What a property manager needs from an electrician

What to send for a request

A request with these items gets a faster, more accurate answer:

• Building address, unit number and building type (apartments, small commercial or mixed use).
• Who you are: manager, owner or tenant, and who approves cost.
• What is wrong, since when and which outlets, lights or breakers it affects.
• Photos of the panel with the door open, the panel label and the problem.
• Access details: lockbox, tenant phone, time windows, parking.

Commercial electrical work is available through the partner electrician. Send the request through the quote form.

Tenant or owner

The lease and the cause settle who pays. Building systems such as the service, house meters, shared panels and common lighting usually fall to the owner. A tenant may owe for damage they caused. In a commercial lease, the repair and alteration clauses and any tenant improvement terms govern, and the service and repair page explains what each kind of call involves. In an HOA, the split is different, and the HOA common area page covers it.

Tenants can also start work. A residential tenant whose lease was signed, extended or renewed on or after July 1, 2015 can request a charger at an assigned space under Civil Code 1947.6, unless an exception applies such as fewer than five parking spaces. Commercial tenants have similar rights under Civil Code 1952.7 at properties with 50 or more spaces. The multifamily and HOA EV page has details.

Access and notice

For a dwelling, Civil Code 1954 allows entry for necessary or agreed repairs. The landlord gives written notice with the date, approximate time and purpose, and entry should be during normal business hours. Twenty-four hours is presumed reasonable notice. Mailing it at least six days ahead is also presumed reasonable. Emergencies need no notice. Entry cannot be used to harass a tenant. Your lease and local rules may require more, so build their notice period into the schedule.

Also plan the day: power-off notices for shared panels with the exact breakers and duration, key and elevator rules, and photos of the panel before and after.

Common issues

• Breakers that trip, and outlets that went dead after a tenant added equipment.
• Failed fixtures and exit lights in common areas.
• Old panels in older buildings. The panel upgrade information explains what the utility and city add to a bigger job.
• Lighting upgrades. The LED retrofit page lists when Title 24 applies.

For routine checks, an electrical maintenance agreement puts them on a schedule.

Permits

Panel replacements, service changes, new circuits and chargers need permits. Like-for-like outlet or switch swaps often do not, but cities differ. Ask the electrician to state in writing whether each job needs a permit and who pulls it, then keep the permit number and final sign-off in the building file. The permit guide covers the basic path.

Documents a manager can ask for

This list is what to request, not what any electrician has promised to provide.

• License: the CSLB license number. Check classification, status, bond and workers’ compensation on the CSLB record, and compare the business name with the proposal. The license check guide walks through it.
• Crew certification: under Labor Code 108.2, workers for a C-10 contractor must hold a state electrician certification unless they are registered apprentices or trainees or exempt.
• Insurance: a certificate of insurance, if your agreement or the owner requires one, with limits the owner sets and the right certificate holder named.
• Quote: written scope, materials, permit fees and exclusions. The quote checklist lists the lines.
• Close-out: permit number, final inspection sign-off, photos and a short description of the cause for repair calls.

Keep one folder per building: panel schedule, last inspection, permit finals, certificates, equipment warranties and any tenant-requested chargers. A refinance, insurance renewal or sale tends to ask for it.