Getting an EV charger in a flat or rented home

Can you get a charger in a flat or rented home?

Yes, if you have a parking space you control and the person who owns the building agrees. The practical barrier is rarely the technology. It is permission, the cable route and the electricity supply. The OZEV renters and flat owners grant takes the edge off the cost, and a sample letter below should speed up the permission step.

Whose permission you need

For leaseholders, the Leasehold Advisory Service (LEASE) says that “depending on the terms of your lease, you might need your landlord’s (freeholder’s) permission before making any alterations to your home”, even with planning permission or building regulations approval. If your lease allows alterations with consent, the landlord must reply in writing, give consent unless there is a reasonable reason to refuse, and state their reasons. That does not apply to parts of the building the landlord owns or controls (“retained premises”). If your lease bans alterations, the landlord does not have to respond.

LEASE’s page does not mention EV chargers, so applying it to external walls and car parks is our inference. A shared car park or an outside wall is usually landlord-controlled, so expect a process rather than a formality.

Is there a right to charge?

No. We checked England in detail.

• The government told a House of Lords committee that it “does not believe such a right is necessary at this time”.
• The Renters’ Rights Act 2025, which received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025, has no mention of “charge point”, “electric vehicle” or “alteration” in its text. It does create a consent regime for pets. Blogs claiming it gives tenants a right to request an EV charger with a 42-day response are wrong.
• On 29 October 2025 the government said it would mandate chargepoints in new covered car parks and “strengthen protections against landowners overcharging tenants for home charging above the market rate”. We found no enacted right to charge in that announcement.

We did not specifically research Scotland or Wales for a right to charge and found none. If the situation changes, this page will be updated.

A sample permission request

Adapt this and send it by email and post, so you have a dated record. No law obliges your landlord to agree. The letter simply answers the questions most owners ask.

[Your name]

[Address, flat number]

[Date]

To: [Landlord / freeholder / managing agent, name and address]

Request for consent to install an electric vehicle charger at [address], parking space [number or description]

Dear [name],

I would like your written consent to install a home electric vehicle charger for my [make and model] at [address]. I [rent / hold the lease of] the property and have [exclusive use of / a legal entitlement to] parking space [number].

The proposed work is:

• A [make and model] charger, mounted on [wall / post] at [location], on a dedicated circuit from [the consumer unit], with the cable running [route].
• Installation by [installer name], an OZEV-authorised installer registered with [competent person scheme]. Their quote and a plan of the cable route are attached.
• The installer will notify the electricity network operator and give me the electrical certification on completion.
• I will pay all costs and make good any marks to the wall or ground. When I leave, I will [remove the charger and restore the surface / leave it if you wish].

I intend to apply for the government’s OZEV chargepoint grant, which requires any landlord or freeholder permission to be obtained before I apply. Please reply in writing by [date, for example 28 days from now]. If you have conditions, such as insurance, a preferred installer or a particular fixing method, please tell me and I will accommodate them where I can. If you decline, I would be grateful if you could explain why.

Yours sincerely,

[Name, telephone, email]

A fixed charger and tethered cable are generally covered under the buildings section of home insurance, according to the Association of British Insurers, provided the charger is attached to the building. Mentioning that can reassure a nervous freeholder.

The OZEV grant for flats and renters

The grant pays 75% of the cost to buy and install, up to £500 per household, until 31 March 2027. It rose from £350 on 1 April 2026, and since then the customer starts the application.

You qualify if you own and live in a flat, or rent and live in any residential property, and:

• the home has designated, private off-street parking that you can reach at all times, with a legal entitlement to the space;
• you own or are responsible for an eligible plug-in car, or have one on order arriving within three months;
• all landlord, freeholder and managing agent permissions are in hand;
• you use an OZEV-authorised installer and an eligible chargepoint;
• the charger is not fitted because of a legal requirement such as Part S for new builds.

You cannot claim if you live in a house you own, are a lodger, have already claimed, are moving or planning to move, or have already had the charger installed. The documents, steps and worked examples are in our UK grants guide.

If you share parking

• A charger at your own bay. Needs freeholder consent, a cable route and enough electrical capacity. This route is eligible for the grant.
• Shared chargers installed by the landlord or management company. Residential landlords, right-to-manage companies, residents’ management companies, housing associations and property managers can claim up to £500 per socket, up to 200 sockets a year. They need a Companies House or VAT registration number. The related infrastructure grant of up to £30,000 closed on 31 March 2026.
• Scotland. Property managers and factors can apply to Energy Saving Trust for up to 100% of costs, to a maximum of £20,000 per project. See our Scotland grants page.
• New builds. England’s Approved Document S, in force since 15 June 2022, requires new residential buildings with parking to have access to charge points. Scotland’s equivalent started on 5 June 2023. A charger fitted because of those rules cannot claim the OZEV grant.
• Public and community options. If your building cannot host a charger, see our guide to charging without a driveway for lamp-post chargers, Co Charger, workplace and public charging.

Electricity supply in flats

Some homes, including some flats, have a shared or looped supply. A looped supply means the installer must apply to the network operator before fitting, and the operator answers in about 10 working days. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s 2026 research reports that all network operators say the customer does not pay for standard unlooping, and the cost is spread across customers. Uncomplicated cases take 3 to 12 weeks. With neighbour disputes they can take 6 to 12 months. SSEN says about 16% of homes in its area still have a looped supply.

When you move out

Taking a charger with you is possible but not always worth it, and you cannot claim the grant again. See moving house with an EV charger.