outlet problem

[arguchik]

hey, as long as i'm seeking technology advice, i'm going to ask for advice about another issue, this time something annoying about the apartment i'm renting with A and J. anyone out there have electrical expertise? can you tell me whether we have a leg to stand on, in demanding that the outlets in our apartment be repaired, replaced, and/or rewired?

A. there isn't a grounded outlet in the place--all of them are 2-prong outlets that spark visibly and audibly when you plug things in.
B. the plugs make piss poor contact with anything that's plugged in, such that a plug will randomly lose contact with the outlet, even if nobody is touching the plug, or even standing or walking anywhere nearby. my roommate's bedroom is particularly bad--she can't use an electric alarm clock because of this problem, and has resorted to using her cell phone as an alarm. perhaps that doesn't seem like a big deal...except when you consider that she has to plug her cell phone into the very same outlet in order to charge it.
C. the outlet that is less than 3 feet away from the kitchen sink is not a GFI outlet--which, unless i am mistaken, is in violation of the seattle building code. i'm quite nervous about the outlets into which all of our electrical appliances are plugged--fridge, dishwasher, stove, and oven (we have those schmancy wall ovens, and a countertop stove...though these particular ones were minted in the 60's, so they're not so schmancy anymore).
D. we've been around and around with the building management company who leases this place, and it's apparent that they're not planning to do anything unless we escalate things...so i'm wondering if we have legs on which to stand while performing said escalation.

whaddya think??? anyone? anyone? beuhler? anyone?

Comments

Re: know your rights

[arguchik.livejournal.com]

uh oh. already wrote to the management company about it. according to the tenant's union, you can notify them that a repair needs to be done (and i did notify them that the outlets spark--and yes, when you plug something in that's not powered, like the power cord to my computer when it's not plugged into the computer, for example), and if they don't take care of it in a timely fashion, you then notify them that you're going to have the issue repaired in 30 days and deduct the cost from your rent.

that's a bummer about the code. there should be some kind of law governing old construction that has reached the point where its infrastructure is dangerous.

Re: know your rights

[jennaxide.livejournal.com]

i've done the repair and deduct gig, but it was on friendly terms with the landlord and i was dealing with a person, not a management company. hopefully you will have a similar experience.