NSW: Does an EV Charger Require Owners Corporation Approval?

This article about approvals required for installing EV charges in apartment buildings has been provided by Adrian Mueller, JS Mueller & Co Lawyers.

There has been a substantial increase in the number of electric vehicles (EV) being purchased by residents of strata buildings from cars to bikes and other vehicles.

A Recent Study

A recent study of the ‘future of EV charging in Sydney apartments’ revealed that:

• 48% of respondents plan to have an electric vehicle of some kind within the next 5 years


• 78% were in favour of installing charging facilities


• 79% would like a user-pays arrangement for individual vehicle spaces

Does an EV Charger Require Owners Corporation Approval?

The fact is that electric vehicles need charging and that means installing electric vehicle chargers in your apartment block is inevitable.

Installation of electric vehicle chargers will normally involve changes to common property that require owners corporation approval through a by-law.

But what should the by-law cover?

There are two key issues that should be covered in the by-law.

First, who pays for the cost of the electricity that will be used by the EV charger?

Second, what happens if the EV chargers require the building’s electricity infrastructure to be upgraded (e.g. to 3 phase power)? Who pays for the upgrade?

Get your EV By-law from the Experts

Our specialist team of strata lawyers have drafted many by-laws permitting owners to install electric vehicle chargers in strata buildings. Our EV by-law covers all essentials including:

• Who is responsible for paying for the cost of electricity used to charge electric vehicles


• Any necessary upgrades to the electricity infrastructure in the building

Adrian Mueller Partner + Senior Lawyer JS Mueller & Co Lawyers E: adrianmueller@muellers.com.au P: 02 9562 1266

This post appears in Strata News #542.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is provided for your personal information only. It is not meant to be legal or professional advice nor should it be used as a substitute for such advice. You should seek legal advice for your specific circumstances before relying on any information herein. Contact JS Mueller & Co for any required legal assistance.

JS Mueller & Co Lawyers has been servicing the strata industry across metropolitan and regional NSW for over 40 years. We are a specialist firm of strata lawyers with indepth and unmatched experience in, and comprehensive knowledge of strata law and levy collection.

Have a question about Electric Vehicles or something to add to the article? Leave a comment below.

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Read next:

• NSW: Q&A Installing Private Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations
• NSW: Q&A Car Park Entrance Lighting in Strata Buildings

This article has been republished with permission from the author and first appeared on the JS Mueller & Co Lawyers website.

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