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our family just moved into an older home(unsure of build year, 30+ years old). during the move in inspection the LL(broker not owner) stated that the 3-prong electrical outlets in the kitchen were not grounded. the house has one 3-prong in the dining room and two of the 3 bedrooms. i'm guessing they're not grounded either. we would like to ask him to run it by the owners as to why the electrical is so outdated and if they could at least put one grounded 3-prong in each bedroom and ground the ones that are already installed. is this something that would be the LL/owners responsibility? i would imagine they would want to update the electrical so they wouldn't be liable to possible damage to our belonging aswell as the home.
Its the landlord's issue but unless some city code or your lease requires otherwise, he is not obligated to make any changes. Grounded plugs are desirable but not absolutely necessary. Many older homes are like this, including my own. Your local city code may require GFIs in the kitchen and bathrooms since it is a rental unit.
check the local and or state codes. it is the LL responsibility for the electrical. However, as previously stated, older homes are not up to modern standards. I've had older homes with 2 prong plugs and no problems. Codes may require that the outlets in the kitchen and bathroom be changed to GFI. Any area with high water use is usually required to have a GFI.
There are adaptors you can buy and install on the 2 prong to accept 3 prong electric cords. Remember to undo the screw holding the plate on and put the "ground" through the screw when you put the plate back on. That's what makes it work.
It is a common situation and caused by previous renters/homeowners... at least that has been my own experience.
Several of the homes I manage are 1920's craftsman type and most have upgraded service panels, but not all.
I ALWAYS check each outlet myself prior to renting and often I find my previous tenant has modified or replaced two prong outlets with 3 prong grounded outlets. The problem is the ground prong has no ground to connect to. Old Style 2 prong or ungrounded receptacles often cost twice that of a grounded receptacle and may be harder to find.
I've pulled a number of electrical permits in my city.
First, two prong non-grounded outlets in homes originally so equipped are completely legal. The term often used is Grandfathered.
Replacing 2 prong with 3 prong with no ground connection is a code violation with one exception...
The code adopted in my city allows a 3 prong GFCI to be installed without a ground because the added protection of the GFCI trumps not having a ground.
The manager erred, in my opinion, by not having the proper outlets in the unit at the time of rental.
For a few dollars, you can buy a plug in circuit tester to quickly identify grounded outlets without a functioning ground...
Upgrades to the electrical service are always the Owners responsibility, but there are no requirements that the owner upgrade.
Often insurance companies will require panel upgrade from fuses to circuit breakers...
If the service is original, it may not even have a ground to connect to... especially if the home is pre WWII.
In the 50's and 60's it was common in some places to ground the outlet boxes with a bare copper wire running from box to box. It the box is grounded this way, you can buy a code approved "Pigtail" that bonds the metal box to a grounded receptacle.
I once had a long term tenant that suffered a stroke and heart attack. She required special medical equipment for her to come home and that equipment required a 20 amp, dedicated, grounded hospital grade outlet. She was a wonderful lady and I went ahead and had the work done at my expense so she could return home... the cost for the permit and electrician was $375 for the one dedicated outlet.
Actually whether or not this is required depends on your state/local statutes. Having said that, bring it up to your landlord. He/she will probably be willing to have the grounded plugs installed. The electric may be already grounded, and in this case he/she would just have to install 3-pronged outlets. The cost may be minimal.
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