If the power goes out in all or part of your Richmond rental, first determine how much of the property is affected. A neighborhood outage, a whole-home outage, one dead circuit, and one dead outlet have different next steps.
Before troubleshooting, stop if you notice smoke, a burning electrical odor, sustained or repeated sparking, unusual heat, electrical shock or tingling, exposed electrical parts, or water around electrical equipment. Use our electrical warning signs guide instead. If there is active fire, smoke, or another immediate threat to life or safety, follow the PMI James River emergency process.
Check Whether the Outage Is Bigger Than Your Home
Look outside from a safe location. If nearby homes, streetlights, or common areas are also dark, the problem may be a utility outage rather than something inside the rental.
For Dominion Energy Virginia service, use the Dominion outage reporting and status tools. If you see a downed utility line or damaged utility equipment, stay well away from it and do not approach anything the line is touching.
If electric service is in your name, also confirm that the utility account is active. Do not touch, open, or attempt to service the electric meter.
Narrow Down What Lost Power
- The whole home is out: Check the utility first. If the utility is not reporting an outage and nearby homes have power, submit a maintenance request after the normal breaker or fuse check.
- One room or one circuit is out: A tripped breaker, blown fuse, or GFCI may be involved. Use our circuit breaker and fuse guide and outlet and GFCI guide.
- One outlet or a small group of outlets is out: Check whether a nearby wall switch controls the outlet, then follow the outlet and GFCI guide.
- One appliance is out but nearby power works: The problem may be with the appliance rather than the home's electrical supply.
Do not run extension cords from another room as a substitute for a dead circuit. Do not remove electrical panel covers, touch wiring, or work on utility equipment.
Use Safe Lighting While the Power Is Out
Use flashlights or battery-powered lights rather than candles. If power is unstable or the outage may last for a while, unplug sensitive electronics until service is steady again.
If power repeatedly drops out after returning, or several lights repeatedly dim or flicker when another load starts, move to the electrical warning signs guide instead of repeatedly resetting circuits.
If Power Still Does Not Return
If the utility is not reporting an outage and reasonable breaker, fuse, and GFCI checks do not restore power, submit a maintenance request through the Rentvine resident portal.
Include which rooms, outlets, lights, or appliances are affected; whether nearby homes have power; whether the utility reports an outage; what happened when you checked the breaker, fuse, or GFCI; when the problem started; and any safe photos that help show the situation.
For other household problems, use the PMI James River resident troubleshooting library.
Published: September 2, 2026
