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I’m in an apartment in Canberra and am wondering if I can use a common power PowerPoint to charge my mobility scooter battery, I’ve spoken to EC members of every other complex in the area and found that ours is the only one with restrictions, other than commercial use. One complex without PowerPoints in the basement carpark has installed them for owners use.
- This topic was modified 1 year, 5 months ago by .
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I can’t help thinking there must be a law somewhere that prevents strata schemes from discriminating against people with disabilities. If you were able to show that there was a way that the owners corp could provide you with power and even charge for it (a plug-in meter, perhaps) and they were refusing to do so, they might fall foul of such legislation.
The opinions offered in these Forum posts and replies are not intended to be taken as legal advice. Readers with serious issues should consult experienced strata lawyers.
It seems utterly unreasonable to not allow charging of a mobility scooter. The most generous thing I can think of is that the EC is busy researching and discussing about how to manage the introduction of electric vehicle charging and has not yet come to a conclusion so they don’t want to make a commitment now.
However, the solution for this, whether for a mobility scooter or any other sort of electric vehicle, where there are probably only one or a few people interested at this time, is to give temporary permission with conditions. One of the conditions would be that the permission can be rescinded at any time such as when it is no longer appropriate because some more permanent solution for vehicle charging has been arrived at.
A mobility scooter would take up very little room and little electricity while charging. I would suggest that a reasonable estimate of the amount of electricity needed could be used to arrive at some amount to be paid as reimbursement to the Owners Corporation. It is bound to be a trivially small amount (a few 10s of dollars a year, I’d guess) but it might shut up the mean-spirited types who worry about people getting something for nothing.
The amount taken by an electric car, on the other hand, would not be trivial and might amount to some hundreds of dollars-worth per year [eg. (say) 10,000km/year x (say) 15kWh/100km x (say) 25c/kWh = $375]. Even so, a reasonable estimate could be made and even rounded up to make sure the OC is not out of pocket for a short-term, ad hoc solution while it works out how it is going to roll out charging when there are more than just a few wanting to use a power point.
A couple of points to consider;
Some mobility scooters are large. How much space will it take up? Will it interfere with other residents use of the common property?
If/when the mobility scooter is left unattended who will be responsible? Sadly these very expensive mobility scooters are stolen/vandalised with monotonous regularity. Will the owner demand that the OC, i.e. other residents contribute to its replacement if stolen from common property?
Just because a person has a disability doesn’t mean they automatically get everything they need from other parties. The term ‘reasonable accommodation‘ forms a key part of what may/must be done.
Is there any reason the person can’t park their mobility scooter in their residence?
Finally, when the power point isn’t being used for the mobility scooter; will it be locked off or otherwise secured? What if someone else wants to use it and pay for the power consumed? Who gets priority?
A couple of points to consider…
Those all seem like they would be easy for reasonable people to accommodate. Eg. On shared use of a power point, if someone else wants to use the same power point, they could also be given permission on the same terms that it is a short-term and ad hoc solution until a more comprehensive solution for EV charging is arrived at. The current two users could alternate which days they use the power point or agree that each is happy for the other to unplug them if their charge is finished.
If demand is such that such easy accommodation is no longer sufficient, that is a clear signal to the OC that there is a need for a longer term solution for vehicle charging and that there is likely to be significant recognition of the need for that better solution, whatever it might be in the particular building.
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