Warning from HOA for trickle charging

[kieranmullen]

I am sure we could get it upgraded if the power company wants to sell us more power they should do it for free but they probably will not with my luck.

We only collect $50 a year and 20% of people do not pay. We should raise it up but I will be exploring that shortly with a lawyerbecuase I believe we have to have a majority vote to increase it which does not include cost of inflation increases.

Our HOA which I am the president of ( no big deal only 50 homes) we have 1 stupid streetlight which is on a private drive. If anyone else in the HOA was interested other than myself, what type of system should we have installed for members to use that each person would pay a portion of the cost to charge! How how much to install?

My HOA wastes more money planting flowers each couple months than my petrol and BEV electric costs for all my vehicles. They really don't take much to charge and is a good money maker for anything around them or even just boosting public image at this point. I make a point of trying to frequent stores in plazas where free chargers are placed even when driving my ICEs.

If you want to install a system, a basic L2 would be nice. But a streetlight usually is only 1 line so 120v. I plug into the GFCI outlet on a parking lot light post at my work and it is great. Charges the Leaf all the day I'm there.

 

[JPWhite]

Sorry to hear your situation. Two takeaways for me.

1. Never live anywhere where you are under the auspices of an HOA. HOA = Hitlers on Attack.
2. Always ask for permission to charge even if you think everyone will be OK with it. Typically people say yes if you ask nicely and offer payment for the privilege. Always treat it as a privilege, not a right.

Hope you manage to smooth it over. Maybe offer to let the little Hitler drive your car round the block.

Hi all,

Just leased a 2014 Nissan Leaf with QC last Wednesday and got a good deal on it.

Everything has been great until today. I am renting in a condo building with underground parking in Pasadena, CA and there is an electrical outlet right in front of my parking spot. The parking area is not attached to any of the units, you take the elevator up and then go to the individual units. I have been trickle charging here and there. I wasn't planning on using the trickle charge much other than if I really need to since my gym parking lot has 4 level2 chargers that are free to use.

Tonight, someone knocked on my door and said he's from the HOA. He was all worked up and told me I can't use the outlet to charge my car because the building pays for the electricity. He was pretty nasty about it and told me to remove it right away, which I did. Also found a nasty note from him on my car telling me to stop using the outlets immediately. He said my landlord will get a letter too and there will be fines in the future if it happens again.

I have seen another neighbor charging her electric bike before using the same outlet and she does it once every 1-2 weeks and assumed it wouldn't be a good deal.

Based on what I read, there are legislation and such in CA that make HOA boards allow the installations of chargers. But in this case, I just want to use the outlet and don't even minding paying for it, although that can get out of hand if they ask me to install a separate meter and blah blah blah.

Anyone has any ideas or suggestions on what I can do? I am not too hopeful at this point because it might take a lot to get them to okay the use of the outlet based on the guy's reaction tonight.

The good thing is that I might be in really good shape in 2 months because I might have to go to the gym a lot to charge :lol:

 

[kieranmullen]

HOA's with nosey busybodies are a pain.

HOA for Sharing costs for maintaining a green space or common are while maintaining standards is not. Strange colored houses, garbage, ATV boat trailers etc is fine

 

[nerys]

HOA = Government

HOA's with nosey busybodies are a pain.

is the only kind of HOA that exists. Just like governments.

any HOA that is NOT that is in a temporay situation on its way to BECOMING that. as is the inevitable end of all government.

I would rather die in a cardboard box than submit to an HOA. Mandatory HOA means you don't get my money I buy a home elsewhere. Period.

 

[a2t]

crazy. you arent alone. Delta ripped out all the plug ins in the parking garage in tech ops. they could of upgraded the circuits and stayed true to their "we're green" bs advertising. but the higher ups complained that they werent getting subsidized to drive their gas cars to work, so the circuits are not upgraded and lets all drive diesel farm trucks to/from work 80 miles each way with 1 person in the car ...

if you ever did live in atlanta, try to stay within the perimeter ... the mentality will pain you.

 

[jlatl]

Thanks for the advice. Sounds like an uphill battle that I don't have the time to fight.

I definitely feel like the guy was power-tripping a little when he told me that I had to unplug my car immediately. Makes me feel like I got bullied.

Wish I can do something about the situation but the laws just aren't there to support it right now. On top of that, they are going to tell me to stop charging my car and waste paper sending out letters to my landlord and I. :roll:

My wife still drive an ICEV, so this might force us to use that more than I had planned because I can't be going to the gym or the mall to charge all the time.

Doesn't your HOA have a published list of officers? I would imagine that is required by law. If so you can see if the person who knocked on your door is even an officer.

If not:
1. They are not speaking for the HOA.
2. Before any action talk to the officers of the HOA first, offering everything mentioned above to show you are fair.
3. Once settled with the officers of the HOA, you can tell you door knocker to ***** (insert your favorite term here)

If they are an officer:
1. Try to find out if they got the consensus of the board or if they are a lone wolf. (is this the HOA talking or just one person?)
2. If lone wolf, approach the other board members with your offers for fair use of the power. If they listen to reason you can then bring it up to the board.

Good luck

 

[JPWhite]

Doesn't your HOA have a published list of officers? I would imagine that is required by law. If so you can see if the person who knocked on your door is even an officer.

If not:
1. They are not speaking for the HOA.
2. Before any action talk to the officers of the HOA first, offering everything mentioned above to show you are fair.
3. Once settled with the officers of the HOA, you can tell you door knocker to ***** (insert your favorite term here)

If they are an officer:
1. Try to find out if they got the consensus of the board or if they are a lone wolf. (is this the HOA talking or just one person?)
2. If lone wolf, approach the other board members with your offers for fair use of the power. If they listen to reason you can then bring it up to the board.

