step 2. Check Appliances

If you've recently introduced a new appliance to the home, such as a coffee maker, toaster, portable AC unit, etc., it may have caused an overload. Plug an electrical appliance into a GFCI outlet, and press the "TEST" button. The appliance should turn off. Press "RESET" to turn the appliance back on. Do this at every GFCI outlet in the house. Eventually, you may find an outlet that caused your problem. Pressing "RESET" on a tripped outlet should return power to the area the outlet controls. You may need to double check the breaker box as well. If a breaker has been tripped, reset it, and then reset the GFI again.

Partial Outage or No Power

If you lose power in just one room, or section of the home, there is no reason to panic. There could be a number of reasons this could have happened, and you can resolve most of these on your own, with no tools.

Step 1. Look for Clues in the Circuit Breaker Box

Find the breaker panel in your home - it may be in your garage. You'll want to check the breakers to see if any are tripped, perhaps as a result of an overload. Resetting may be needed even if it doesn’t look like the breaker is tripped. Be sure to reset all breakers by switching them off and back on, one by one.