One frustrated California homeowner took to Reddit for advice when their homeowner's association forbade them to use the only power source available at their parking spot to charge their electric vehicle.
"HOA doesn't allow EV plug even though there is a working electrical outlet available at parking," said the original poster. "Is this legal for [the] Bay Area?"
California takes clean energy seriously and has many laws designed to help residents move away from pollution-heavy fuels. That includes laws protecting homeowners who want to install EV chargers, as commenters pointed out.
"Homeowners cannot be prevented from installing their own charging station, as long as it complies with California law and HOA governing documents," one user explained.
That didn't mean it was all good news. The same commenter added, "My HOA has a rule saying homeowners cannot take electricity from the common area garage outlets."
Indeed, HOAs often stand in the way of owners who want to save money while making eco-friendly choices. But usually, that means regulating gardens or solar panels — measures that many people find unreasonable.
In this case, it makes more sense because the power would cost the HOA money to supply, which means, ultimately, the community would be paying for it.
"It's basically stealing energy," one commenter explained. "The plug is in a common area for vendors to use, etc. OP plugging into a common area plug to charge car means everyone is paying for their electricity."
That doesn't mean there are no solutions, however. They could pay the HOA for their power usage — and if there isn't a set of rules governing that option, they could try to make some.
"Our HOA has allowed individual chargers installed in the deeded parking spots," suggested one commenter. "One requirement is installing a meter too and paying for the electricity based on the current electrical rates."
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