I drive an electric car and am moving to a rental property. Can I ask my landlord to install an electric car charging station?
Until now, being able to charge an electric car at home was only a luxury for people with their own parking space.
However, progress has been made in removing this ‘driveway separation’.
There are increasing opportunities for tenants to benefit from the convenience and lower electricity prices of home charging, including for people who previously relied on the relatively expensive public charging network.
With over a third (35.7 percent) of Britons living in rented accommodation, what can we do for those who want access to an electric car charging point at home?
This is Money asked Cord, an expert in home chargers, for advice. He will be happy to answer all your installation questions, so that you do not have to fight with your landlord about your wallbox.
This is Money picked the brains of home charging experts Cord to answer all your installation logistics questions, so you can avoid wallbox wars between tenant and landlord.
Financial support for tenants and landlords for the installation of EV chargers
In March, the Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant (EVCG) was expanded to include people who own or rent a home without off-street parking, but who do have sufficient on-street parking.
The grant will give you £350 or up to 75 percent (whichever is lower) off the purchase and installation costs of a wallbox home charger.
There is also a grant available for electric vehicle infrastructure for landlords (up to £30,000 or 75 per cent off the cost of the work, with the amount dependent on the number of parking spaces affected by the work).
Landlords can use both the infrastructure subsidy and the charging point on the same plot.
Both the Electric Vehicle Charging Point Subsidy and the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Subsidy are intended to reduce the cost of owning an electric car for drivers who are disadvantaged by not having their own parking space on their own property.
If you can negotiate with your landlord and draw up a good written agreement, having a wallbox charger installed makes good financial sense for both the tenant and the landlord.
Is it a financially wise decision to install a wallbox charger if you are a tenant or landlord?
This is the response from Money’s Motoring reporter Freda Lewis-Stempel: As a tenant, you can ask your landlord to install a charging station for electric cars. This will not only make charging your electric car a lot easier and cheaper, but it will also increase the value of your landlord’s property.
According to the Open Property Group, adding a home charger will add around 1.7 per cent to the value of a property, equating to £4,840 (based on the average house price of £284,691).
If a tenant can get in touch with a landlord and have a written agreement drawn up, it is a win-win situation financially for both parties.
You can save so much by driving electric and even more by charging at home
In July, the average price for charging an electric car was 57p/kWh at slow/fast chargers and 80p/kWh at fast/ultra-fast chargers.
Data from ZapMap shows that, when using an average efficient electric vehicle, this amounts to 17 pence per mile and 24 pence per mile respectively.
A rate for an electric car for home use is on average only 8 cents/kWh.
Cord shows how people who do not have access to home chargers face higher costs
ZapMap has calculated the typical annual costs of different battery electric vehicle (BEV) drivers to show how charging habits impact operating costs
John and Rosa who charge at home 80% of the time pay almost half of what Michael and Marie pay who charge at home only 50% of the time. Kris who does not have a home charger pays almost three times as much as John
Per mile, drivers like John and Rosa, who spend most of their time charging at home, pay just 7p/mile, while Kris, who charges in public, pays 18p/mile.
The legal aspects explained
Paul Tomlinson, co-founder of Cord, explains how to protect yourself against the logistical impact of tenant/landlord costs.
We’ve divided these into useful sections.
If I ask my landlord to install a home charger, do I need a written contract?
Paul Tomlinson responds: This depends on the individual landlord.
At Cord we ensure that if the property is rented out, the tenant has written permission from the landlord for the installation.
What happens if the landlord and tenant want to share the costs?
This is where a written contract can really come in handy. However, we generally advise landlords to cover the full cost of the appliance, as it adds value to their property and can be inconvenient for the tenant to move the appliance.
Is the landlord legally obliged to pay maintenance costs?
This depends on any written agreements made during installation.
In principle, landlords are responsible for the maintenance of the fixed infrastructure.
If I move, can I take the charger with me? Is it possible to remove and reinstall a charger?
This is possible and we also want to launch a much more portable charger soon. However, this will require a qualified electrician to carry out the work and install the charger in the new building according to regulations.
It is crucial to have a written agreement so you know who will pay for maintenance and repairs, especially as you move forward
If I move and leave my charger behind, who pays for maintenance or repairs? Me, the landlord or the future tenant?
This depends on the agreement concluded at the time the charger was installed.
Does Cord see a future in which the preference for home charging points is decisive for the choice between a house or apartment and the prices?
Chargers are generally cheaper, but someone may be using a certain brand of charger and not want to switch to a home with a different charger.
We do not expect this to be a major risk in the future, as there is already a lot of standardization in the field of chargers.
While some additional features are exclusive to certain brands, most modern chargers can charge cars well and features such as off-peak rates are becoming increasingly standard.
For most EV drivers, the availability of off-road parking is much more important.
However, we definitely see chargers as a serious addition to the value of homes. And in the not too distant future, homes without chargers will be much harder to rent out – just as homes without broadband are currently hard to rent out.
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