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None of the outlets are grounded and two of them are omitting a strong plastic/ electrical smell. We rent our house but dont have a lease. Our landlord threatened to "find new renters" if we pursued this issue. Its a fire hazard but we cannot afford to move.

How do we shut down just these two outlets until we can leave?

Maizy
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    The proper way is to flip the breaker or pull the fuse for that circuit. The reality is that an old house with ungrounded receptacles may have a dozen different receptacles, overhead lights, etc. all on one circuit, so turning off a single circuit might leave you in the dark. The proper way to fix it is to replace the receptacles, but that gets into the "can't work on a rental property" yourself problem - basically if something goes wrong the landlord will blame you even though you may have actually improved the situation. – manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact Sep 26 '23 at 02:49
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    Wow, an "electrical smell" could be arcing. I mean, this is how house fires start. I hope your deadbeat landlord provided working smoke alarms; in my area it is the law. I would report that dude and start looking for a new place if possible. – Jimmy Fix-it Sep 26 '23 at 02:59
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    I would suggest you may not be able to afford _not_ to move. – keshlam Sep 26 '23 at 03:14
  • Get a smoke alarm to save your self and let it burn down – asinine Sep 26 '23 at 03:23
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    This wanders into legal territory, so I’d like to suggest you explore your renter’s rights, either locally (ie, legal aid) or the legal stack here. The lack of a written lease doesn’t mean you have zero rights, but it is generally the case that landlords can make your life miserable if they put their mind to it. – Aloysius Defenestrate Sep 26 '23 at 13:56

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