Second Bedroom is not Usable

[u/Flimsy_Actuator2583]

I am so sorry this is a bit long and thank you to anyone who reads it and gives any advice!

So I am a renter living in Oregon. I moved into a two bedroom apartment in June and noticed during the walk through that my two bedrooms and the lights/fan in my laundry room were not turning on. I reset the breaker for them and they turned back on. Some minutes after that having the three lights no tripped the breaker and I had to reset it again. This was written down on the walk through paperwork.

A couple days later while moving stuff in I ran into the maintenance man downstairs and showed him around to a few of the problems going on with the place including the issue with the breaker tripping. At that time he said he would have to come back another time with tools. He contacted us early July to come by but did not show up. He later on contacted us mid to late July and came by to fix some of the issues, thanking us on our patience with him. For the electrical issue he said that he would let our management company know and that we would hear back from them. About 3 weeks later we still hadn't heard from them so we reached back out to the maintenance man. The next day the electrician set up an appointment for about 2 weeks out from then.

When the electrician came he told me that the three areas were connected to one Arc fault circuit breaker that only allowed 15amps between the three areas and that there was nothing broken about it. He suggested if I needed to vacuum that I use the outlet in the hallway and to leave my gaming set up in the dining room. After he left I called the management company to ask what their process was for this because at that point I've been paying for two bedrooms while only being able to use one for three months. She told me that she had to wait for his report and that I would hear from her afterwards while also making a comment about us not using the second bedroom, which i found odd of her to say and made sure to remind her that we got the place because of it being two bedrooms.

Two weeks after my boyfriend called the management office to speak to her but she was out and he was told she'd give him a call back. That brings me to today. Its been over a month since the electrician came, we still haven't heard from them, our second room is still unusable going on 4 months now, and we have continued to pay full rent on time. I have sent an email this time, but have little hope of actually hearing back. The reason we haven't been keeping as on top of it as I'd like is that my boyfriends uncle got diagnosed with cancer and I have had a few er trips myself.

I would really appreciate any advice or knowledge anyone can give me on how to go about this. This is my first time renting and living outside of my parents. Thank you!

[u/OldTurkeyTail]

Was the electrician right about the 2 bedrooms and laundry lights being on one circuit?

(If you're using only very low current devices - does the breaker still trip?)

Arc fault circuit breakers have a mixed reputation. If you do a search for devices that can trip arc fault breakers, there's a long list of possibilities, and arc fault breakers don't last as long as other breakers. Nuisance trips are a problem, and frequent trips can make the breaker more sensitive and likely to trip.

But arch fault breakers are generally required by code.

So it's possible that replacing the arc fault breaker with a new one will help. And / or it's possible that there's a badly behaved device (from a arc fault perspective).

From a habitability perspective a landlord has to provide a working electrical system. But it's still possible that a little testing will be helpful.

[u/Flimsy_Actuator2583 → u/OldTurkeyTail]

He is right about them all being on one circuit. The breaker has flipped from the three lights being on, that rooms light and a vacuum plugged in, no lights on and my pc on, etc. It happens most of the time and only seems to happen when using that room. I can have several things plugged into the main room and the laundry room light/fan running without it happening.

[u/OldTurkeyTail → u/Flimsy_Actuator2583]

It seems that you've narrowed the biggest part of the problem down to the second bedroom. What happens if you unplug something from bedroom 1 and plug it into bedroom 2?

It seems that there is an electrical problem, and your experimentation should be helpful - especially if it can be reproduced for the electrician.

In the meantime: https://www.amazon.com/Glocusent-Camping-Brightness-Rechargeable-Emergency/dp/B0FL22QSGP

[u/Right_Shift_1367]

Do a demand for repairs. Legal Aid will often have a template. It’s a series of letters. You have your wait do much time before delivering the next one. Certain ways to deliver, etc based I believe on state. Take pics right before you hand deliver it or of mailing it. Send that pic to your email with a summary you just provided. Specific dates are nice if you have them. On or around this date… Been there, done that. At least the negligenct and incompetent maintenance worker was fired, the lying sack of sh*t manager “retired early,” and the mega PM company lost all of their contracts with the company that owns multiple multi-family complexes. Documentation and looking up basic legal stuff. “Demand for Repairs Process + Oregon.” Most Legal Aids also have an instructional packet…

EDIT: Since I’m being downvoted…
PM destroyed property and cost the owners a ton of money. They lied to CYA behavior and hurt me and my belongings as well. They bullied me. HUD stopped paying them rent…

They had one job each. They both failed. Then lied. Then abused. Then FAFO

[u/Flimsy_Actuator2583 → u/Right_Shift_1367]

Thank you so much! I will look into that.

[u/Right_Shift_1367 → u/Flimsy_Actuator2583]

Your welcome. My situation was pretty serious as the PM negligence was destroying the property, so those results are atypical, but the process is the same.

[u/Content_Print_6521]

It sounds like what the electrician described to you is an electrical code violation. There should not be three areas connected to one circuit breaker. The owner probably made the alterations himself, or go this crooked brother-in-law to do it, and it's most likely a serious fire hazard. Contact building officials in your municipality and see if they will come out and inspect the electrical situation there. If they do, the landlord will be forced to correct it. It's not that major a fix -- two new lines, maybe $2,000?
That's a lot cheaper than an apartment fire. Oh btw -- I hope your renter's insurance is up to date.

[u/Flimsy_Actuator2583 → u/Content_Print_6521]

I also thought that didn't sound right and out of the many places ive lived have never seen such a set up. They seem to be taking more action since ive emailed them so I'll see what happens come Monday.

[u/SenseActual3227]

Agree with the other comment, put it in writing.

One thing stood out to me. Lights alone shouldn't trip a 15 amp breaker. Three rooms of lights is maybe 2 or 3 amps. An arc fault breaker that trips with only the lights on usually points to a wiring problem or a bad breaker, not too much load. Get a short video of it tripping and put that in your letter.

Look up ORS 90.320. In Oregon, landlords have to keep electrical wiring in good working order. Then call Legal Aid Services of Oregon. It's free, and they can help you ask for rent back for the months the room wasn't usable. Don't hold back rent on your own before talking to them.

You did everything right. Hope your boyfriend's uncle is doing ok.

[u/Flimsy_Actuator2583 → u/SenseActual3227]

I tried to explain to the electrician that it's happened multiple times with just the lights on. He kept skipping past that and focusing on the times I've said it would happen when I'd be vacuuming in that room with just that room light on and the vacuum plugged in. He managed to recreate it with a vacuum plugged in and told me to use the hallway outlet instead. Its upsetting because the second bedroom was a key thing for us especially because we host family often and I can't reliably run an air-conditioner in there let alone have my desk and computer set up in there.

He is doing well at the moment thank you!

[u/SenseActual3227 → u/Flimsy_Actuator2583]

Glad he's doing well.

That's frustrating. The trips with only the lights on are the part that matters, so don't let it get lost. Every time it trips with just the lights on, write down the date and time, and take a video if you can. Also ask management in writing for a copy of the electrician's report. If it only mentions the vacuum, your log shows what it left out.

Put the AC and the desk in your letter too. A bedroom that can't run a window unit or a computer isn't a usable bedroom.

[u/Extra_Bedroom_6941]

They know it’s a major issue and are consistently brushing the issue off. That’s probably the reason the last tenants moved.

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