Electrical wiring problem in Texas

[Daniel Calderon]

At what point does the house become a habitability issue with tenants in Texas.

I am purchasing a duplex with tenants and found out via inspection that there is an electrical hazard in the house. The house is built in the 1950's and does not have ground wiring. It does not have GFCIs installed either. The inspector says that there is a risk of electric shock in wall outlets that are not grounded and not installed with GFCIs. I would like to get this fixed first thing, but if I consider rewiring the electric in the entire property it could take weeks. Is this a habitability risk? Any recomended solutions to this problem?

[Jon Holdman]

Not uncommon in older properties.  Installing GFCIs in critical areas (bathrooms, basements if you have those) is easy and does not require a ground.  Rewiring shouldn't take weeks, but will be costly and extensive.  A panel upgrade is also likely to be required.  And you will have to bring it fully up to current codes.  In particular arc-fault breakers for all bedrooms and hard wired smoke/CO detectors.  But most cities do not require retrofitting existing structures unless you're doing remodeling.  Call the city and ask if there are any requirements.