A resident has taken to social media in confusion after being served a notice by his local housing association outlawing the use of an everyday item in his property
A resident has spoken of his dismay after his property found itself on the receiving end of a bizarre “ban” by the local housing association. A notice served by the management company appeared to inform him that one particular everyday item could no longer be used in the property, leaving him utterly perplexed.
The resident shared an image of the notice on Reddit, alongside his frustrated caption, which read: “Stop charging your cell phone, apparently. Sure, thanks HOA.” His apparent inability to charge his device was prompted by the Housing Association’s ban on the use of lithium batteries, which they detailed further in the notice.
“As a reminder, please do not charge any lithium-ion battery devices in your unit,” it stated. “We can all be reminded of the August fire that occurred in Waikiki [Hawaii] last year.”
The notice continued: “The Honolulu Fire Department determined the incident was caused by a lithium-ion battery e-bike charging equipment. Please keep our surroundings safe at all times.”
Reddit users were quick to express their confusion, pointing out the most common rechargeable devices require the use on lithium-ion batteries.
Indeed, ranging in size from mobile phones to electric vehicle, these batteries are a paramount importance for almost everyone in day-to-day life.
“Cellphones, smart watches, laptops, headphones, speakers, EVs, tools… pretty much everything that isn’t an AA/AAA rechargeable is a lithium battery these days,” one person noted.
Another agreed: “Nearly every device these days is powered by lithium ion technology in one form or another. Phone, tablets, laptops, digital cameras, drones, smart watches, Bluetooth speakers etc.
“This is lunacy. The person that created this is certainly guilty of violating their own rule constantly. It’s just hilarious. It would have been smarter, but also wrong, for them to ban Li-Ion batteries over a certain capacity and the charging systems. Also, don’t tell them about electric vehicles!”
A third individual urged: “Please contact them asking how you’re expected to use cell phones and laptops (and an EV) without charging it.”
While a fourth added: “Good sentiment, poor execution. Had it been a sensible notice to not leave devices unattended when charging sure, perhaps. But to outright say don’t charge them at all is silly.”
Housing associations are not-for-profit social landlords that provide homes and support for around six million people all around England.
The National Housing Association advised: “As well as providing rented homes that people on low incomes can afford, housing associations also offer a range of homes for people priced out of traditional home ownership.
“Housing associations are not-for-profit providers of social and affordable housing. Any additional funds raised through the sale of homes is reinvested into delivering their social purpose, such as building new affordable housing or delivering community services.”
Each association has its own set of rules and regulations for residents, therefore it’s important to remember that such a ban included in the Reddit post applies only to the poster’s area in Hawaii.
