Why don't apartments charge idle fees for EV chargers?

I live in an apartment with five chargers but about 20 EVs. A lot of residents leave their cars plugged in long after they’re done charging, and there are no penalties for it. It’s frustrating because it makes it hard to get a spot.

Why don’t apartment complexes have idle fees like Tesla Superchargers do? If they had some kind of dynamic pricing based on Time of Use, it would definitely encourage people to move their cars when they’re done.

Anyone else dealing with this in their apartment building? How do they handle it? Found any solutions?

My apartment complex actually does have idle fees.

Honestly, as a landlord, it’s because we don’t want to deal with it. It’s not about the chargers; it’s about avoiding extra complaints and drama from tenants. The second we introduce something like TOU fees or idle fees, someone’s going to get upset and complain.

Most landlords also don’t use the chargers themselves, so they aren’t paying attention to the usage. It’s a set-it-and-forget-it situation. If you want something like idle fees, you might want to volunteer to manage the chargers and present it as a way to help everyone out, but don’t be surprised if they say no.

@izael
Idle fees would actually increase cash flow if the landlord is profiting from the chargers.

Ronald said:
@izael
Idle fees would actually increase cash flow if the landlord is profiting from the chargers.

True, but if the idle fees get too high, tenants might just stop using the chargers altogether. And then I’ll still get complaints and bad reviews for having fees in the first place. It’s a lose-lose situation from a landlord’s perspective.

@izael
My landlord cares about this stuff. We have pay-by-the-hour chargers in visitor spots and enough dedicated chargers for about a third of the building. I rent a spot with an EV charger built-in.

diallo said:
@izael
My landlord cares about this stuff. We have pay-by-the-hour chargers in visitor spots and enough dedicated chargers for about a third of the building. I rent a spot with an EV charger built-in.

That’s great, but it’s definitely the exception. Most landlords won’t go through the hassle unless it’s profitable or they see a clear benefit.

Idle fees are the only fair solution. If you make the fee increase every 20 minutes or so, people will move their cars pretty fast.

At my last apartment, people would park in the EV spots just to reserve them, but never actually plug in.

olivia said:
At my last apartment, people would park in the EV spots just to reserve them, but never actually plug in.

At my current place, people park there like it’s regular parking, even if they don’t have an EV. Management lets me run a cable and use a Level 1 charger though, which is nice because it’s free.

olivia said:
At my last apartment, people would park in the EV spots just to reserve them, but never actually plug in.

Yeah, that happens here too. It’s super annoying.

The real fix is having enough charging spots for everyone, so this isn’t an issue in the first place.

There’s a service called NeedToCharge (https://www.needtocharge.com/) that could help, though it depends on people’s goodwill. Maybe the apartment management could incentivize those who consistently move their cars after charging. It might be worth suggesting, though it’s optimistic.

@Imani
Goodwill rarely works lol. I asked my neighbor to let me charge when I was at 12%, and he was at 80%. He refused, saying he got there first and was charging overnight but capped it at 80%. Some people just don’t care.

ChargePoint chargers let you set idle fees. My parents’ condo does this and also offers a resident discount for charging.

sorphia said:
ChargePoint chargers let you set idle fees. My parents’ condo does this and also offers a resident discount for charging.

That’s cool! My building uses OCPP chargers, so I’m not sure if they support that, but maybe there’s software that could help.

At my in-laws’ apartment, they charge a flat rate for the whole session, but the longer you’re plugged in, the more it costs—especially if the car is near full or already full.

You should bring it up with management. My apartment complex added idle fees, and now no one hogs the chargers. It’s extra income for them too.

Instead of installing expensive chargers, landlords could just put 32A commando sockets in each bay. Then anyone could use a portable charger in any spot, problem solved.

Kenneth said:
Instead of installing expensive chargers, landlords could just put 32A commando sockets in each bay. Then anyone could use a portable charger in any spot, problem solved.

Yeah, but most landlords aren’t EV enthusiasts. They probably just hear ‘install chargers and attract higher-paying tenants’ and then go buy some random chargers. A NEMA 14-50 outlet in every bay would be a much simpler and better solution.