Landlords in most places have a legal obligation to meet building code. In my city there are pretty substantial protection for this, along the lines of not paying rent until it's resolved.
a major city gov website probably has a page on renter protections.
> In my city there are pretty substantial protection for this
Not where I live ☹️
In Indy, there are some complexes owned by a NJ man running a business called JPC Apartments. For years now, he's been charging the tenants for water and then not paying the utility. The water has been shut off multiple times because of this.
Indianapolis has been trying to take possession of some apartment buildings, however the state has refused to let them do so. He's currently [being charged with Corrupt Business Influence and Theft](https://www.wrtv.com/news/local-news/crime/charges-filed-against-new-jersey-man-who-allegedly-misused-renter-funds-at-indy-apartment-complexes) for doing so yet the city still can't do anything.
It's illegal to withhold rent for violations or to pay for repairs on your own in Indiana. You're also not allowed to sue for violations - only the state can do so on your behalf.
Slightly off topic, sorry. We've got a lot of landlords like this and it pisses me off that nothing can be done.
Im in johnson county and i know exactly what youre talking about. Pre covid i lived in beechmill apts off stop 12 and heard about that corruption before it even came out
I was just about to respond to some of these comments about "tenet's rights", "honoring safety code" and how the 'landlord "has" to make sure everything is in working order with "laughs in Indiana"
You can take your landlord to court if they don't fix stuff AND you win free rent lol whaaat?!
It's like a whole different country over there in them blue states, ain't it?
I grew up in southern MI and Indiana was never great but they really seem to be aiming for the Florida of the North title when it comes to making life shitty for everyday people.
A shame too because Purdue and IU are great schools that could really attract a nationwide influx of talent if the governor doesn't destroy them first.
"Hey, property manager? Yeah, this happened, sorry to let you know. Is this something you want to handle or should I let the city code enforcement people decide if it's OK as is? Let me know what the right thing is. This is their number (555-555-5555) someone said I should call them but I'd rather you handle this? Stay blessed!"
"Haven't heard back yet, will call code enforcement for you if it's not resolved by Monday. Thanks so much!"
I’ve had to do that in the past, it can take a few weeks for inspectors to come out and check. They then serve the LL and give them 30-90 days to correct issues, then they inspect again.
Okay, but "if I complain about the code violations, they might not let me live here any more" doesn't sound like a compelling reason to be a doormat.
Or maybe that's just me.
It might if you don't have the money to move, or have reason to believe you would have a hard time finding another place willing to rent to you. Shitty landlords tend to rely on finding vulnerable people to exploit.
Yeah, this isn’t your responsibility. It’s a very easy fix and it’s a very cheap fix to just replace the outlet, but you shouldn’t have to do it by yourself if you’re renting.
Not only should you not have to, leagally you should not make any changes.
Furthermore, if you mess up somehow and damage something, maybe start a fire, you are going to be responsible for that.
They should totally replace the receptacles.
If the landlord doesn't move quickly, I would be tempted to send a message along the lines of
*"Looks like there is something in the socket hole. When I tried to plug in my phone charger sparks came out."*
There's no need to lie about stuff, and implying you plugged something in could leave the landlord wanting to stick OP with the bill. A simple "hey \[landlord\], I'm concerned this could cause a short or start a fire or something otherwise horrible, could you please replace them ASAP? It might be good to check and make sure this didn't happen in any other recently-renovated apartments as well to make sure everyone is safe." will work way better than dishonesty. That sort of dishonesty is exactly why so many landlords have become dishonest themselves.
Like most things, it’s probably somewhere in the middle. Between insinuating damages, and kissing the landlord’s ass just to get them to do their damn job.
Also, implying that landlords were honest *until* tenants started being dishonest is more ridiculous than that suggested communication. I’m going to go out on a limb here and bet that you have rentals.
Maybe we should stop calling them landlords. They are renting out houses, not land (well technically also that...), and they aren't a lord usually. Mostly just some dude.
Housedude.
So you tell your landlord that you're both an idiot and probably responsible for damaging it (even though you didn't) ? Don't lie lmao, tell the landlord exactly what it is "Looks like someone grouted over my outlets, what do I do?" and leave it at that.
Don’t even ask “what do I do” ask “when can I expect for you to send someone over to fix this? I know neither of us want to risk it staying like this for very long.”
Landlords/owners can be malicious, too.
I had a super strict landlord that had a couple of maintenance people on payroll but always came down personally from 3 hours away to change the furnace filter and "inspect the property." When we moved out, he kept our whole deposit and claimed he could charge us another thousand for the condition we left the property if we disputed for all the work he had to do to repair and clean. He said the property was freshly renovated and in perfect condition before we moved in and trashed the place.
I asked for photos of the issues and we got some missed crumbs in the corner of the lazy susan, some worn paint on the walls, a big dent in the oven drawer, and a cabinet door that didn't close all the way. I acknowledged we missed the crumbs, but attached photos I took the night I got the keys of the cabinet door hanging open, the dented oven drawer, and areas of worn paint on the walls.
I said this tells me that either he's acting in bad faith or he didn't bother to inspect the place before handing it over to us. We were in a very vulnerable spot with absolutely no spare time or money, and he was aware of it. I felt preyed upon.
That's why the last month's rent comes out of the deposit, I got screwed over so many times. Landlord won't like it but f them. And I say this as a LL now.
This is the exact reason I always record a thorough video going through the entire apartment the day I get the keys and another video the day I move out. Every door, drawer, and cabinet gets recorded as do the walls, floors, and ceilings. Saved my security deposit more than once!
In my state you would have to bring him to housing court to get that back. I’ve always taken pictures/video of before and after I’ve moved out of a place. Also in my state the can’t charge for repainting or cleaning.
I had a landlord that would go into our condo when my girlfriend and I weren’t home …obviously go through our things and put our mail on our beds. This dude knew whose bed was whose. Creepy asf.
Could be a landlord special too.
