Possibly Facing Eviction; Advice Needed

[Kamuelaflyer]

The problem is, and while I have not confirmed it, I know it to be the way it will be, they will try to tack on a nice round number of, say, 100 dollars extra per month effectively making my bill 225 per month. While I am not seeking a crusade, I don't want to roll over and be walked on either.

It’s time to be pragmatic about things.

1. Ask yourself if you like living there outside of this conflict.
2. Is it worth falling on your sword over this?

if the answers to these questions are Yes and No respectively, then you need to try and deescalate this and move to a reasonably equitable resolution. I’d suggest the following:

Write a letter apologizing for any animosity you may have caused and express your desire to reach an equitable solution. Offer to pay a reasonable amount of say $50 per month for L1 charging in the garage until such time as they install one of the various devices allowing a more accurate measurement of electricity used. Point out the advantage of such an installed system beyond L1 charging such as accurate accounting for people using freezers, tools etc. attach some examples, such as those mentioned by Dan previously.

if they’re unwilling to agree to your suggestion or they actually respond with an unreasonable monthly fee, tell them you will stop charging your car using their outlets. Then stop charging your car there. Charge at work if possible. Go visit Target or some other retailer with a free charger. Charge elsewhere.

If the answer to the original questions is something else, or this experience has soured you on this location, start looking for a more ev friendly place to live. Make finding it your new passionate hobby. You need to find a place and give notice before you’re served with eviction paperwork.

Life is too short to spend it losing sleep over stuff like this. Offer a compromise, offer some solutions and move on, one way or another.

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[generaltso]

Y'all seem to not have noticed that you lost the OP like four pages ago!

I'm still trying to figure out which part of all this suggests that he's facing eviction (besides the thread title).

 

[Shelbeast]

I don't feel you guys read my post in the entirety. I moved into this place because I was told that the garage was mine and I could use the 120v charge. That has changed several months into the lease here. I am the bad guy now?

Beyond the verbal, what does your contract say about it? what about other tenants?

 

[Mach1E]

I just generally check this at work and when I am home, before bed. I am still soaking it all in.

Are you waiting to see if someone agrees with you?

Because I don’t think that’s going to happen.

If you eat at a restaurant and the old manager used to give you free drinks, would you yell at the new manager for NOT giving you free drinks? Especially when there is nothing on the menu about free drinks, everyone else pays for their drinks, and the old manager denies giving you them for free (probably because he wasn’t supposed to)?

What should you do?

I think at this point if you still haven’t heard enough to change your mind, you SHOULD talk to a lawyer. Because they’ll set you straight.

From a legal standpoint, you have nothing. Nothing in writing about your “free drinks” and even the old manager denying your story.

I would just accept one of the reasonable solutions from the new manager and move on.

Or you could move out in spite…….. and still not get “free drinks” at your new place.

 

[Mach1E]

Beyond the verbal, what does your contract say about it? what about other tenants?

Exactly.

Even if the manager said the OP could “use” the 120v, I don’t think the manager realized that that meant the OP wanted free electricity for the next decade.

It’s like asking if you can “use” your neighbors pool……….. then you start having pool parties at their house with 50 guests each weekend.

 

[dbsb3233]

I've measured my Ford Mobile Charger with an outlet meter and it draws roughly 1100 watts on 120V. The typical person is probably gone from home (mostly work, plus assorted runarounds) an average of about 12 hours a day. Thus charging at home about 12 hours/day, give or take. That's 360 hours/month x 1100 watts = roughly 400 kWh/mo. (Which after charging losses translates to roughly 1000-1200 miles/mo in the MME.) Not perfect but a reasonable estimate.

If it were me, I'd offer to pay a fixed surcharge for that much electricity at the incremental utility rate. My rate is about 10c/kWh, so $40/mo.

 

[Logal727]

I'm still trying to figure out which part of all this suggests that he's facing eviction (besides the thread title).

You see it’s more of a feeling of eviction

 

[jgcom]

Sorry I've not read all of the responses, but I suggest a compromise that uses math. If you are using a 120 V receptacle, the Mach-E generally pulls 1.5 kW. If you are plugged in for 8 h/day, that maxes out at 240 kW-h per month. Ask to see how much the building is actually paying for its energy in dollars per kw-h and multiply. My guess is that you would pay $25-$50 extra per month and it would be worth it. This saves everyone the expense of installing a meter, hiring a lawyer, etc. All bets are off if they provide a higher-power connection.

