Just found the subpanel for my rental's outdoor outlets, does this wiring look legit?

The biggest red flag here is that bundle of green and white wires all shoved onto the neutral bar. In a subpanel like this, the **neutrals and grounds must be separated**. When they're bonded togehter outside of the main service entrance, you're basicly creating a path for normal return current to travel over the grounding system. This can energize the metal frames of your appliances or even the box itself. It’s a massive shock hazard, expecially for outdoor equipment where moisture is a factor.

Those black wires landing on the neutral bus are another sign of a total hack job. Code is very specific about color coding for a reason. If he's using hot-colored wires for neutrals, there’s no telling what else is cross-wired. Also, those Square D Homeline breakers only belong in a Homeline-rated panel. If he forced them into a different brand, they won't make a solid connection to the bus bar. Your little plug-in tester is likely giving you a "correct" reading because he's bonded the ground and neutral, wich is a common trick to fool those testers. But it doesn't mean the circuit is actually safe. You also mentioned a mix of copper and aluminum. If those aren't joined with the right **AL/CU rated connectors** and some anti-oxidation paste, they’re going to fail. Copper and aluminum expand at different rates when they get warm under load. Without the right setup, the connections loosen over time, start arcing, and that’s how you get a structure fire.

Since you're renting, you need to stop poking around in there and get the landlord to bring in a pro. This isn't just "messy DIY"—it's a series of major code violations that bypass the safety of your home's electrical system. And if that 220v outlet is pulling a heavy load like a hot tub once did, these mistakes are exactly what lead to melted wires or worse.

That part about the tester being fooled is really scary. I always thought those little lights were the final word on wether things were safe. Since this is all outside, shouldn't there be those GFCI buttons on the outlets too? I don't see any of those on the big 220v plug especially. If the landlord used the wrong breakers, does that mean the whole box coud become live if a wire touches the side? I’m definately staying away from it now, but it makes me wonder if even the shed power is dangerous to use when the grass is wet.

That "big red feeder" is what's realy bugging me. If the landlord shoved a 50 amp breaker in the main panel but used wire that's too thin—like 8 or 10 gauge—it's gonna cook before that breaker ever trips. Aluminum needs to be even beefier than copper to carry that 50A load safely, and DIYers almost always undersize it.

Also, check if he's "double lugging" those wires on the neutral bar. Most screws are only rated for one wire. When you jam several in there, they don't stay tight. One gets loose, starts arcing, and eventually melts the bus bar. In an outdoor box, the humidity just speeds up that corrosion.