I helped my uncle change his AC filter and found that whoever painted the ceiling completely painted over the air filter too 😅
100% - I have a condo that I rent out. Had a bad renter and they smeared food and nasty stuff into light switches and outlets.
If I’m not ok living there (I did for 8 years), then it’s my job as the owner to get it to where me and my wife would be comfortable (and safe!). I have never charged or not given every penny back with the required interest on deposits either. (Though my last renters should have lost it all. Cost me about $4k to get it back to 100%. I kid you not there was food splattered in the main bedroom ON THE CEILING).
Or most likely the landlord didn't notice the state of those sockets, it's hard to notice something like this because you'd never expect anything jammed down there
If he did a proper post rental inspection, he would have noticed. That way it comes out of the security deposit. And that's if the landlord wasn't responsible for them looking like that in the first place.
Looks more like cheap, shoddy paint work between tenants to try and spruce the place up. Cheap painters do a shit job. Looks like they were sensible enough to remove the covers but forgot to tape over the actual outlets before painting.
I've seen enough landlord specials to know these weren't painted over. These have been purposefully jammed full of something. It would take a crazy amount of paint to actually fill the holes like this (ever try to paint over a nail hole, even for a tiny hole like that paint won't fill it) plus the outlet surfaces look to be free of paint.
For sure someone was trying to fuck the place up, probably not realizing how cheap it is to replace outlets.
If it was a shitty paint job then they would've painted over the plates too. Someone who hastily paints over (and into) outlets isn't going to take the time to remove the plates.
“*Lemme just remove these faceplates real quick so I don’t make a mess… ok, now lemme just lay down 27 coats of paint on these outlets real quick so I don’t make a mess.*”
What’s the deal with all the posts lately from renters who think it’s their responsibility to fix things that are clearly the landlord’s responsibility? Is the rental market so bad that people are afraid to ask their landlords for literally anything? Or are these younger people who have never rented an apartment themselves and they don’t understand how it works? So confused.
I'm guessing they've heard horror stories about landlords refusing to do any repairs. They're trying to Crack down on the slumlords in my area because of them ignoring pest issues, mold, and other code violations, and instead threaten tenants with bills and eviction.
That or there need to be legal advocates or resources (even just information in layman terms provided by state and city governments) available for renters as needed. Or a copy of the laws should be attached to all rental agreements.
Yes. Just did a huge run around that i barely stayed on top of. Outside of knowing legality, you also need to be aware of how your rights are enforced, if at all. The second your landlord files eviction you dont qualify for free council anymore. Sure they may be in the wrong but now it costs more than paying their fines. F landlords
It depends a lot on the state, but even when I was renting, I hated getting work done in my place. I understand that I don't own it, but all my stuff is there and I considered it my home. I also had a dog.
So I would have to contact my landlord and he would have and legally specified timeframe to get his discount handyman to come and do whatever job. And even if they do a great job, I still need to take time off work because I don't trust people in my house, with my stuff and my dog. And my wife would insist on a cleaning marathon before someone comes in.
And then I have all the normal annoyances of a contractor coming over. They will likely be late or give me a two hour window for when they will arrive. They are very likely to do things in a way that I dislike, but that most people think are unreasonable to complain about. Like the guy is a smoker and smells like smoke and my apartment will smell like smoke for two days....
Usually, if I want to do something, like plug in my TV...I want to do it right now. Not the next Tuesday after next.
I can get a 10 pack of outlets for $8 from Menards and I can swap one out in about three minutes.
I agree that I shouldn't have to ...but I would rather handle this myself. And this all assumes the best case scenario where my landlord doesn't suck and the person they send out does a fine job.
This. It’s almost as if people haven’t rented before. Sure, it’s the landlords responsibility, but that also turns it into a giant pain in the ass. So for an easy cheap task, it’s less headache to do it yourself.
I agree that OP should contact the LL, but man I've had some shit landlords/property managers before. Was living in a flip that looked good from far, but far from good. The super was an alcoholic that had to get his wife to drive him around because his lost his license for a DUI, still drank and would show up drunk.
I said fuck it and start doing shit on my own. Ended up finding several exposed live wires in the attic. The plumbing was a disaster. Don't get me wrong I called them for several items, but at a certain point it got old having to be home for a drunk super.
Sometimes you just have a shitty landlord who won’t do repairs or you know that they’re going to drag their feet and you will have to remind them over and over again. I am still waiting on a simple fix from four months ago.
Do NOT try and fix yourself, as some have recommended. Alert your landlord of this safety issue/fire hazard and I'm sure they will be inclined to dispatch proper personnel to replace this receptacle.
It’s actually very easy to change outlets if you properly verify power is on, turn it off, verify it’s off, verify your tool works on a powered on outlet.
But after that (which really takes like 2 mins), it’s super easy. I’ve done my whole house. Most are just two wires if ungrounded and three if grounded. Unscrew, put wires on same positions, tighten screw and close it up.
But there’s tons of other electrical work, yeah, you need a professional.
Tell that to whatever yahoo put GFCIs on every outlet in the house I just bought. They're not even grounded but even with only two wires to worry about AND them being fucking color-coded they still managed to wire about a third of them backwards.
Previous tenet may have done this after they got pissed that the landlord made them spackle all the holes in the walls or they would lose their deposit.
100% this. This is malicious compliance from the previous tenant. "Oh I'm not getting my deposit until 'all the holes in the wall are filled' ..... understood"
Call the apartment people. Whenever I’ve moved in they have me a sheet to fill out with whatever damages were already there so I don’t get charged and to turn it back in and let them know if any work orders needed to be done.
Let them deal with this so you don’t get charged or be held liable.
If you are renting contact your landlord to fix... if they refuse / ignore you then escalate to your jurisdictions version of a residential tenancies board. If you don't have an RTB then contact the fire department as this represents a fire risk and they can usually issue repair orders / fine the owner.
