Its theft if not disclosed in a lease, and you are the thief. There is no way you should not have known that the wiring was defective. ..in most states its criminal but realistically the prosecutor will give you a chance to pay back the tenants and redo the wiring.

Otherwise, as a civil matter, you still cant steal tenants electricity. A smart tenant can recover damages, punitive damages, and force you to do the work while the lease is valid...realistically you would pay their whole electric bill for the term of the lease plus meet some reasonable demands.

Im amazed at how few tenants know their rights. The state needs a tenants association...join with a small yearly fee..learn their rights and get hooked up with an attorney if their claims are realistic. You could get a good rating and get a premium on rent for doing things right.

You know that you can charge as a high a rent as you want...just dont count on being paid if the tenant hits hard times. But you cant lie.