DIY vs Contracted work for rental/flip

[Matt Cecil]

Hi all,

I was talking to a family member over the Holiday about DIY electrical for his property. He is planning on doing electrical himself but found out the State of Minnesota requires that to be contracted out for a rental property. If he was going to flip or live in the house, he could do the electrical himself.

Is this true? Even if you pull permits for the electrical, that isn’t good enough?

You hear a lot about house hack or do the remodeling yourself in the beginning, so I guess I’ve just assumed that some of those projects would’ve involved electrical work.

I also thought he may have said the state doesn’t allow you to do ANY work yourself for a rental property.

Thanks in advance,

Matt

[John Woodrich]

To perform electrical work in MN you either have to A) be living in the house or B) intend to live in the house as your primary residence.  You may find ways around this by lying but it doesn't offer you much protection in the long run.  If there is an electrical issue and the house burns down you may not be covered and you may be personally liable.

Long story short - freak accident happened and a contractor burned one of my rentals down last year, total loss.  Fortunately nobody was hurt.  During the investigation the first questions they ask is if any work has been performed.  In my case the house had a new electrical panel and they traced ALL ground lines in the house.  Wasn't a concern for me (and not the cause) but it sure would have made me nervous and may have been an insurance issue.  Not a risk I want to take.  I was paid out and SF collected from the contractor's insurance.

For the licensed trades do things the right way.  Save money elsewhere.