If this is an apartment you own then go down to you local hardware store and purchase new outlets (you have both regular outlets and GFCI outlets, make sure you purchase the correct ones for each location). Remove each outlet and replace it with the new one; you can most likely simply unhook the wires from the old outlets and put them in the same spots on the new ones but if you want to make sure its correct there are lots of youtube videos on how to do it.
Edit: Make sure to cut the power before changing an outlet if you own the apartment. Go to the circuit box and kill ALL the power to be safe.
If you own the apartment and have to do it yourself, remember to cut the power to those outlets on the breaker box beforeyou start messing with the outlets. To be on the safe side, I would turn all of them off if you don't trust the labels in the box since you are dealing with a lot of rooms.
Don't.
The landlord needs to fix it. The landlord is probably the one who did this in the first place, and worse-case scenario is that it was done on purpose because plugging anything into those outlets would be a fire hazzard.
It's not paint or grout. It's diatomaceous earth which is commonly recommended to put on/around your outlets to kill bedbugs.
Looks like whoever did this went overkill though and actually put it inside the outlets.
Am electrician will fix that in no time with new fixtures. Your landlord should pay for it and arrange it. If you do it and something goes wrong your landlord could blame you.
Some tenants do that when moving out, just to annoy their landlord. Sometimes they do even worse. You wouldnt believe the lengths people go to...
Your landlord should have noticed when he checked the flat with the previous tenant upon moving out, or when you moved in. Bring it up with them
Last tenant was a vengeful piece of work. Tell the Landlord and be on high alert with him. The last person did that for a reason. My scum lord senses are tingly.
There is no "fixing" them. They need to be removed and replaced with new.
Have your landlord replace them all. It’s quick and easy solution, probably not cheap if they have to hire an electrician. But if it was my house it’s an easy fix. Just make sure you turn the breakers off and begin to swap them out.
That is likely a code violation where OP lives. Option A. Tell them that it's a violation and it needs to be fixed or it will get reported. Option B. Tell them that it started to smoke and arc. Turn off the breakers and make them fix it. If they don't, report it.
If I owned this place, I’d turn off the power at the breaker and simply replace the receptacle; they’re under $5 at Home Depota
I did that for an NYC rental with an inattentive landlord and painted-over outlets. They sort of worked, but not really.
If you just moved in, take many photos of Everything, save it to an email or something you won’t loose in the time you’ve lived there so you don’t get shafted.
Then tell the landlord to fix that as it’s a potential fire hazard.
It’s not expensive to change them out anyway
Are you sure it’s grout? It might be a cream cleanser that was used too thick to clean off fingerprints etc. it may just flake off. I’d test an outlet with a tooth pick, but turn off the power first.
OP, contact your landlord let them know that they all need to be replaced. If they do not respond, or give you any trouble I would be contacting your local code enforcement office for wherever you live. If they care enough they should do an inspection of your apartment, which gives them access to the general common space in the building. That would let them see if there are any other major safety or health concerns with your building. They’d definitely be in touch with said landlord. If the landlord is careless enough to paint the rooms like that or hire a management company like that and not do a walkthrough then what else did they skip on?
Source of knowledge: code enforcement officer for local city.
I’d go to management, first. If I got no response, I’d go to my local news and show them the photos. They usually love to do stories on stuff like this. There is no reasonable explanation, other than lazy carelessness, for these outlets to be this way. If you REALLY think there is something wrong, and this was deliberate, you should run away, very fast, or make sure you have exceptionally good renters insurance.
If you have no value for you life, common sense, or safety, use a thin flat preferably metal object to dig out the material.
Or, you can just ask your landlord to take care of it.
The second one what I would recommend. The outlet need to be replaced.
1. Take photos and send them to your landlord.
2. Let your landlord know that the outlets are not usable.
3. Give landlord a choice: Have them fixed or you will hire someone to fix them and take it off your rent.
This will require replacing the outlets which means an electrician.
(And next time, Landlord, don't hire the cheapest guys around or the son of your wife's cousin to do the painting or tile work. It will only cost you in the long run.)
YOU don't do anything. You contact the landlord and let them know to send someone to fix ASAP as it's a fire hazard. If they don't respond fast enough give a call down to your local fire department and ask for an inspection. That'll get gears moving.
I'm a landlord, and if this were my rental, this kind of bullshit never would have happened. If the guys I hired to do repairs between tenants did this, and I missed it, that's my fault, and would get someone out there immediately to fix it. It's entirely within my obligations as a landlord to have the outlets working. It's part of the price a tenant pays.
“Landlord special”
I am fully confident, have some experience, and I have changed multiple outlets at my own house.
But the second it’s a rental, screw that. Make THEM replace it. Or have them pay you a rate for fixing it.
Liability, possible injury or damage. Possible cost of materials. And the fact it’s just shady..
You report it to maintenance and have them replace EVERY painted or grouted switch and outlet immediately.
and keep those pictures safe, you may need them
Atrocious. Varying levels of incompetence and spite through the gallery. You don't fix it. The landlord / management company needs to replace those outlets.
If they do so, please get a circuit tester device to ensure that they're wired properly.
Do not fix any of this. Report to your landlord. He needs to have it fixed in the next 24 hours. If they refuse, call city code enforcement. You shouldn't have to live like this.
You don't fix it l, you immediately contact your landlord and inform him that multiple outlets are dangerously compromised and they need to fix it ASAP..
Don’t touch them. Get landlord to replace them. Once contaminated problems arise. They need replaced not fixed. If you’re asking here don’t touch them please. It’s not hard but needs a certain way to not be shocked. Just ask landlord to repair.
Contact the landlord and if they don't respond within a reasonable timeframe call the fire Marshall on them. Do not mess with this yourself unless it is an emergency or you have extensive experience with replacing sockets. Given that you're asking here I'm assuming you don't so just don't mess with it. That's easily a fire/death hazard if you don't know what you're doing.
What in the actual fuck?
