Moved out — landlord charged me $400 for "EV charger damage to outlet." Is this legit?
Just moved out of my place in Denver after two years running a wall-mount Level 2 charger on a NEMA 14-50 outlet in the garage. When I took the unit down before move-out, the outlet plate was cracked and when I looked closer the terminals inside looked burned, kind of a dark scorched color. I didn't think much of it at the time, just figured that's what two years of use does.
Landlord's now withholding $400 from my security deposit, says it's damage caused by my charging equipment beyond normal wear and tear. I don't have a background in electrical work so I genuinely don't know if this is on me for using a heavy wall unit for two years, or if this is something that should've been flagged as a wiring problem way before I moved out. Do I actually have a case here or should I just eat the cost and move on?
Filed under: Renters, Apartments & HOA Charging
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14 answers
14 ANSWERS
@gravelfox88July 25, 2026
Burned terminals is the part that jumps out to me way more than a cracked plate. Can you say what amperage the charger was pulling and what the circuit was rated for? Was it hardwired or plugged into the 14-50 directly?
It was plugged directly into the 14-50, pulling around 40A according to the charger's settings. Installer at the time put it on a 50A breaker, said that was the right setup for it.
Okay, that ratio sounds correct on paper. Scorched terminals almost always point to a loose connection somewhere, either from the original install or just a receptacle that was never torqued down properly, that builds resistance and heat over time regardless of who's plugging in. That's usually a pre-existing issue, not something caused by you removing a charger at move-out.
@dutch_b74July 27, 2026
Landlord side here, if the plate genuinely cracked from your equipment being on there, I'd say it's fair for the landlord to charge something. But $400 for a cracked cover plate and an outlet swap seems steep, that's maybe a $20 part and an hour of labor for most electricians.
Agreed on the math not adding up. I'd ask for an itemized invoice or receipt showing what was actually done and what it cost, not just a flat number pulled from thin air. That's reasonable to request before you accept the charge.
Landlord hasn't sent anything itemized yet, just a line in the deposit letter. Going to request the invoice in writing today.
@misty_waffleJuly 26, 2026
Had something similar happen with a smaller charge on a past move-out, once I asked for an itemized breakdown the landlord actually knocked the number down because they couldn't fully justify the original figure.
@picklewindowJuly 30, 2026
Gonna push back a little here, two years of a heavy wall unit hanging on an outlet without any separate wall support really can strain things over time, cord weight and constant plug-unplug cycles add up. I don't think it's crazy for the landlord to think your setup contributed.
Disagree with that framing though. A properly installed wall unit, mounted to code with its own bracket, shouldn't crack a plate just from two years of normal use. If it did, that points to a bad install to begin with, not something inherent to wall-mount chargers.
Fair, that's a good distinction, I was going off more of the general internet worry about wall units than actual electrical fact. Appreciate the correction.
@frostbyte_742July 30, 2026
This type of deposit dispute over EV equipment has come up in a few threads here. Generally speaking landlords need to be able to document damage that's beyond normal wear and tear before withholding a deposit for it, but the exact process varies by state. Not legal advice, but it might be worth looking into your state's specific security deposit dispute process through a local tenant rights organization.
Thank you, going to look into that today.
@duskravenJuly 28, 2026
Small tip for next time as a renter, take dated before-and-after photos any time you install something yourself. Would've made a dispute like this way easier to settle either direction.
@tinycabinetJuly 31, 2026
following this, moving out soon myself
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