Can I install an EV charger in the garage?
Yes: you only need to notify the community, not get its approval. The Horizontal Property Law facilitates EV charging: if you want to install a charging point for private use in your parking space, you don't need the owners' meeting's agreement; it's enough to notify it in advance in writing to the community (the chair or the administrator). The cost of the installation and consumption is borne by you. The community can't ban it, though it can set reasonable technical conditions on the use of common elements (the cable route, the meter, safety). If the installation significantly affects common elements, it's best to coordinate it with an authorised installer and the community.
📋 The rules
- For your private space: just notify, no vote
- The community can't ban it
- The cost of installation and consumption is borne by you
- The community can set technical conditions on common elements
- Best to use an authorised installer and coordinate
🔓 Exceptions
- Shared-use installation for several spaces: requires a meeting agreement
- Protected buildings or with technical limits: may need extra authorisations
- Garages under a different regime from horizontal property: other rules
⚠️ Penalties & fines
The community can't prevent the installation of a duly notified private charging point: if it does, you can claim. For your part, omitting the prior notification or carrying out an installation that breaches technical or safety rules can create liability for the damage and require you to fix it. If the charging point is for shared use by several spaces (not individual), then a meeting agreement is needed. The prudent thing: notify in writing, use an authorised installer and make clear the consumption is billed to your meter.
📎 Official sources
- BOE · Horizontal Property Law (art. 17.5, EV charging) →
- IDAE · Electric mobility and charging points →
- Administración · Owners' communities →
❓ Frequently asked
Do I need the community's permission to install a charger?
You don't need its approval. For a private-use charging point in your parking space, it's enough to notify the community in advance and in writing. The meeting doesn't have to vote on it and the community can't ban it.
Who pays for the charger installation?
The interested owner bears the cost of the installation and the electricity consumption, not the community. The consumption must be billed to your own meter. That's why a well-designed installation by an authorised installer is advisable.
Can the community set conditions?
Yes, reasonable technical conditions on the use of common elements: the cable route, the meter location, the installation's safety, etc. What it can't do is ban the installation of a properly notified private charging point.
And if the charger is for several spaces?
If the charging point is for common or shared use by several spaces, notifying isn't enough: in that case the owners' meeting's agreement is required, because it affects a collective installation and the sharing of its cost.
What if I don't notify the installation?
Although the right to install exists, omitting the prior notification or making an installation that breaches technical or safety rules can create liability for the damage and a duty to fix it. Notify in writing before installing.
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