December 13, 2025 · 4 min read
An EV charger in the communal garage: rights and steps
A neighbour wants a charging point on their parking space? The law is crystal clear — and it surprises many communities.
The individual right
To install a charging point on your own space (or one for your exclusive use) you do not need the meeting's approval: it is enough to notify the community beforehand. The full cost (installation and consumption) falls on whoever wants it.
What the community can and cannot do
- It can require the work to be carried out by an authorised installer, with the corresponding certification.
- It can ask that the cable route be the technically reasonable one.
- It cannot put it to a vote, refuse it, or charge a fee for it.
How it is connected
The usual arrangement: a spur from the neighbour's own meter (so they pay their own electricity) with the cable running through common areas to their space. In large garages, consider a communal pre-installation (a main trunking run) that makes every future connection cheaper: that one is voted on (simple majority) and may qualify for grants.
Avoiding friction
A clear notice to everyone ("the owner of space 14 is installing a charging point under art. 17.5 of the Horizontal Property Act, at no cost to the community") kills off any rumour about someone plugging in at the community's expense.
Keep reading
Can the chair enter a flat? Easements and necessary access
When communal work means going through someone's home: rights, notice and compensation.
Mini communities (2–5 neighbours): the rules when there are just a handful of you
No formal meeting, no rotating chair possible: how a very small building is legally run.
A wood or pellet stove in a flat: the flue and the community's permission
Putting a stove inside your home looks like a private matter, but the flue has to come out somewhere. What to check before you buy one and what the owners' meeting decides.
Stop reading about managing. Try it.
Step into a sample building with everything working and try it yourself.