(this reminds me of an old landlord of mine who raised the rent after we fixed the crappy broken washing machine that came with the apartment. "you now use more water," she said...)

 

[Phil Martin]

Are you waiting to see if someone agrees with you?

Because I don’t think that’s going to happen.

If you eat at a restaurant and the old manager used to give you free drinks, would you yell at the new manager for NOT giving you free drinks? Especially when there is nothing on the menu about free drinks, everyone else pays for their drinks, and the old manager denies giving you them for free (probably because he wasn’t supposed to)?

What should you do?

I think at this point if you still haven’t heard enough to change your mind, you SHOULD talk to a lawyer. Because they’ll set you straight.

From a legal standpoint, you have nothing. Nothing in writing about your “free drinks” and even the old manager denying your story.

I would just accept one of the reasonable solutions from the new manager and move on.

Or you could move out in spite…….. and still not get “free drinks” at your new place.

I'm sure he's waiting for someone to agree that's why this is ten pages now. Not to mention a waste of everyone's time but it's good entertainment.

Bottom line... If they weren't placing traps in the garage, op would still be pulling as much free juice as possible. Makes zero sense, spend 50, 60 + thousand on an electric car but bitch that the landlord won't pick up the tab for electricity to operate it.

Can someone agree so this can be put to rest and the op can feel entitled to free juice.... Anyone??

 

[Melancholy1980]

Not sure if this was suggested - In the Ford Pass app there are charge logs. You could pull up the charge logs for a month and figure out how many miles were added to the car. You can then determine based on the miles added how many KWh that roughly equals, and show this data to management to present a reasonable offer that covers the costs. Last time I checked the average was 0.346kwh per mile added.

 

[daverp]

I think enough people have piled on already. But a few points to consider.

Submeters are expensive. They have to be installed by a licensed electrician. The process of submetering, and how you can bill for electricity use is regulated in most states.

Many apartment complexes are owned by large corporations. Know who you are fighting, these big companies have lawyers on staff.

Sounds like you may need to consult a different lawyer if they really did say they have no leg to stand on. I think just about any lawyer is going to tell you is while verbal contracts are binding, if there is a dispute over what is said the courts will always defer to what is in writing. The do seem to very much have a leg to stand on as you have a lease for a garage that stipulates you can only use it to store a motor vehicle. Since the lease nether allows or disallows EV charging or use of electricity, the storage clause would be the deciding factor. It would be a hard sell that charging an EV is generally assumed by the average person to be involved in the storing of a motor vehicle.

 

[EV OLVE]

Did management actually install any rat traps? im curious to know if they used it as an excuse to enter your garage under a false pretense.

 

[ctenidae]

Are you waiting to see if someone agrees with you?

Because I don’t think that’s going to happen.

I agree with the OP 100%. At least, 100% of the first sentence of the OP.

I do have 2 questions for the OP:

1) Who is the management company? If I have need of management services they seem professional and on top of things.

2) Who is your lawyer that only charges $175 an hour? All my attorneys charge twice that just to have an Associate open an email...

 

[troublebot]

I would also add that pressing the issue might harm other EV owners in the future, as the complex might decide to take a hard-line against EV charging. If you work with them to find a fair solution, that might make it easier for you and for future tenants. Honestly I'm sorta surprised they didn't tell you it was a big fire risk and ban you from charging for safety reasons, that one happened to a friend of mine.

 

[dbsb3233]

Honestly I'm sorta surprised they didn't tell you it was a big fire risk and ban you from charging for safety reasons, that one happened to a friend of mine.

Which can actually be kinda true, if the outlets and circuit aren't up to snuff. Or if it's overloaded. An L1 charger can pretty much max out the rated draw for a 15A circuit, and come close on a 20A circuit. If not intended for high usage (like EV charging), multiple garages could be on the same circuit. Who knows what's going on in the adjacent garages. Another EV charger... a refrigerator... power tools... lights...

And a constant draw of 1100 watts for 12 hours is a lot worse than a garage door opener or a power tool coming on for seconds. An aging outlet with weak contacts could arc; wiring could get hot with hours of high power running through it. It's paramount to plugging in a space heater and running it non-stop for half a day at a time.

Even in our own garages, it's good to check those outlets for strong contact and replace them if loose. Especially if plugging in an EV charger. It's also why people like to go overkill on wiring size for EV charger/outlet installs, just in case.

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