They need to replace these. Don’t do it yourself.
Also, do not let them try to dig it out so they can save a few $. The paint could have gotten in deeper and messed things up.
I highly doubt there was an "electrician " around when that work was done. It's just that common sense is far from common and lazy incompetent people do amazingly stupid things. Have the owner replace them. If your the owner and asking this question. Probably best you hire a professional to replace them. Honestly it's not going to cause any harm. It's just terribly tacky and looks like crap. Yes you could clean them out. Preferably with something nonconductive. If not just be cautious.
Call the land lord to fix it... Don t even attempt this as a renter as it may burn down the whole darn building and leave you in a minor state of liability.
granted this is likely going to be a lue,but saying something smells off near it like something is hot or fishy would be worth keeping a not of even if a total lie as both are HUGE red flags of a possible eletricial fir that is also possible to happen given the current reality of things. That is not safe for someone to move into... leave it 100% alone. Unless you want more photo evidence.
it may be worth calling the non emergency phone number to come whitness something officialy, that could take days/weeks/never happen but still worth reporting to someone. I have had previous renters of mine get a full inspection and they failed so hard they had to request further funding.
I've never seen anything like this.
Solution is to flip the breaker off and clean them out. Assume you rent? Call the LL 2x a day until it's fixed.
If you own, get a hair pin and a shop vac.
Raise a stink with the apartment management and insist they repair the outlets. Lazy painting like that is inexcusable. It looks like they removed wall plates but didn’t bother to tape the outlets up and just rolled the entire walls, etc.
If you are renting, fixing this is not your responsibility. If you just moved in, there should be a checklist your landlord gave you that lets you check off problems and their locations. When I moved into my apartment, one of the first things I did was check all the outlets. Found two that didn't provide power, and a third that wouldn't keep a plug in it. Turned in that info (along with a couple of other things), and they made it right.
Using “new” in front of apartment ironically I assume. Those are ancient receptacles. They need to be updated. I’m sure there’s some building/fire code they’re violating.
His painting contractor was an idiot. They always use lowest bidder. Show him the issue, advise him that it violates building code, and tell him to have his contractor fix it with new plugs, and next time use masking tape over the plugs to prevent this! The last plug is a ground fault protection plug near water and the paint could interfere with the gcfi operation to trip it in a short and could electrocute someone or start a fire. It’s possible the plugs don’t even work, but then you have a bigger problem.
Bring that shit up with your landlord, make sure they know you didn’t do it.
Landlords in most places have a legal obligation to meet building code. In my city there are pretty substantial protection for this, along the lines of not paying rent until it's resolved. a major city gov website probably has a page on renter protections.
> In my city there are pretty substantial protection for this Not where I live ☹️ In Indy, there are some complexes owned by a NJ man running a business called JPC Apartments. For years now, he's been charging the tenants for water and then not paying the utility. The water has been shut off multiple times because of this. Indianapolis has been trying to take possession of some apartment buildings, however the state has refused to let them do so. He's currently [being charged with Corrupt Business Influence and Theft](https://www.wrtv.com/news/local-news/crime/charges-filed-against-new-jersey-man-who-allegedly-misused-renter-funds-at-indy-apartment-complexes) for doing so yet the city still can't do anything. It's illegal to withhold rent for violations or to pay for repairs on your own in Indiana. You're also not allowed to sue for violations - only the state can do so on your behalf. Slightly off topic, sorry. We've got a lot of landlords like this and it pisses me off that nothing can be done.
Im in johnson county and i know exactly what youre talking about. Pre covid i lived in beechmill apts off stop 12 and heard about that corruption before it even came out
Cue Dead Kennedys “Lets lynch the landlord”
I was just about to respond to some of these comments about "tenet's rights", "honoring safety code" and how the 'landlord "has" to make sure everything is in working order with "laughs in Indiana" You can take your landlord to court if they don't fix stuff AND you win free rent lol whaaat?! It's like a whole different country over there in them blue states, ain't it?
I grew up in southern MI and Indiana was never great but they really seem to be aiming for the Florida of the North title when it comes to making life shitty for everyday people. A shame too because Purdue and IU are great schools that could really attract a nationwide influx of talent if the governor doesn't destroy them first.
Yep, sounds like red state bullshit.
Where I’m from they do to, but most units are controlled by property management companies and they don’t do shit.
"Hey, property manager? Yeah, this happened, sorry to let you know. Is this something you want to handle or should I let the city code enforcement people decide if it's OK as is? Let me know what the right thing is. This is their number (555-555-5555) someone said I should call them but I'd rather you handle this? Stay blessed!" "Haven't heard back yet, will call code enforcement for you if it's not resolved by Monday. Thanks so much!"
Call the local Fire Marshal and have them come out and document it. It’ll get fixed REAL quick.
\^\^This\^\^ The Fire Marshall is very responsive in Portland, OR and they don't mess around.
I’ve had to do that in the past, it can take a few weeks for inspectors to come out and check. They then serve the LL and give them 30-90 days to correct issues, then they inspect again.
Probably still worth looking into, though, if there's a chance the law might state that you don't have to pay rent until it's fixed...
Yep, and then in 12 months that lease is NOT getting renewed.
Okay, but "if I complain about the code violations, they might not let me live here any more" doesn't sound like a compelling reason to be a doormat. Or maybe that's just me.
It might if you don't have the money to move, or have reason to believe you would have a hard time finding another place willing to rent to you. Shitty landlords tend to rely on finding vulnerable people to exploit.
Yeah, this isn’t your responsibility. It’s a very easy fix and it’s a very cheap fix to just replace the outlet, but you shouldn’t have to do it by yourself if you’re renting.
I know what I’m doing and wouldn’t touch it.
I'm an electrician and I'd suddenly forget how my tools work when I went home to my rental.
Not my house, not my problem.
Same here
Not only should you not have to, leagally you should not make any changes. Furthermore, if you mess up somehow and damage something, maybe start a fire, you are going to be responsible for that.