Good luck

Great advice.

My advice is not to live anywhere with an HOA, or if you have an HOA move! For some reason that is beyond my comprehension, given power, humans do shitty things to each other.

 

[nerys]

Power does not corrupt. Corruption seeks power. So "shitty people" seek positions of power.

It is hard to keep good people in power because they get sick of dealing with shitty people.

 

[jlatl]

Power does not corrupt. Corruption seeks power. So "shitty people" seek positions of power.

It is hard to keep good people in power because they get sick of dealing with shitty people.

In a suburb around here there was an Historic Preservation Commission where owners had to submit plans for any updates to their homes and get approval. It had to fit in the historic nature of the community.

One owner wanted to add a wrap around porch and it was refused. It fit perfectly in the historic nature, but the governing body decided to be a pain about it no matter what he did.

He researched it and while construction changes required approval, painting did not. He painted his house lime green with purple polka dots. Many neighbors also put up purple dots in sympathy

They stomped, threatened, whined, etc. He stood firm. In the end they approved his plans.
http://articles.latimes.com/2003/may/21/nation/na-dots21" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://mentalfloss.com/article/49301/6-houses-painted-protest" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[JPWhite]

Power does not corrupt. Corruption seeks power. So "shitty people" seek positions of power.

It is hard to keep good people in power because they get sick of dealing with shitty people.

I respectfully disagree, power itself will make folks do shitty things.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_prison_experiment

 

[nerys]

I disagree. Those people were shitty to begin with.

 

[WetEV]

I disagree. Those people were shitty to begin with.

If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?

 

[srl99]

I was plugging into one of the outlets in my office multi-level parking lot, several hours every day for over an year, always dreading the tap on the shoulder. I even taped my charger chord with blue tape to camouflage with the blue wall background, so that it is not obvious from a distance. Was always worried that some co-employee with neighborhood-watch mentality, complaining to the folks in charge of the facility. I was imagining the worst - theft of office property, blah, blah.. With a commute of 36 miles one way, all highway, my wife even suggested that I ditch Leaf and drive an ICE. But how could I? As you all know thats blasphemy.

Fast forward one year later they installed two Chargepoint stations and it is free for employees. As I was plugging into the Chargepoint station the first day, the building manager walks by and is all apologetic that it took longer than expected to get that installed, and he was genuinely sorry that I had to go through the trouble of plugging in a remote corner of the topfloor in the parking lot to charge everyday. Apparently he knew all along . We had a long nice chat.

Seems to me the gift of a nice bottle (or coffee) is in order.

 

[Cornellio]

I too have been trickle charging my Leaf using the outlet in my own covered parking space. There is an outlet directly above the car that I plugged into.

I just got a nasty, threatening letter from the HOA telling me to stop charging or else. It was really quite negative, saying "the San Mateo Police have recently cited the HOA for resident extension cord use..." Really? The police were involved? Hard to believe that. It's a shame to see such a negative response against us.

Anyway, I'm going to check into getting a charger installed, as per my post over here: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=21189 if anyone has advise on an electrician in Silicon Valley area who has experience dealing with HOA's please let me know.

 

[Rat]

Anyway, I'm going to check into getting a charger installed, as per my post over here: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=21189 if anyone has advise on an electrician in Silicon Valley area who has experience dealing with HOA's please let me know.

I do NOT recommend Sprig Electric. I had a very negative experience with them installing my blink EVSE back in 2011.

 

[mjblazin]

My condo HOA has rule against items including extension cords dangling from balconies. I received notice that my trickle charge off my balcony plug directly down to my parking spot was in violation. Curiously another Leaf across the garage aisle next to a wall with a building owned plug accessible is ok. The issue is not electricity usage. We can afford a dollar or two. Giving me a waiver to use my own plug would open up other balcony situations that could get out of hand.

 

[smkettner]

I too have been trickle charging my Leaf using the outlet in my own covered parking space. There is an outlet directly above the car that I plugged into.

I just got a nasty, threatening letter from the HOA telling me to stop charging or else. It was really quite negative, saying "the San Mateo Police have recently cited the HOA for resident extension cord use..." Really? The police were involved? Hard to believe that. It's a shame to see such a negative response against us.

Anyway, I'm going to check into getting a charger installed, as per my post over here: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=21189 if anyone has advise on an electrician in Silicon Valley area who has experience dealing with HOA's please let me know.

Best to discuss with the board before you make any plans. Need to discover the real issue.

 

[oilerlord]

I too have been trickle charging my Leaf using the outlet in my own covered parking space. There is an outlet directly above the car that I plugged into.

I just got a nasty, threatening letter from the HOA telling me to stop charging or else. It was really quite negative, saying "the San Mateo Police have recently cited the HOA for resident extension cord use..." Really? The police were involved? Hard to believe that. It's a shame to see such a negative response against us.

Anyway, I'm going to check into getting a charger installed, as per my post over here: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=21189 if anyone has advise on an electrician in Silicon Valley area who has experience dealing with HOA's please let me know.

HOA's are supposed to look out for the community, but in my experience, they do their best to divide it. Off topic, our HOA hired groundskeepers that clearly burned most of the grassy areas with too much fertilizer - but instead chose blame pet owners, so they imposed a ban on dog walking in our complex (that's been going on for a decade without an issue until now). They went further as to advise residents to "report" infractions to the police. Right. So much for community spirit...instead of residents being reasonable with each other, let's make a 911 call the next time we see our neighbor walking his dog. It's so sad that one asshole on the board has the power to ruin a neighborhood.