I got my first call from the tenant that moved in last month. He reported that he lost all power to his condo unit and wanted me to oversee the repairs. The first thing I thought was that he did not start his electrical service in a timely manner. My standard procedure when a unit is in transition is to start the electric service in my name as soon as the old tenant moves out. I do this so I can perform any repairs and show the unit. When the new tenant moves in, I have the service disconnected. But typically, it takes 2 weeks for the electric company to actually cut the service to the unit. So, I thought that the new tenant did not start his service, as it was just around 2 weeks since he took possession of the unit.

But he was adamant that he had started service and had spoke to the customer service representative at the electric company and verified that his account was in good standing.

My next step was to call the resident manager and see if he could check the main electrical circuit breaker to the unit and see if it had tripped. A half hour later he called me and verified that the main breaker was on, and that he had spoke to the tenant and he verified that there was no power to the unit. He advised me to make sure the tenant started service. I asked the tenant to call the electric company and ask for a site inspection.

I finally got a call from the electric company technician on site. He apologized for taking so long to diagnose the problem, because he was dispatched to the wrong unit. It turns out the tenant had started service, but had listed the wrong address and apartment number. So he was essentially paying for a stranger’s electrical service for two weeks. After I thanked the electric company rep for his efforts, I get a call from the tenant. He proceeds to make up some strange explanation for the mixup, stating that the electric company gave him wrong instructions on how to turn on his electric meter and start service to his unit. Pretty weird as the electric company would never give you the ability to physically go to your meter and turn on your service.

Whatever. I just hope he pays his December rent on time.