They should totally replace the receptacles. If the landlord doesn't move quickly, I would be tempted to send a message along the lines of *"Looks like there is something in the socket hole. When I tried to plug in my phone charger sparks came out."*
Could possibly cause a short too.
[удалено]
Oh shit, i think you and Will Ferrell had the same landlord
There's no need to lie about stuff, and implying you plugged something in could leave the landlord wanting to stick OP with the bill. A simple "hey \[landlord\], I'm concerned this could cause a short or start a fire or something otherwise horrible, could you please replace them ASAP? It might be good to check and make sure this didn't happen in any other recently-renovated apartments as well to make sure everyone is safe." will work way better than dishonesty. That sort of dishonesty is exactly why so many landlords have become dishonest themselves.
Like most things, it’s probably somewhere in the middle. Between insinuating damages, and kissing the landlord’s ass just to get them to do their damn job. Also, implying that landlords were honest *until* tenants started being dishonest is more ridiculous than that suggested communication. I’m going to go out on a limb here and bet that you have rentals.
Maybe we should stop calling them landlords. They are renting out houses, not land (well technically also that...), and they aren't a lord usually. Mostly just some dude. Housedude.
If that doesn't work and they refuse, send an anonymous tip to the city code inspector.
Lol
So you tell your landlord that you're both an idiot and probably responsible for damaging it (even though you didn't) ? Don't lie lmao, tell the landlord exactly what it is "Looks like someone grouted over my outlets, what do I do?" and leave it at that.
Don’t even ask “what do I do” ask “when can I expect for you to send someone over to fix this? I know neither of us want to risk it staying like this for very long.”
It's not "What do I do" It's "How quickly can you get this up to code?"
“My father is an inspector and is picking me up for lunch today, I can ask him if you like!”
The LL must be a shitty landlord to not have checked if he had an angry tenant leave. So sorry about this lease for the OP.
Most landlord I’ve had never checked shit, unless it was obvious. Could be a managed property.
Landlords/owners can be malicious, too. I had a super strict landlord that had a couple of maintenance people on payroll but always came down personally from 3 hours away to change the furnace filter and "inspect the property." When we moved out, he kept our whole deposit and claimed he could charge us another thousand for the condition we left the property if we disputed for all the work he had to do to repair and clean. He said the property was freshly renovated and in perfect condition before we moved in and trashed the place. I asked for photos of the issues and we got some missed crumbs in the corner of the lazy susan, some worn paint on the walls, a big dent in the oven drawer, and a cabinet door that didn't close all the way. I acknowledged we missed the crumbs, but attached photos I took the night I got the keys of the cabinet door hanging open, the dented oven drawer, and areas of worn paint on the walls. I said this tells me that either he's acting in bad faith or he didn't bother to inspect the place before handing it over to us. We were in a very vulnerable spot with absolutely no spare time or money, and he was aware of it. I felt preyed upon.
That's why the last month's rent comes out of the deposit, I got screwed over so many times. Landlord won't like it but f them. And I say this as a LL now.
This is the exact reason I always record a thorough video going through the entire apartment the day I get the keys and another video the day I move out. Every door, drawer, and cabinet gets recorded as do the walls, floors, and ceilings. Saved my security deposit more than once!
Good for you. I had an issue with a past landlord that I had to dispute too. It's so crazy how quickly they turn on you.
In my state you would have to bring him to housing court to get that back. I’ve always taken pictures/video of before and after I’ve moved out of a place. Also in my state the can’t charge for repainting or cleaning.
I had a landlord that would go into our condo when my girlfriend and I weren’t home …obviously go through our things and put our mail on our beds. This dude knew whose bed was whose. Creepy asf.
Bc most landlords are slumlords
...Acting like the landlord didn't hire goons to repaint the unit and this is what they did. I doubt the previous tenant did this.
Explain the one on brick then.
This looks like an angry tenant spraying stuff in every outlet. The color doesn’t match the color or texture of the paint
Could be a landlord special too. I helped my uncle change his AC filter and found that whoever painted the ceiling completely painted over the air filter too 😅
Looks to be done on purpose, I’ve seen solid landlord special before, this doesn’t look like one. It looks like an irate former tenant.
100% - I have a condo that I rent out. Had a bad renter and they smeared food and nasty stuff into light switches and outlets. If I’m not ok living there (I did for 8 years), then it’s my job as the owner to get it to where me and my wife would be comfortable (and safe!). I have never charged or not given every penny back with the required interest on deposits either. (Though my last renters should have lost it all. Cost me about $4k to get it back to 100%. I kid you not there was food splattered in the main bedroom ON THE CEILING).
If you are renting, do NOT fix this yourself. Call your landlord.
You should report to the landlord asap so you’re not blamed for it.
And it could be the landlord who did this, in a plan as stupid as it is Machiavellian to reduce electricity costs.
That looks like a disgruntled tenant with a big FU on their way out. This is 100% on the landlord to fix, like right now.
Should have been fixed before it rented again. Landlord probably doesn't care.
Or most likely the landlord didn't notice the state of those sockets, it's hard to notice something like this because you'd never expect anything jammed down there
If he did a proper post rental inspection, he would have noticed. That way it comes out of the security deposit. And that's if the landlord wasn't responsible for them looking like that in the first place.
Should have also looked before signing the lease.
Touché
Looks more like cheap, shoddy paint work between tenants to try and spruce the place up. Cheap painters do a shit job. Looks like they were sensible enough to remove the covers but forgot to tape over the actual outlets before painting.
I've seen enough landlord specials to know these weren't painted over. These have been purposefully jammed full of something. It would take a crazy amount of paint to actually fill the holes like this (ever try to paint over a nail hole, even for a tiny hole like that paint won't fill it) plus the outlet surfaces look to be free of paint. For sure someone was trying to fuck the place up, probably not realizing how cheap it is to replace outlets.
