A year later, the same woman was apparently charging her Tesla from his equipment.
The Homeowner took screenshots.
Downloaded the video clips.
Exported the charger logs.
Then did something he had learned from previous HOA disputes.
He did not contact her immediately.
Angry people liked immediate confrontations.
Documents preferred patience.
He called the installer first.
The technician checked the charger remotely.
“No fault.”
“Could someone use it without an account?”
“Yes.”
“You left it in plug-and-charge mode.”
The Homeowner remembered.
He had chosen that setting because visiting family could use it without downloading an application.
“Can I require authorization?”
“Absolutely.”
“PIN?”
“App, RFID card, or schedule.”
The Homeowner looked through the window toward the charger.
He could lock her out that afternoon.
Part of him wanted to.
Another part wanted to understand how long this had been happening.
“Can you pull older records?”
“How old?”
“Everything.”
The installer sent six months of history.
Eleven charging sessions.
The Homeowner stared.
Three were legitimate.
His brother.
Coworker.
One installer test.
Eight were not.
Every unauthorized session matched the Tesla.
The total electricity consumption was not financially devastating.
That almost made the situation stranger.
The Homeowner’s solar system produced much of the power.
When the battery was full, excess generation would otherwise go back to the grid under his utility arrangement.
But several sessions occurred when solar production was low, forcing his system to purchase electricity later to recharge the battery.
The total direct cost was perhaps a few hundred dollars.
The principle was worth more.
Somebody was walking onto his property whenever she believed he was gone.
Using equipment he purchased.
Taking energy from a system he financed.
Then leaving without saying a word.
The Homeowner opened another video.
The HOA President arrived at 10:14 a.m.
She looked toward his front windows.
Waited.
Then plugged in.
That detail bothered him.
She knew she did not have permission.
People who believed they had permission did not check windows first.
He called his sister.
She listened.
Then said:
“You already know what I’m going to tell you.”
“Document it.”
“Exactly.”
“I did.”
“More.”
He sighed.
“Of course.”
His sister had watched him deal with HOA disputes before.
She understood his tendency to confront problems directly.
That worked when a contractor forgot an appointment.
It worked less well when a person with institutional authority could rewrite the encounter afterward.
“What are you thinking?”
she asked.
“Lock the charger.”
“Fine.”
“Send her the bill.”
“Maybe.”
“File trespass notice?”
“I don’t know.”
His sister became quiet.
Then:
“How did she know the charger would work?”
The Homeowner stopped.
“What?”
“She didn’t walk onto your property hoping.”
“She drove her Tesla there.”
“She knew it was active.”
The Homeowner looked toward the driveway.
That question had not occurred to him.
Most wall chargers looked similar from the street.
Some were disconnected.
Some locked.
Some required authentication.