Guests Charging Electric Car Without Permission

[Nicola-and-Donal0]

Hello lovely community!

My first time on here.  We have a family staying in our apartment and as soon as they arrived yesterday they started charging their car.  it was plugged in for hours and possibly over night.  They are with us for 3 nights so I'm sure they'll be charging it every day.  We have nothing written down pertaining to charges for this so I guess i'll just let this one go, even though I feel it's super cheeky not to even ask!  My question is, can i build it into our rules that it's disallowed for future guests?  It's impossible to monitor if we allow it but charge for it.  They could be charging over night and we might not be aware or charging when we're not home.  How do other people manage this?  Thanks in advance!

[Marie8675]

@Katja202 Charging a car overnight from a normal plug/outlet is NOT expensive. And it is S.L.O.W (which is why it has to be overnight). It's like having a fridge plugged in overnight. Figure out the cost and add a fee. 

[Katja202]

@Marie8675 That way everyone pays for the one person who plugs in his car. 

I don't want him to plug the car. 😉

[Karen4033]

This is not true. I can see the usage online. When my guest charges overnight it costs me about $15.00.  Why should I pay for their fuel? I don't pay for gasoline for a gas car. My rates are low, should I raise them to cover this cost? The guest knows what it costs to charge their car at a charging station. Isn't it rude of them to assume that I will cover that? Isn't it the same as taking home all the toilet paper, paper towels and soap that I have in the guesthouse? 

[Karen558]

Same thing just happened to us and they are staying 7 days and didn't bother to ask permission or offer to pay. So thank you so much for opening the issue:) karen Wheeler/ Pinehurst NC

[Amanda2268]

This is a great question and I would love to know how people are monitoring this?

We have just had a guest stay and has left £20 as they have charged their car.  They hadn't asked prior and as far as I am aware this is the first person who has done it. At least they were honest!

My question is, how do you know someone is charging their car if you are not local to the property?

As it is 2.5kw per hour, that is not far from having heating on all night, running oven, washing machine, tumble drier etc.

How are other hosts controlling it?

How do you know, they are charging their car?

I don't believe adding it to T&C's will make any difference. If they have a 3 pin plug, they are highly likely to charge their car.

We are with British Gas and whilst it is smart meter, there is no option to read the meter unless you are in the property. So no option to see/track continuous usage.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Amanda2268 there is no solution here I am afraid. Perhaps just add an 'honesty system' into your house rules and hope for the best. 

I suppose a ring doorbell might work or CCTV but it'll cost more than its worth.

[David11890]

Aren't cameras covering the property not allowed on Airbnb?

[Rehan17]

Similar to some of the good advice and context provided previously, the bottom line it’s that EV charging is safe, common and totally acceptable for guests to leverage from a 3 pin socket.

The draw is no different to any other heating, cooling or refrigeration system that you have already supplied and nothing your insurance company says will change the charging culture and shift the responsibility off you.

If a guest is driving 3 hours to get to your Airbnb, you can bet that they are going to need to charge, and it is just as likely that they will use the 3kW mechanism. You can change your policy, but it’s almost impossible to police.

it’s very much a case of joining the future or being left behind. An honesty box is a good way to come to some form of emotionally established arrangement, but it’s simply just another electrical device that is above board, electrically compliant and you cannot police.

[Marie8675]

@Rehan17 THANK you! Folks are still learning. Future is here.

[Hugh179]

Google  <glowmarkt bright> this might be suitable, they access your data via your smart meter - you need wifi In the property, but you can see your energy usage in real time, and it gives data usage down to per minute. Does gas as well, but that data is every 30 mins and isn’t in real time.

 Works in UK, not sure about other countries

[Julie536]

Hi Nicola & Donna,

Luckily  there is a green wire fence just in front of my property which must be locked after 7pm in the evening but I’m so tired of the expectations of guests & costs of cleaning, laundry , higher taxes due to BREXIT I’m on my way to Spain to sell the property .  I had planned to retire there but that’s no longer possible so will look at Portugal  👍☘️🤷‍♂️ Good luck.  

[Monica-And-Josue0]

I charge only $97/night at our place and I had some guests charging his car every night inside the garage (I know because I have a camera there that is disclosed in the listing); I did not say anything but I surely don’t want that repeated. It’s not fair; I do not pay for gas for my other guests, why should I pay for your electric to charge your car. I end up covering the outlets in the garage. Guests should at least ask. If you buy an electric car, you should be aware of those inconveniences, don’t expect people to offer free charge…actually I don’t know of any hotel that offers that! …not at $97/night. 

[Marie8675]

@Monica-And-Josue0 I agree that guests should ask (I'm a guest). But I think there is a lot of misunderstanding and misinformation about charging an EV, and how much charge it draws overnight - and it has to be that long, with such a slow charge - from a regular 110V outlet.  Using the proper cable that the cars come with is safe. I think it's reasonable to ask for a fee per night.

[Sara8514]

We literally have this same problem with our guests in Liscannor, Co Clare right now. They have been charging every night with the door open. No mention of it to us (but it's behind our house, so we can see it clearly).

The additional cost is not inconsiderable, could be €10/night.

I want to bring it up with them, but because it is a new issue, I don't have anything in the house rules about it. 

[Cecilia1135]

This whole conversation is very interesting.   We have just encountered this for the first time in July 2023.... Here is what happened at our place:  Our rental unit doesn't have any outside plugs - so the guests plugged into an outlet in another building on our property (without asking first).  When they were done charging, they left their extension cord plugged in - but draped across the grass (during a rain storm).   We were not so much concerned about the cost of power as much as how rude this was - and also, the hazard of a live cord across the yard in the rain.   Something must have happened and they wanted a better charge because this afternoon we caught them breaking into our barn  to look for a 30amp charger for the car.   (why not just text us and ask us if we have a 30amp charging station?  why break into the barn and help yourself to a search?)  It's hard not to laugh at the sheer gall of these particular guests, and I'm sure they are not representative, but it's amazing the BALLS these people have. - For us, it's certainly has raised the question about how we will handle this in the future.  Our management company (EVOLVE) will not allow us to charge extra for car charging.  For now, we have to lock the barn and we are checking with our insurance company.