EV Charger

Started by OganezM • 21 replies • 412 views

💬 Join us to post & get advice from 50,000 HOA & Condo leaders.

⚡ Takes 30 seconds

Already a member? Log in

OganezM (California)
Posts: 7

Posted:

Hi everyone,
Our tenants are asking about EV charger installation in our community. As an HOA, what’s the best way to handle this? Any company or solution you suggest?

TimB4 (Tennessee)
Posts: 21,062

Posted:

In my previous association we allowed the owner to install them.
They had to be powered from their electric meter and ran to their assigned parking space.
All of this was at their cost.

The other option would be to check with companies about installing one or two stations that charge for use (otherwise, the Association would end up paying the electric bill).
Note: this would require that one or two visitor parking spaces be taken up and only EV vehicles allowed.
This is why my last association went with first option.

Then, all of it is the responsibility of the owner and not the Association.

MikeJ19 (Michigan)
Posts: 2

Posted:

We recently added EV chargers to our property through a profit-sharing model. It didn’t cost us anything upfront to install, and now we simply share revenue from each charging session. Tenants are happy with the new amenity, and the HOA has created an additional revenue stream without added expense.

ElleN (Idaho)
Posts: 1,339

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By MikeJ19 on 09/27/2025 2:50 PM
We recently added EV chargers to our property through a profit-sharing model. It didn’t cost us anything upfront to install, and now we simply share revenue from each charging session. Tenants are happy with the new amenity, and the HOA has created an additional revenue stream without added expense.

For HOA income tax purposes, your "additional revenue stream" is non-exempt income. This means your HOA will pay through the nose when its income taxes are filed.

OganezM (California)
Posts: 7

Posted:

We're based in California. Do you know if the company you mentioned provides service here? Can you share more info about it?

OganezM (California)
Posts: 7

Posted:

What if HOA doesn't take any profit and just has the chargers as a service for residents would that still count as taxable income?

ElleN (Idaho)
Posts: 1,339

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By OganezM on 09/27/2025 5:51 PM
What if HOA doesn't take any profit and just has the chargers as a service for residents would that still count as taxable income?

If the HOA receives no specific income from a specific HOA-provided service, then this means there is nothing that could be taxed.

HOAs are almost always nonprofit corporations, subject to a state's nonprofit corporation statute and certain tax law. This means no director worth his/her salt should be talking about profit generating schemes that could substitute for collecting assessment from owners.

If a board wants to increase HOA income (say to cover increased expenses), the correct approach is to either increase the regular assessment or impose a special assessment.

DeanJ
Posts: 1,786

Posted:

In a condo I used to reside, there were attached garages. I doubt the electrical service in those circa 1975 - 1985 condos were sufficient for 220v chargers. Each garage had a single 15A outlet.

KevinS22 (California)
Posts: 10

Posted:

We put 30 chargers and at the moment only have 16 users, The bill went up about 30-35%. However the tenants pay for however much they charge at the rate we get billed for, we have a separate meter installed for the EV Chargers so we're able to track how much electricity was used by the EV's.

OganezM (California)
Posts: 7

Posted:

How much does it cost to charge a car per kilowatt in condos or apartments?

MikeJ19 (Michigan)
Posts: 2

Posted:

We are charging about $0.45 per kwH.

OganezM (California)
Posts: 7

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By MikeJ19 on 09/29/2025 5:57 PM
We are charging about $0.45 per kwH.

How much does electricity cost per kilowatt-hour?

DeanJ
Posts: 1,786

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By MikeJ19 on 09/29/2025 5:57 PM
We are charging about $0.45 per kwH.

Do like have a decimal in the wrong place. Electric rates in Ohio are running as low as 0.059. 0.45 would be 4x the current rates.

KevinS22 (California)
Posts: 10

Posted:

I'm from California our rates are pretty high, I know for residential it's about 0.35 cents a kwh, We're paying a commercial rate at about 0.07 cents per kwh. But we also get hit pretty hard with demand fees. Pretty much anytime you use electricity while the grid is on high demand (which is almost always) you get fined. So we end up paying like $1000 extra every month just on those demand fees. Our rates out here are so high it's insane

ElleN (Idaho)
Posts: 1,339

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By KevinS22 on 09/29/2025 4:15 PM
We put 30 chargers and at the moment only have 16 users, The bill went up about 30-35%. However the tenants pay for however much they charge at the rate we get billed for, we have a separate meter installed for the EV Chargers so we're able to track how much electricity was used by the EV's.

Do staff spend some amount of time billing individual tenants? And why do you use the word "tenants"? Is your association top-heavy with landlords?

I am not sure I oppose what you all have done. EVs are somewhat popular and of course your association wants to remain attractive to buyers and potential tenants. But for those readers serving on boards and pondering a similar arrangement, as of this writing, I am not sure I could get behind what you all have done. Why? Because one way or another, this has resulted in a sizable benefit to those homeowners there who own EVs (or have tenants with EVs), while those owners without EVs do not benefit.

Then there are liability concerns associated with this new amenity.

Mostly I want to see others' thoughts. I do not object outright at this time.

KevinS22 (California)
Posts: 10

Posted:

Staff spend minimal time with billing, it's set up in a way where each charger tracks how much usage each user gets. Also considering everything was free for us and the homeowners it was kind of a no brainer getting them installed. Sure it may only be the owners with EV cars directly benefitting from this, however homeowners without them indirectly benefit as well. Not only will it increase the property value, it will also give them peace of mind knowing if they ever wanted to purchase an EV car their process is now streamlined because we already have chargers for them to use.

In terms of liability, the charging company provided us insurance for the chargers and installation. So in the unlikely scenario that anything ever does happen the liability will fall on them, not us.

ElleN (Idaho)
Posts: 1,339

Posted:

KevinS22, thank you for elaborating. I bet what you posted will help a lot of boards.

KevinS22 (California)
Posts: 10

Posted:

Of course happy to help!

BryonW (Massachusetts)
Posts: 55

Posted:

For properties where the electric meters are relatively near the parking spaces, a clever product to consider is:

https://connectder.com/products/ev/

I haven't used it myself but have heard good things. The benefit is that no wiring upgrades or panel upgrades are needed. And you don't have to worry about billing. Each EV user's usage goes straight on their own electric bill.

🎯 You've read this entire discussion

Join the conversation with 50,000 HOA & Condo Leaders:

✓ Ask follow-up questions
✓ Share your experience
✓ Get expert advice
✓ Access 350,000 discussions

Create Free Account →

⚡ Takes 30 seconds

Already a member? Log in here