Landlord's Safety Obligations

[Claire]

Can anyone tell me what Utah Law says about a landlord's responsibility in safety issues?

I rent an old historic house that needs some major electrical work. The wiring is downright dangerous. Somebody has mixed old and new wiring improperly and has made quite a mess of it.

I had a handyman over to check out the electrical when the upstairs went completely out. He stated that said the building should be shut down until a professional electrician could fix the electrical.

I told my landlord in March and he has done nothing. (I also told him when the upstairs went completely out and he did nothing.)

I just read elsewhere that a letter should be written. I told him verbally.

[OHlandlord]

Claire, don't do verbal or e-mail repair requests. You need to do this the old fashioned way - in writing, so you may prove it later to a court if needed.. Write him a polite letter asking for the electrical repairs that are needed. Explain what is happening and let him know what the handyman has found at your unit. Send it to him by some method that gives you a receipt when it is delivered (regular mail with delivery confirmation or certified RRR mail). Keep a copy of this letter and the receipt when it comes back. In the letter, ask that he contact you within 10 days to let you know when repairs would be made. If he has not contacted you within 10 days, call the city building inspector for an inspection of the unit.

Old wiring (I assume you mean aluminum wiring, ungrounded, or knob & tube) and new wiring (copper grounded) should never be mixed. This is dangerous. The building inspector will check this and cite the LL if the wiring is unsafe. You can then take further legal steps if the LL fails to repair. Let us know what he says.