Buying a home can feel freeing and exciting, but there are drawbacks to living in certain properties and neighborhoods that are managed by homeowners associations.
A Reddit user fed up with their HOA's restrictions asked for advice in the r/evcharging subreddit about the difficulties they have faced with installing an electric vehicle charger at their condo.
They explained that they got permission from their HOA, permits from the city, and insurance to install a wall charger near their parking spot in a shared garage in their condo building.
Months later, the HOA informed them that the wall charger was not properly insured and that they needed a new policy. The poster can't find an insurance company to cover the charger in a shared space and comply with the HOA's demands that the association is also named on the policy.
"It looks like the only next step is to start talking to lawyers," the Redditor said in their post. "All the lost [money], time and … where are we going to charge? Closest public and superexpensive superchargers are several miles away. We drive for work 100 miles a day so we need to charge overnight."
Unfortunately, HOAs can be tough to deal with, and homeowners can feel like they're stuck in a bad situation with their restrictions. People have raised complaints with HOAs for preventing residents from making money-saving, eco-friendly updates to their homes, like installing rooftop solar panels or native plant lawns.
When homeowners have to jump through multiple hoops of approval and paperwork for even minor home changes, their progress toward sustainability is stalled. This is bad for everyone, as well as the environment.
"We used licensed electrician, got all the approvals from city, bought brand new charger with warranty from Best Buy (UL certified) … At this point we are probably the best insured people in the whole building. We have 3 insurances ... but still not good enough for HOA and the management company," the poster said in a comment.
Despite the bad reputation, sometimes an HOA board will show flexibility if you know how to work with them and how to broach your issues the right way.
Commenters on Reddit gave the poster a variety of advice on how to move forward. Some suggested different insurance companies and policies, while others advised talking to the HOA directly to try to come to a compromise.
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Yes 💯 "Our HOA's policy was similar but I was able to convince them to drop the $1M liability insurance requirement," one user said. "In the end, they agreed with me."
"Another alternative is to join the board of directors. Work from the inside out for the benefit of all residents," another user commented.
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