Imagine what happens if there is indeed an incident related to this old wiring.

The law exists to protect the public from predatory behavior, not to prevent them from voicing their experience or opinion.The Virginia Supreme Court defines the "practice of law" as: One is deemed to be practicing law whenever.(1) One undertakes for compensation, direct or indirect, to advise another not his regular employer, in any matter involving the application of legal principles to facts or purposes or desires.(2) One, other than as a regular employee acting for his employer, undertakes, with or without compensation, to prepare for another legal instruments of any character, other than notices or contract incident to regular course of conducting a licensed business(3) One undertakes, with or without compensation, to represent the interest of another before [a tribunal, as hereinafter defined in UPC 1-1,] otherwise than in the presentation of facts, figures, or factual conclusions, as distinguished from legal conclusions, by an employee regularly Ö employed on a salary basis, or by one specially employed as an expert in respect to such facts and figures when such presentation by such employee or expert does not involve the examination of witnesses or preparation of pleadings.Virginia UPL Opinion 48. http://www.vsb.org/site/regulation/virginia-upl-opinion-48So, don't advise people on the law for money, don't prepare legal documents and don't attempt to represent people in courts or tribunals in Virginia without a license and you're not breaking any laws.Indeed, the very purpose of this community is to advise each other.

The tenants asked that I not report the incident to Section 8, but told them I already had.

One of the workers was spooked by the incident.

I had a recent incident similar to this and that is exactly what I did.

As to downstairs tenants, they don't seem to go through their Renter's Insurance since their are not the ones who caused this incident.     

However, my guess is that the fact your guy has only seen 5 in 200 leak probably has more to do with how hard he looked, and not what the actual incidence rate of leaking tanks is.  

Yes, sometimes the increases are extreme, if there isn't enough in reserves or if there is an unexpected incident.

Excluded here as we are dealing with incidents occurring on or near the premises.

This incident has raised significant doubts about their integrity and business practices.