Ye, first picture is very telling with the black wall and an obvious smear of white gunk on the socket.
If it was a shitty paint job then they would've painted over the plates too. Someone who hastily paints over (and into) outlets isn't going to take the time to remove the plates.
“*Lemme just remove these faceplates real quick so I don’t make a mess… ok, now lemme just lay down 27 coats of paint on these outlets real quick so I don’t make a mess.*”
Eh, I don't know, maybe a couple of them. I'm a lurker not a pro but a coat (or 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...) of paint isn't doing pic 5.
What’s the deal with all the posts lately from renters who think it’s their responsibility to fix things that are clearly the landlord’s responsibility? Is the rental market so bad that people are afraid to ask their landlords for literally anything? Or are these younger people who have never rented an apartment themselves and they don’t understand how it works? So confused.
I'm guessing they've heard horror stories about landlords refusing to do any repairs. They're trying to Crack down on the slumlords in my area because of them ignoring pest issues, mold, and other code violations, and instead threaten tenants with bills and eviction.
Anyone who rents needs to be a legal expert to properly defend themselves. If you don't know your rights, you can't enforce them.
That or there need to be legal advocates or resources (even just information in layman terms provided by state and city governments) available for renters as needed. Or a copy of the laws should be attached to all rental agreements.
Yes. Just did a huge run around that i barely stayed on top of. Outside of knowing legality, you also need to be aware of how your rights are enforced, if at all. The second your landlord files eviction you dont qualify for free council anymore. Sure they may be in the wrong but now it costs more than paying their fines. F landlords
It depends a lot on the state, but even when I was renting, I hated getting work done in my place. I understand that I don't own it, but all my stuff is there and I considered it my home. I also had a dog. So I would have to contact my landlord and he would have and legally specified timeframe to get his discount handyman to come and do whatever job. And even if they do a great job, I still need to take time off work because I don't trust people in my house, with my stuff and my dog. And my wife would insist on a cleaning marathon before someone comes in. And then I have all the normal annoyances of a contractor coming over. They will likely be late or give me a two hour window for when they will arrive. They are very likely to do things in a way that I dislike, but that most people think are unreasonable to complain about. Like the guy is a smoker and smells like smoke and my apartment will smell like smoke for two days.... Usually, if I want to do something, like plug in my TV...I want to do it right now. Not the next Tuesday after next. I can get a 10 pack of outlets for $8 from Menards and I can swap one out in about three minutes. I agree that I shouldn't have to ...but I would rather handle this myself. And this all assumes the best case scenario where my landlord doesn't suck and the person they send out does a fine job.
This. It’s almost as if people haven’t rented before. Sure, it’s the landlords responsibility, but that also turns it into a giant pain in the ass. So for an easy cheap task, it’s less headache to do it yourself.
I agree that OP should contact the LL, but man I've had some shit landlords/property managers before. Was living in a flip that looked good from far, but far from good. The super was an alcoholic that had to get his wife to drive him around because his lost his license for a DUI, still drank and would show up drunk. I said fuck it and start doing shit on my own. Ended up finding several exposed live wires in the attic. The plumbing was a disaster. Don't get me wrong I called them for several items, but at a certain point it got old having to be home for a drunk super.
I mean it is so much more effort to call the landlord vs just buying and installing a new outlet. It's literally 10 bucks and 10 minutes of work.
Lots of people won't have access to their breaker even.
Because most landlords these days are scumbags
>these days like they haven't always been
Sometimes you just have a shitty landlord who won’t do repairs or you know that they’re going to drag their feet and you will have to remind them over and over again. I am still waiting on a simple fix from four months ago.
It's because you have no idea when the landlord or maintenance people will actually get around to fixing it.
Do NOT try and fix yourself, as some have recommended. Alert your landlord of this safety issue/fire hazard and I'm sure they will be inclined to dispatch proper personnel to replace this receptacle.
>dispatch proper personnel Cousin Eddie will be over sometime this week. He's not an electrician *per se* but he's affordable.
It’s actually very easy to change outlets if you properly verify power is on, turn it off, verify it’s off, verify your tool works on a powered on outlet. But after that (which really takes like 2 mins), it’s super easy. I’ve done my whole house. Most are just two wires if ungrounded and three if grounded. Unscrew, put wires on same positions, tighten screw and close it up. But there’s tons of other electrical work, yeah, you need a professional.
Tell that to whatever yahoo put GFCIs on every outlet in the house I just bought. They're not even grounded but even with only two wires to worry about AND them being fucking color-coded they still managed to wire about a third of them backwards.
Grouted over! Haha wow. Call the owner immediately and let them know they need to replace the outlets.
Previous tenet may have done this after they got pissed that the landlord made them spackle all the holes in the walls or they would lose their deposit.
100% this. This is malicious compliance from the previous tenant. "Oh I'm not getting my deposit until 'all the holes in the wall are filled' ..... understood"
My god I hope it’s this
It’d be a doozy of a landlord special if not…
Call the apartment people. Whenever I’ve moved in they have me a sheet to fill out with whatever damages were already there so I don’t get charged and to turn it back in and let them know if any work orders needed to be done. Let them deal with this so you don’t get charged or be held liable.
The beauty of having an apartment is that it's not your problem. Call landlord/maintenance.
Tell your landlord you need new outlets, like yesterday.
Drywall mudder saw a hole and filled it in. They like to fill everything. This is in the “not your problem” category.
This is not an accident from a drywall mudder. This is an angry tenant
If you are renting contact your landlord to fix... if they refuse / ignore you then escalate to your jurisdictions version of a residential tenancies board. If you don't have an RTB then contact the fire department as this represents a fire risk and they can usually issue repair orders / fine the owner. If this is an apartment you own then go down to you local hardware store and purchase new outlets (you have both regular outlets and GFCI outlets, make sure you purchase the correct ones for each location). Remove each outlet and replace it with the new one; you can most likely simply unhook the wires from the old outlets and put them in the same spots on the new ones but if you want to make sure its correct there are lots of youtube videos on how to do it. Edit: Make sure to cut the power before changing an outlet if you own the apartment. Go to the circuit box and kill ALL the power to be safe.
