I own a six-unit building in South Portland that I've managed myself since I bought it in 2019 — small enough that I still handle maintenance requests and lease renewals directly instead of going through a management company. One of my tenants in unit 3, been there four years, asked last week if she could put in a Level 2 charger on the wall outside her assigned parking spot. She's offering to pay for the whole thing — electrician, permit, the works — she just wants my sign-off since it's my building.
My gut reaction was just to say sure, go ahead, since Maine doesn't have any tenant right-to-charge law on the books the way California or a few other states do — I looked it up after she asked and we're not on that list. So technically I could say no outright if I wanted to, which means I figured I could just say yes informally and not worry about it much either way.
But the more I think about it the more that feels like the wrong instinct. If something's not permitted and there's ever an electrical fire in that unit, I don't think "well, I verbally said it was fine" holds up with my insurance company. And I've got five other tenants in that building I'm responsible for too.
I want to put something in writing — not a full lease amendment, just an approval letter she can keep, spelling out what I'm requiring before I sign off. Has anyone actually drafted one of these? What conditions are actually reasonable/enforceable for a landlord to put in there, versus me just making the process harder than it needs to be?
