As a landlord, you have responsibilities to your tenants that include a home maintenance plan that fixes electrical problems and risks. Over 20,000 residential home fires stemming directly from faulty electrical systems or wiring occur annually in the USA. As well as providing tenants with a safe place to live, maintaining a high level of electrical safety and compliance can help save you money and reduce stress following a disaster.
DIY Vs. Professional Home Maintenance
Many landlords purchase run-down or abandoned houses in order to ‘flip’ them for profit or rent them out to tenants. Being handy and crafty is essential for fixing up a house without spending exorbitant amounts of money. However, to protect the people who rent out your property and keep your real estate investment safe, you should always hire a professional electrician as opposed to trying DIY electrical work. In the case that you install a faulty cabinet, the tenant will be annoyed, and you will have to eat crow. However, if you take on DIY electrical work and don’t install everything to a high standard, there can be serious dangers involved for all parties.
Hiring a professional for electrical home maintenance will also help shield you from any liability in the event of faulty electrical wiring or systems. Future injuries stemming from shoddy DIY electrical work would be placed at your feet instead of with the fully insured electrical company. Because of this, the money you save through DIY work is rarely kept forever. Insurance payouts can be much lower when they learn the cause of a fire or spark was work done by a DIY landlord, and you can also be liable for massive hospital bills or claims from injured parties on your property.
If you already have done DIY electrical work on a rental property, you should have a certified electrician inspect the work ASAP, as well as other electrical systems on the property. Regardless, all your systems and appliances should be checked after roughly three years, or when tenants change. By being diligent and identifying problems between the move-in and move-out dates of occupants, you can ensure your new tenants that they are soon moving into a safe, fully-inspected unit. This check will also find out any unreported damages or issues that your previous tenants failed to mention upon leaving.
Finding a Reliable Electrician
As mentioned, there are many reasons why utilizing the services of an electrician is a smarter idea than DIY work. When looking for someone to service your property, always find a company that is licensed and insured, ready to supply you with relevant information to prove their status. Shady companies without proper liability protection and insurance make money by offering competitive rates and laying about their standing with the government. If the price seems too good to be true, get a second opinion. Finding a reliable, local electrician is also beneficial if you employ them long-term. They will have an understanding of the property, a better sense of potential problem areas, and more reliable rates when compared to shopping around for new electricians for every job. For properties that are far away from your house, an on-call electrician can be essential for helping get your tenants’ power back on or addressing any concerns they have when you are not around.
Promise Electric is ready to help you ensure the safety of your rental properties. Our team of master electricians proudly serves both residential and commercial accounts.
