One Hawaiʻi resident was exasperated at a notice from their homeowners association, which used a single incident as a springboard to place an unreasonable restriction on the entire community.
The homeowner shared a picture of the notice on Reddit.
"As a reminder, please do not charge any lithium-ion battery devices in your unit," the notice read.
"We can all be reminded of the August fire that occurred in Waikiki last year," continued the notice. "The Honolulu Fire Department determined that the incident was caused by a lithium-ion battery e-bike charging equipment. Police keep our surroundings safe at all times. Mahalo nui."
For the HOA board members, who may not have been familiar with the types of batteries available, banning lithium-ion batteries may have seemed like a sensible response to an accident involving one.
However, the original poster pointed out the problem with this approach.
"Stop charging your cell phone, apparently," they wrote. "Sure, thanks, HOA."
Indeed, most commonly available rechargeable devices depend on lithium-ion batteries. They can be as small as your cell phone or as large as your electric vehicle. And, while there are horror stories about fire hazards, most do not catch fire or explode, so a blanket ban doesn't make sense.
Rules restricting the charging of e-bikes would be less wildly disproportionate, though still inconvenient.
However, this is far from the first time that an HOA has made matters difficult for residents trying to make more eco-friendly choices by switching to electric and rechargeable devices.
TCD Picks » Upway Spotlight
💡Upway makes it easy to find discounts of up to 60% on premium e-bike brands
|
Should homeowners associations be able to determine what you grow in your garden?
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Yes 💯 In fact, it's not even the first time that an HOA has banned lithium-ion batteries, as nonsensical as such a rule might be.
For those who have run into an unreasonable HOA, the best course of action may be to change the rules. With enough like-minded neighbors on your side, you can get your neighborhood back on the right track.
Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
