Charging Electric Vehicles at Rental Home? With the price of gas this might be a more frequent issue this year. NEW Resident asked if they could charge their Electric-vehicle-Prius at our rental home built in 1975 with no garage, nor outside outlet and it only has residential copper-coated electric lines. We said unfortunately NOT here, due to safety concerns and it would involve a long extension cord (we shared info from Google with resident) and added that prohibition to the lease in the parking section.

ALTERNATIVE sites: There is a shopping center nearby with about a dozen chargers so we all agreed that was the safest method, and secondly there are some chargers at her work that she can access.

What do you think? If we had a newer townhome with a garage and a dedicated 240 Volt outlet near the electric box it would be safer. You might want to inform yourself what charging stations are near your rental homes.

Here's what Google says,

"As an electrician, I have to give it to you straight: plugging an electric vehicle (EV) into a standard outlet via an extension cord is what we call "Level 1 charging," but in a 1975 home, it can quickly turn into a FIRE HAZARD if you aren't careful.

EV charging isn't like plugging in a toaster or a vacuum. A toaster runs for two minutes; an EV draws massive amounts of power continuously for 10 to 20 hours straight. This continuous load puts immense stress on older electrical systems.

Here are the primary safety concerns for our duplex and exactly how to mitigate them.

1. The Extension Cord Dilemma (The Biggest Risk)

Standard household extension cords are not built for continuous, high-amperage draws. They can overheat, melt, and catch fire long before your circuit breaker ever trips. Furthermore, the extra length increases electrical resistance, causing a voltage drop that can damage your car's charging unit or cause it to shut off.

The Mitigation: Avoid extension cords entirely if possible. If you absolutely must use one temporarily, it cannot be a standard backyard cord. You need a heavy-duty, outdoor-rated 10-gauge (10 AWG) or

12-gauge (12 AWG) extension cord, kept as SHORT as humanly possible (under 25 feet). Never use a coiled cord, as it traps heat like an oven.

2. Loose or Degraded Outlets (The "Warm Plug" Syndrome)

Even though your 1975 home has copper wiring (which is fantastic compared to the risky aluminum wiring of that era), the receptacle itself is likely decades old. Over time, the spring contacts inside an outlet loosen. A loose connection creates high electrical resistance, which generates extreme heat right at the plug.

The Mitigation: Replace the specific duplex outlet you plan to use with a commercial-grade or hospital-grade receptacle. These cost about $10 to $15 (as opposed to $2 for a cheap residential one) and have much tighter clamping force to handle continuous loads safely.

3. Circuit Overloading & Shared Lines

In 1975, standard electrical codes allowed outdoor outlets or garage outlets to share a circuit breaker with other areas of the house (like a bathroom, living room, or refrigerator). An EV charger will pull roughly 12 amps continuously. If that circuit is a standard 15-amp circuit, and someone turns on a TV, a vacuum, or a garage tool on that same line, the breaker will trip immediately.

The Mitigation: Find your electrical panel and map out what else is on that circuit. To charge safely, the EV should ideally be the only thing drawing power on that circuit while it's plugged in. If the breaker trips frequently, it's telling you the circuit is overloaded.

4. Lack of Modern GFCI Protection

Outlets near the garage, driveway, or outdoors require Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) protection to prevent lethal shocks, especially in wet weather. In 1975, GFCI requirements were either non-existent or very primitive compared to today's standards.

The Mitigation: Ensure the outlet is protected by a modern GFCI receptacle or a GFCI circuit breaker in the panel. Furthermore, keep the EV charging brick (the bulky box on the cord) off the wet ground—hang it up or protect it from the elements.

The Expert Recommendation

If you plan on living here long-term and charging an EV daily, the ultimate mitigation is to hire an electrician to run a dedicated circuit. Even if you stick to Level 1 charging (120V), a brand-new, dedicated 20-amp circuit running straight from your panel to a single outdoor outlet eliminates almost all of the risks above.

Alternatively, you could upgrade to a Level 2 charger (240V), which charges your car 4 to 5 times faster and is inherently much safer because it is hardwired on its own heavy-duty circuit."

My new tenant from CA asked about charging his car.

Unfortunately it is part of a complex where the 'cord' would have to be strung across the yard that other people walk thru. Off street parking but not against the apartment.

He was fine with it.

I am sure I could look it up but I do not know of any public charging stations in the area.

For an otherwise good applicant. I would allow them to pay for a code-approved outdoor outlet.

And maybe even break it down into 12 monthly payments.

Let them make the decision. They may surprise you. If you get a free upgrade, what do you care?

I would allow a tenant to pay a licensed electrician to put in the correct outlet for him, at the tenant's expense.

Electric cars are not popular here where the weather can be rough and there is snow to deal with. If tenants all wanted to drive electric cars, I would have chargers installed.

In Los Angeles, CA, landlord have to allow for vehicle charging. Even though MOST OLDER buildings Power Systems can NOT Support quick chargers.

For $300 you can hook up a slow charger to almost any circuit. It would take 3 days to charge up the vehicle.

For $1,500, a medium charger would need a independent 20 amp circuit.

Thanks for all your perspectives!

Jason, I will investigate the cost of having our electrician install a nema 14-50R outlet outdoors.

RR78, good idea to spread the cost over several months, I could also maybe have themn sign a agreement that if they moved before it was repaid the remainder could be taken from their security deposit. I would like a upgrade, but not a fire.

Zero, Finance guy is smart to charge car at his office as a biz expense.

Oregonwoodsmoke, Like you it hadn't come up for me before either. Idaho is much colder than VA so I guess I gotta try to adapt these older rental homes.