Purchasing an electric vehicle might feel like a big eco win, but dealing with the reality of charging can be a challenge. One homeowner faced an unexpected obstacle when their homeowners association asked them to share access with their neighbors.
The community of people on the r/electricvehicles subreddit shares news on EVs as well as their own reviews and experiences. One outlined a troubling issue they were having with their HOA as they tried to jump through hoops to get the charger approved.
"We are paying for the installation, maintenance, and insurance for an EV charger at our Tahoe townhome. The HOA requires that our EV charger be open to others in the association. Can the HOA require us to do this?" they asked.
HOAs can be a source of community, and your dues may provide benefits such as trash pickup or snow removal. But these bodies can also wield tremendous power and make it challenging to make eco-friendly modifications to your home.
Homeowners have had to contend with basic rules about garden makeup and lawn length that may be annoyances. But HOAs also erect major obstacles to EV chargers and solar panels.
The enthusiastic folks on Reddit had plenty of advice for how the OP might be able to fight back against their HOA.
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One person suggested an outrageous tactic: "I would just draw up a contract. That forced the HOA to pay you an access fee of $1500 a month. That would cover the insurance cost of $10 million of liability insurance, a doubling of fire insurance."
Someone else felt the HOA president had no grounds, writing, "If the bylaws don't say anything about sharing EV chargers, then he can go pound sand."
"That can't be right. They're expecting other people to be able to charge using YOUR electricity?!" another commenter pointed out.
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If you were going to purchase an EV, which of these factors would be most important to you? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
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