Charging in apartments and rentals

If you live in an apartment, townhouse complex or rental, charging an electric car at home can look complicated. You may not own the car park, the power supply may be shared, and you'll probably need someone else's permission. It's very doable, though, and more buildings are becoming "EV ready". This guide explains how approvals usually work, the technical questions a building needs to answer, and how to make a clear case to your owners corporation or landlord.

Why apartments are different

In a house, you control the wiring, the meter and the driveway. In a strata building, the car park and the electrical infrastructure behind it are usually common property, shared by all owners and managed by the owners corporation (also called a body corporate or strata company, depending on the state). That raises questions:

• Who pays for the electricity a charger uses?
• Can the building's supply handle more load?
• Who owns and maintains the equipment?
• What happens when you sell or move?

Energy.gov.au says that if you live in an apartment or other shared building, you may need permission from your managing strata body to install EV charging infrastructure, and that strata and electrical laws are made by the states and territories. NSW Climate and Energy Action notes that in NSW, strata-managed buildings need to follow the requirements in the Strata Schemes Management Act.

The main approaches buildings take

There's no single model. Common approaches include:

1. Individual chargers on each owner's meter. An owner installs a charger in their own car space, wired to their apartment's meter so they pay for their own electricity. This is simple for billing but can mean long cable runs and repeated work as more owners join.

2. Shared building-wide infrastructure. The owners corporation installs a backbone, such as a dedicated distribution board and cabling, with load management. Owners then connect their own chargers, and usage is metered and billed. This can be the most efficient long-term approach as more residents get EVs.

3. Shared visitor or common chargers. A small number of chargers in common areas, booked or paid for by users. Useful as a start, but less convenient than charging in your own space.

4. Power point charging. In some buildings, a metered power point in each car space is enough. Energy.gov.au notes a standard power point supplies up to 2.4 kW, which may cover many people's daily driving overnight.

Questions your building needs to answer

Before anything is installed, an electrician or EV charging specialist should assess:

• Electrical capacity. How much spare capacity is there in the building's supply? Load management can share capacity between chargers and reduce charging when the building's demand is high.
• Metering and billing. Will each charger be on the owner's meter, or on a common supply with separate sub-metering and billing?
• Fire safety and compliance. Installations must meet electrical and building standards.
• Cable routes. How will cabling run through the car park, and who approves the route?
• Ownership and maintenance. Who owns each charger, who insures it and who maintains it?
• Future demand. Planning for many EVs now is usually cheaper than adding chargers one at a time.

How to get approval as an owner

Energy.gov.au publishes guides for both owners corporations making buildings "EV ready" and residents seeking approval. A typical path:

1. Read your by-laws and your state's strata rules on alterations to common property.
2. Talk to the strata manager or committee early. Find out whether others are interested; a group proposal is often more persuasive.
3. Get a professional assessment of the building's capacity and the best approach.
4. Prepare a written proposal covering the charger type, cable route, metering, costs, who pays, insurance, maintenance and what happens if you sell.
5. Submit it for a committee decision or general meeting vote, following your state's process.
6. Get written approval before any work starts, and use a licensed electrician.

Where several residents want chargers, it can be fairer and cheaper for the building to plan shared infrastructure than to approve individual installations one by one.

If you rent

Renters need their landlord's permission to install a charger. The Electric Vehicle Council's home charging guide says if you're renting, you'll need to discuss charging with your landlord. Rules on tenant modifications differ between states and territories; some have made it easier to request minor modifications. Check your state's tenancy authority.

When asking a landlord:

• explain what you'd like to install and where;
• offer to pay for installation by a licensed electrician;
• agree in writing on who owns the charger and whether it stays when you leave;
• point out that EV charging can make a property more attractive to future tenants.

If a charger isn't possible, ask whether you can use an existing outlet near your parking space, with an agreed arrangement for electricity costs.

Charging without home access

If home charging isn't available yet, you can still run an EV:

• Workplace charging: ask your employer whether chargers are available or planned.
• Destination AC chargers: shopping centres, gyms, libraries and council car parks often have them. Energy.gov.au notes AC chargers usually don't have a cable attached, so carry your own Type 2 cable.
• DC fast chargers: convenient for a quick top-up, but usually the most expensive way to charge.
• Kerbside chargers: some councils have installed chargers on streets or power poles.

Public charging generally costs more than home charging, so factor that into your running costs. See our guides to public charging and EV running costs.

Making the case to your neighbours

Not everyone in your building will drive an EV, so frame the proposal around fairness and future-proofing:

• User pays: show how electricity and equipment costs fall on the people who use them.
• Safety: a planned installation by licensed professionals is safer than residents improvising with extension leads.
• Property value and appeal: EV-ready buildings may appeal to future buyers and tenants.
• Future planning: shared infrastructure avoids repeated disruption as more residents switch.

Choosing equipment

If you get approval, choose a charger suited to the building's system. NSW Climate and Energy Action advises using only chargers with the Regulatory Compliance Mark tick. The Electric Vehicle Council recommends choosing a charger with OCPP 1.6J or higher communications capability, which helps with building-wide management and billing systems. Smart chargers can also schedule charging at off-peak times.

Key points

• In strata buildings you'll usually need owners corporation approval, under state strata laws.
• Buildings need to assess electrical capacity, metering, safety and ownership.
• Shared infrastructure with load management often suits buildings with several EV owners.
• Renters need the landlord's permission; put agreements in writing.
• Public and workplace charging can fill the gap, usually at a higher cost.