is this a housing safety issue?

Question

when they replaced a medicine cabinet in bathroom, they disconnected the only plug in bathroom and said they are not rehooking up as they have to do additional work to meet new safety codes. Use an extension cord they told 250 units in subsidized housing. Is this a legal safety violation..

What about newly chipped tiles in entry way that one might trip on?

I am picky about the tiles as they can be tripped on and a lady in the building had a leg amputated recently..not for appearances sake..

hi
wrangler..no actually I did like the answer..I just wanted more thoughts on it. i thought the idea of taking pictures was exellent. I din't know there are building inspectors. where do you find out who inspects it (what agency).

We had outlet on the medicine chest before. I was told they are not connecting the wires back up (so maybe they capped them) or doing anything further...use extension cord maintanence told me and others...none will be fixed as they said it is within two feet of water and need the thing you said and apparently they feel they spent too much on remodeling (much was a grant I heard and they saved so much through the years jury rigging, using cheapest materials, and not fixing stuff and things like not offering to paint in 15 years etc that it is about time they fix something..the tiles were cracked, wood cabinets falling apart and formica leaking and buckled, hole cut in weall as they measured toilet wrong etc. Maintanence said today that

they have to use cheapest stuff avaliable as this is subsidized and they don't get enough rent..they get the same rent that they charge someone if they are not eligible fo section eight. We pay a share and hud pays rest so they get all their money and charge same as if someone not getting subsidies would get. he claims they could get 200 or 300 hundred more a month. balony (we have a laundry room..neighbors told me it's filthy and they had NO lights last time they went, they had to use flashlights..we have a pool (yeah, a little one that they only open 1/3 of the summer for some reason always closed..Most people would not live here in my opiion unless they had to.. thanks for your good advice.

no the outlets they want us to plug extension cords in are not gfci. He said they were build in early 70's and no work like that done..that's why they can't connect outlets he said they need to be gfci but he didn't say extension cord outlets need to be that too. Very helpful.

Answer 1

I notice you had an answer on this subject already... I guess you didnt like it, since you are reposting it... hehehe...but the fact is... you DO need to check with your LOCAL building inspector, to verify what is legal, and what isnt.

Now... It sounds like you are in a multi-family dwelling.... this could be anything from apartments to condo's ... even to multiple buildings.

Here are some basics.... Electricity and water do not mix. Homes, apartments, and other dwelling places are manufactured with electrical outlets in the bathrooms. There ARE limitations on what kind of outlets, and where they can be placed. You did not state in either question... whether 'they' were stopping all work, or had plans to continue.

Trip hazards also fall under safety guidelines, even tho most folks would consider it a matter of the quality of workmanship. Since this is 'subsidized' housing... there are usually some additional requirements that owners and contractors are forced to meet. I can't say if that comment about "use an extension cord", was meant to be a temporary answer, or what... but if it is intended that an extension cord be used for any length of time to supply power to bathroom tools.... the suggested outlet SHOULD be a GFCI outlet. (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupt) This type of outlet will cut the power off, within milliseconds, of registering a surge.... thus protecting a person, if an accident occurs (like a dryer falls into a sink of water, or tub, for example)

I would ask 'HOW' the power was disconnected to that outlet too.... was it properly disconnected at the circuit panel? or did they just cap it off with some wire nuts and/or tape, leaving the wire hot?

What you need to do... first... get the facts... If you have them all, you didnt give them all to us... is the work ongoing? Are 'they' coming back to continue any further modifications? What are the local building codes?
That last statement is the most important... THEN... if you feel you need to take action... put your complaint in writing, and send it to, 1) the building management .. 2) the local inspector .. 3) the state agency that is subsidizing the dwellings.

Good Luck


Additional info:
You can find a local building inspector by contacting your city, or county government office. If you are in a large city, then start with the city's inspector. There are also private companies that provide inspection services, which, you may wish to hire, if you need to take this as far as court action. I doubt you will have to tho, as payments to owners/management of buildings like this are often dependant upon their meeting all the requirements of the subsidizing agency. If they don't meet the building codes... they can lose their funding.... often a great motivator, hehehe.

With the mention of a neighbor with an amputated leg... I would add that there are certain 'accessibility' requirements that MUST be met by any subsidized dwellings. "Handicap" access is practically a must on any public building these days...whether the whole apartment is considered a 'handicap unit' or not. Most apartments, for instance, will have a certain number of units that have extra wide doors (entry and interior) to allow wheelchairs, etc.. and special plumbing fixtures. The BUILDING entrace, to a multi-family unit...especially a subsidized one.....is often requied to be accessed by the disabled, EVEN IF the apartments are not "handicap" apartments. Much emphasis on this requirement is because of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Ahhh... so... the OLD vanities had a 'built-in' outlet...a vital detail !! It is NOT surprising then, that the management opted to simply disconnect the electric to those old vanities when they replaced them. A standard outlet usually runs a dollar or less... a GFCI outlet...just the outlet itself... will run $15. Not to mention the added expense of cutting a hole in the wall, adding a junction box, and running the extra wire to the 'approved' location.... and the labor to do all that. Bathrooms are NOT required to have an electrical outlet. If they do... then they MUST meet those local codes. It CAN be expensive to meet those codes.

I would start with the local inspector's office... take some pics, if possible, of the areas of concern... tho, sometimes, you have to actually SEE a problem... a camera doesnt always capture the entirety of a situation. Take multiple photo's from different angles, and include these in your correspondence. If necessary, use a carpenter's level in the pics to help show any raised tiles, or other trip hazards.

Good Luck.

Answer 2

The outlets in a bathroom need to be GSI which shut off automatically when moisture hits it. They should not have
said to use an ext. cord. Anything that occurs, fire or whatever, can be blamed on you. The work needs to be completed in a certain time-frame which I do not know to be honest and all
cleanup done before leaving a job. You could contact the state
board of health where you live and they could direct you to how to resolve this issue. If you don't get action, put it all in writing to
the agency who subsidizes the units. This will get action the fastest and protect you as well. It sounds like the cheapest company was hired.

Answer 3

well, they do need to update all electric outlets to meet current housing codes..

If its subsidized housing, why be so picky about the tiles when your getting to live cheaper then the rest of us, I own a house..if I cant afford to make sure the tiles are perfect, the only one I can complain to is myself..Nothing is perfect..especially if it is a handout..

I would be concerned about the plug, Im sure as soon as they get the supplies, it will be fixed properly..if they even plan on putting an outlet back in there..they are not required to put in any outlets anywhere ..just can not have unsfae ones left for use..

Answer 4

safety is county health inspector maintenance and repairs, the landlord -- record conversations with the LL. call the property owner [address listed with the county tax accessor] find a replacement tenant and leave.

Answer 5

sounds that way 2 me r u renting privatley or through a realestate agent
if u are talk to them if theydo nothing take it it the renting tenecey agreement i think thats what its called

Answer 6

i really dont know what is legal or not but its not satisfactory running extension cords all over the house.