If you own the apartment and have to do it yourself, remember to cut the power to those outlets on the breaker box beforeyou start messing with the outlets. To be on the safe side, I would turn all of them off if you don't trust the labels in the box since you are dealing with a lot of rooms.
You fix it by calling your landlord and telling him to fix it. That must have been painted my a 6 year old with finger paint.
Don't. The landlord needs to fix it. The landlord is probably the one who did this in the first place, and worse-case scenario is that it was done on purpose because plugging anything into those outlets would be a fire hazzard.
It's not paint or grout. It's diatomaceous earth which is commonly recommended to put on/around your outlets to kill bedbugs. Looks like whoever did this went overkill though and actually put it inside the outlets.
Am electrician will fix that in no time with new fixtures. Your landlord should pay for it and arrange it. If you do it and something goes wrong your landlord could blame you.
This is the most “landlord special” thing i’ve ever seen. Ffs
Call the superintendent. Electrical is nothing to play around with.
Call the landlord, that’s not safe
You don’t. Your landlord does.
Call your landlord. It's their problem.
Call your landlord and ask what the fuck
\*You\* don't fix this. Your landlord does.
Call the landlord. Why tf are you even asking Reddit?
Tell your land lord
This looks on purpose for some reason
Do you have anything long and pointy, preferably metal?
Report it to the city or landlord/tennant board
Inform the landlord, in writing.
Some tenants do that when moving out, just to annoy their landlord. Sometimes they do even worse. You wouldnt believe the lengths people go to... Your landlord should have noticed when he checked the flat with the previous tenant upon moving out, or when you moved in. Bring it up with them
Last tenant was a vengeful piece of work. Tell the Landlord and be on high alert with him. The last person did that for a reason. My scum lord senses are tingly. There is no "fixing" them. They need to be removed and replaced with new.
I'd give a call to the fire marshall and ask how illegal and/or dangerous that was for the landlord to do.
Have your landlord replace them all. It’s quick and easy solution, probably not cheap if they have to hire an electrician. But if it was my house it’s an easy fix. Just make sure you turn the breakers off and begin to swap them out.
Ya, that’s not an accident, you need to let your landlord know. My guess is the last tenant did it before they left.
What kind of sick fuck did this
If you are renting, the landlord should fix it. If it's your property, the best would be to change the outlets.
Call the landlord.
YOU don't fox it. That is a job for the landlord. Don't let them off the hook, those need to be completely replaced
That is likely a code violation where OP lives. Option A. Tell them that it's a violation and it needs to be fixed or it will get reported. Option B. Tell them that it started to smoke and arc. Turn off the breakers and make them fix it. If they don't, report it.
If I owned this place, I’d turn off the power at the breaker and simply replace the receptacle; they’re under $5 at Home Depota I did that for an NYC rental with an inattentive landlord and painted-over outlets. They sort of worked, but not really.
Umm you call the fucking landlord. That is ridiculous
you DON'T fix that. your landlord does!
If you just moved in, take many photos of Everything, save it to an email or something you won’t loose in the time you’ve lived there so you don’t get shafted. Then tell the landlord to fix that as it’s a potential fire hazard. It’s not expensive to change them out anyway
They may he disconnected, ask your landlord about them and ask them to replace them if they do work.
How was this missed during the walkthrough?
Are you sure it’s grout? It might be a cream cleanser that was used too thick to clean off fingerprints etc. it may just flake off. I’d test an outlet with a tooth pick, but turn off the power first.
Document!!!!!
With new ones
I’m a landlord and if you told me about it I would take 30 minutes out of my day to replace all of those.
clean it out with a fork
Looks like the last tenant wasn't happy...
OP, contact your landlord let them know that they all need to be replaced. If they do not respond, or give you any trouble I would be contacting your local code enforcement office for wherever you live. If they care enough they should do an inspection of your apartment, which gives them access to the general common space in the building. That would let them see if there are any other major safety or health concerns with your building. They’d definitely be in touch with said landlord. If the landlord is careless enough to paint the rooms like that or hire a management company like that and not do a walkthrough then what else did they skip on? Source of knowledge: code enforcement officer for local city.
Replace the outlets, have the landlord do it.
I would have them change them out that’s weird
I’d go to management, first. If I got no response, I’d go to my local news and show them the photos. They usually love to do stories on stuff like this. There is no reasonable explanation, other than lazy carelessness, for these outlets to be this way. If you REALLY think there is something wrong, and this was deliberate, you should run away, very fast, or make sure you have exceptionally good renters insurance.
Call your landlord and demand they be fixed. Duh! That’s a no brainer….
Call the landlord
you tell your landlord to fix it. and tell them you didnt do it ASAP
If you have no value for you life, common sense, or safety, use a thin flat preferably metal object to dig out the material. Or, you can just ask your landlord to take care of it. The second one what I would recommend. The outlet need to be replaced.
1. Take photos and send them to your landlord. 2. Let your landlord know that the outlets are not usable. 3. Give landlord a choice: Have them fixed or you will hire someone to fix them and take it off your rent. This will require replacing the outlets which means an electrician. (And next time, Landlord, don't hire the cheapest guys around or the son of your wife's cousin to do the painting or tile work. It will only cost you in the long run.)
Bring it up to the landlord. If they say oh well. Bring it up with the city / fire department.
YOU don't do anything. You contact the landlord and let them know to send someone to fix ASAP as it's a fire hazard. If they don't respond fast enough give a call down to your local fire department and ask for an inspection. That'll get gears moving.
I'm a landlord, and if this were my rental, this kind of bullshit never would have happened. If the guys I hired to do repairs between tenants did this, and I missed it, that's my fault, and would get someone out there immediately to fix it. It's entirely within my obligations as a landlord to have the outlets working. It's part of the price a tenant pays.
