Are there any laws to force my apartment complex to let me charge at home?

[timk225]

I live in a second floor apartment. Fortunately, my parking spot is right outside my window. 12 feet down and 12 feet across a strip of grass that no one but the lawnmowers ever need to walk on.

I've presented the idea of a public J1772 charging station to the property manager, and he said that in 1000 apartments and 8 years, I'm the first one to ever ask. Hey, it's not my fault I am far more technically oriented than all those other people. He said no charger.

Then I waited a month and asked about having a power plug installed out by my meter, which is also right under my window. I said I'd pay for it. Another big NO to that.

There's an NRG EVGO Chademo / CCS charging station a mile away. The only Supercharger is 20+ miles away. If the 3 comes with a CCS port or adapter, I'll be ok. If not, it'll be tough.

I have no problem with hanging a power cord out the window to charge, but I can just see the apartment manager throwing a conniption fit after I spend $200 to install a 14-50 or 14-30 in my interior wall. I already had an electrician here to look things over. I've already mapped out the breakers in the breaker box.

So if push comes to shove, and the apartment manager won't take a cash bribe, I'd like to pull out a copy of some law and say they have no choice.

Do I have any laws to work with here?

 

[BluestarE3]

It really depends on state laws and local ordinances. Don't know about Pennsylvania or Pittsburgh specifically, but for California:
In CA, Renters Can Now Install Electric-Car Charging Stations
And some local communities require new construction to be EV-ready:
Palo Alto Passes EV Charging Ordinance For All New Apartments, Condos, Hotels, Etc.

Is moving to a different, perhaps EV-friendlier, apartment an option for you?

 

[Tam]

...Do I have any laws to work with here?...

I don't know whether Pennsylvania has EV Renters protection laws or not, but without the law, you are at the mercy of the landlord.

You can have Chargepoint.com to offer a business deal with the landlord.

 

[SageBrush]

I would get a feeling for whether the landlord is willing to look for a solution at all - e.g. a different parking spot.
If no, then use the most useful law of them all: vote with your feet.

 

[hockeythug]

Maybe you could canvas the other residents to see if anybody else plans on buying a Tesla or another electric vehicle and get some more people on your side. That would get you a little more leverage.

Also, I don't know if there are any tax incentives for property owners to install them but if there were you could make them aware if there were.

 

[alehbaba]

i would suggest using the $$ for a model 3 to use as a downpayment on a home...then save for an ev.

 

[David99]

I had the same problem. The management company just didn't want to deal with it. I offered to pay for the installation from a licensed electrician but they just simply didn't want to deal with it. They said the transformer was old and nonsense like that. The law here in California gives me the right to install one if I own the apartment, but as a renter you don't have that right. I ended up moving.

 

[four-walling]

12 feet down and 12 feet across a strip of grass that no one but the lawnmowers ever need to walk on.

This alone sounds like a deal killer.

 

[shrspeedblade]

How far is your daily commute and how far on average do you drive every week?

I commute 60 miles/day and survived the first 6 months with a 120V charger, would still be using it if I didn't get a great deal on a 240V EVSE.

With 240 miles of range, you can drive nearly 40 miles per day and charge once on weekends. It's workable but not ideal, that is until you move!

 

[zenmaster]

I've presented the idea of a public J1772 charging station to the property manager, and he said that in 1000 apartments and 8 years, I'm the first one to ever ask.

Who owns the property? Is it a corporation or individual? See if you can bypass the manager and get a hold of the owner to petition. It'd be more rare to find an apt bldg in my city that didn't offer a shared 40A charger - and most are actually free. I know some condos here charge a flat fee around $50/mo. for usage though but you get it installed in your own space.

 

[SDRick]

Speaking with the owner is a good idea. If you are willing to pay for the improvement, owners will typically see the benefit, increasing the value of the property. It will probably allow them to get slightly higher rent in the future given this new and additional amenity. That is music to any owners ears.

 

[Jason Bourne]

OP, I would be very careful about running a charging cord from inside your apartment to the car. That sounds like a legal liability lawsuit waiting to happen. Even though you say nobody walks on the grass across which the cord would run, all it takes is one person (who may even be looking for an opportunity to sue someone) to walk in that area, 'trip' and fall and break a bone.

It's also likely that the apartment complex has something in their lease about not running cords outside. If so, they could evict you if you're caught.

 

[JeffK]

Heck, I'm assuming you'd need written permission for the electrician to install the outlet in the first place.

 

[dsvick]

Is talking to your employer an option? Maybe you could get something installed there?

 

[ChargePoint]

We’re pretty excited about our charging solutions for apartments and condos, and we’ve been helping drivers out with their HOA negotiations for charging! You can actually fill out a form and we’ll get in touch with your property manager to discuss installing a charger.

If you’re more of a DIY advocate, we offer some handy resources you can download and share with the decision makers for your complex to educate them on the benefits of EV charging.

We all know that EV use is picking up really quickly and it just makes sense for many properties to offer charging stations as an amenity.