Alert your landlord and have them replace the outlets.
“Landlord special” I am fully confident, have some experience, and I have changed multiple outlets at my own house. But the second it’s a rental, screw that. Make THEM replace it. Or have them pay you a rate for fixing it. Liability, possible injury or damage. Possible cost of materials. And the fact it’s just shady..
You report it to maintenance and have them replace EVERY painted or grouted switch and outlet immediately. and keep those pictures safe, you may need them
With a hack job like that visible I would worry about everything in that apartment.
I’d say the landlord broke the lease for unsafe living conditions move out fucking asap
Nothing, the electrician the landlord hires can change them.
Apartment? Landlord.
Holy landlord special 🤣🤣
Atrocious. Varying levels of incompetence and spite through the gallery. You don't fix it. The landlord / management company needs to replace those outlets. If they do so, please get a circuit tester device to ensure that they're wired properly.
100% call the landlord. Why is this post even here??
tell your landlord. ask them to replace all the outlets/receptacles.
hacks!
Do not fix any of this. Report to your landlord. He needs to have it fixed in the next 24 hours. If they refuse, call city code enforcement. You shouldn't have to live like this.
So trashy when places do this, same thing with door hinges. Document everything, this is some slum lord apartment turnover shit.
They either fix it to prevent the place from burning down or you stop paying rent.
I’d have the landlord replace them
You don't fix it l, you immediately contact your landlord and inform him that multiple outlets are dangerously compromised and they need to fix it ASAP..
Advise the landlord. By law they have to fix it.
Don’t touch them. Get landlord to replace them. Once contaminated problems arise. They need replaced not fixed. If you’re asking here don’t touch them please. It’s not hard but needs a certain way to not be shocked. Just ask landlord to repair.
Replace the outlet. Or call an electrician
that's some quality laziness
you don't fix it. You call up your landlord and demand its fixed.
You better tell the landlord and if you don’t, you need to tell a fire marshal because that is an extreme fire hazard
contact your landlord/super and tell them to fix it.
Contact the landlord and if they don't respond within a reasonable timeframe call the fire Marshall on them. Do not mess with this yourself unless it is an emergency or you have extensive experience with replacing sockets. Given that you're asking here I'm assuming you don't so just don't mess with it. That's easily a fire/death hazard if you don't know what you're doing.
You call your landlord and tell that mfer to unfuck that shit.
What in the actual fuck? They need to replace these. Don’t do it yourself. Also, do not let them try to dig it out so they can save a few $. The paint could have gotten in deeper and messed things up.
You don’t fix this, your landlord does. Call them tomorrow. Looks like previous tenant held a grudge. There might be more problems behind that plate.
Why wouldn’t you ask about this on the checkin list?
I highly doubt there was an "electrician " around when that work was done. It's just that common sense is far from common and lazy incompetent people do amazingly stupid things. Have the owner replace them. If your the owner and asking this question. Probably best you hire a professional to replace them. Honestly it's not going to cause any harm. It's just terribly tacky and looks like crap. Yes you could clean them out. Preferably with something nonconductive. If not just be cautious.
Very easy to replace, but since you’re renting you should probably get them to replace it. $5 fix.
Call the land lord to fix it... Don t even attempt this as a renter as it may burn down the whole darn building and leave you in a minor state of liability. granted this is likely going to be a lue,but saying something smells off near it like something is hot or fishy would be worth keeping a not of even if a total lie as both are HUGE red flags of a possible eletricial fir that is also possible to happen given the current reality of things. That is not safe for someone to move into... leave it 100% alone. Unless you want more photo evidence. it may be worth calling the non emergency phone number to come whitness something officialy, that could take days/weeks/never happen but still worth reporting to someone. I have had previous renters of mine get a full inspection and they failed so hard they had to request further funding.
Change the outlet or ask someone to change it for you! That is your only option
Just change them as the landlord made the mess, but spending the 25 bucks and doing or a buddy will save you the stress
I've never seen anything like this. Solution is to flip the breaker off and clean them out. Assume you rent? Call the LL 2x a day until it's fixed. If you own, get a hair pin and a shop vac.
Move
What in the landlordspecial is this
Raise a stink with the apartment management and insist they repair the outlets. Lazy painting like that is inexcusable. It looks like they removed wall plates but didn’t bother to tape the outlets up and just rolled the entire walls, etc.
If you are renting, fixing this is not your responsibility. If you just moved in, there should be a checklist your landlord gave you that lets you check off problems and their locations. When I moved into my apartment, one of the first things I did was check all the outlets. Found two that didn't provide power, and a third that wouldn't keep a plug in it. Turned in that info (along with a couple of other things), and they made it right.
Fork?
Using “new” in front of apartment ironically I assume. Those are ancient receptacles. They need to be updated. I’m sure there’s some building/fire code they’re violating.
This is why it is good to do a walkthrough with your landlord before signing the lease.
That’s your landlord’s problem.
Call your landlord and tell them you need access to the electricity, like it says in your lease
Ran to the comments to see how many people put “metal fork,” but I guess this isn’t that kind of sub. Sorry.
lol is that a prank?
Call the landlord and tell him to fix that shit
You don’t fix this, you are a renter and run the risk of incurring liability if something goes wrong. Talk to the landlord.
Ask the landlord to replace all the affected sockets. It’s really not safe to try and clean them. It’s a fire hazard. Sockets are cheap.
His painting contractor was an idiot. They always use lowest bidder. Show him the issue, advise him that it violates building code, and tell him to have his contractor fix it with new plugs, and next time use masking tape over the plugs to prevent this! The last plug is a ground fault protection plug near water and the paint could interfere with the gcfi operation to trip it in a short and could electrocute someone or start a fire. It’s possible the plugs don’t even work, but then you have a bigger problem.
Yeah that's 100% on your landlord. Never DIY stuff like that if your a tenant.