Can Renters Install an EV Charger in Their Apartment? A State-by-State Guide for 2026

In May 2026, battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles accounted for 29.6% of new vehicle sales in Australia. The Tesla Model Y was the country's best-selling vehicle for the month — the first time an EV had topped Australia's monthly new-car sales chart.

Home charging has not kept pace, particularly in apartment buildings. ABS data shows that about 16% of Australia's private dwellings are apartments, and many older buildings were designed long before anyone expected residents to charge cars in the basement.

For renters, installing a charger usually involves two separate questions. Will your landlord allow the fixture or alteration? And, if the installation touches common property or shared electrical infrastructure, will the strata scheme, owners corporation or body corporate approve the work?

In most cases, you cannot skip the first question and go directly to the building committee.

New South Wales: The Landlord Still Sits Between You and Strata

NSW already gives EV charging favourable treatment under strata law. EV charging equipment falls within the definition of "sustainability infrastructure", and a sustainability infrastructure resolution passes if less than 50% of the value of votes cast are against it. That is a lower threshold than the special-resolution requirements that apply to many other changes to common property.

That does not give a tenant an independent right to install a charger.

NSW Government guidance says tenants must seek approval from their landlord before making the relevant changes. If the landlord agrees, the landlord can deal with the owners corporation on the tenant's behalf.

NSW is considering a stronger right-to-charge regime, but it is important not to describe it as current law.

The Strata Schemes Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous) Bill 2026 proposes new sections 132D and 132E. Under those provisions, a lot owner would be able to give notice of a proposed EV charger installation, the strata committee would generally have three months to respond, and an unreasonable objection could be challenged. Failure to respond within the required period would be treated as a no-objection response. The owner would also be responsible for specified installation and related costs.

As of 21 August 2026, however, the NSW Parliament still lists that bill as being before the Legislative Council. It has not yet become an operative right to charge.

For a renter today, the process starts with the landlord. A useful request should explain where the charger would go, how it would be connected, who would carry out the electrical work and who would pay for it. If the landlord supports the proposal, they can then take the necessary steps with strata.

NSW tenancy law does prevent landlords from unreasonably refusing certain minor alterations. A permanently installed EV charger should not automatically be assumed to fall within that protected category, particularly where electrical work, cabling or common property is involved.

Victoria: New Buildings Are Better Prepared, but Older Buildings Can Still Be Difficult

Victoria's strongest EV-charging rules are currently on the building-design side.

Since 1 May 2024, Victoria has applied the relevant National Construction Code 2022 energy-efficiency provisions to new buildings. For new apartment buildings, those rules require electrical infrastructure to be designed so that EV charging can be added more easily and cost-effectively. An "EV-ready" building does not necessarily mean there will already be a charger at every parking space.

Existing apartment buildings are a different matter. Victoria does not currently have a standalone right-to-charge law allowing a lot owner — much less a tenant — to force approval of an individual charger. Significant works involving common electrical infrastructure can require a special resolution supported by 75% of lot owners. A 2026 Victorian parliamentary report identified the owners-corporation approval process as one of the barriers to retrofitting EV charging in existing buildings.

For renters, a permanently installed charger will normally require the rental provider's involvement. Victorian Government guidance tells renters considering a dedicated outlet or Level 2 charger to discuss the installation with their rental provider. Changes outside the categories a renter can make without consent generally require written approval.

If common property, shared switchboards or common electrical supply are involved, the owners corporation may also need to approve the work.

Victoria is also tightening energy standards for rental properties, but those reforms should not be confused with EV-charging rights. From 1 March 2027, when certain rental-property hot-water or heating appliances fail and cannot be repaired, replacement requirements will favour efficient electric equipment. Those rules do not give a renter a right to install an EV charger.

Queensland: A Defined Process for Renters, but No Automatic Approval

Queensland's rental rules give tenants a clearer process for requesting an EV charger.

The Residential Tenancies Authority specifically identifies EV chargers as fixtures. A tenant who wants to install one should make the request to the property manager or owner. The rental provider must respond in writing within 28 days and must act reasonably when considering the request.

If body corporate approval is also required and the rental provider agrees to the installation, the rental provider must submit the request to the body corporate within 28 days. If the rental provider refuses the tenant's request, or fails to respond, the tenant can use the RTA's dispute-resolution service and may then apply to QCAT if the dispute remains unresolved.

Body corporate approval is a separate issue.

Where a lot owner's charger needs to connect to common-property utility infrastructure, body corporate approval is required. Under the Standard Module, a committee can approve some lower-cost installations where specified conditions are met; other proposals may need approval at a general meeting by ordinary resolution. The correct approval route depends on the works rather than simply on whether the charger is labelled "minor" or "major".

There is no Queensland equivalent of the proposed NSW system under which a failure to respond within three months would amount to approval.

It is also worth distinguishing a rental dispute from a body corporate dispute. A tenant's dispute with a landlord about permission for the fixture can move from RTA dispute resolution to QCAT. Most disputes about a body corporate decision under the BCCM legislation instead go through the Office of the Commissioner for Body Corporate and Community Management in the first instance.

What to Include in Your Request

A landlord or building committee needs more than a request to "put an EV charger in my car space".

Give them enough information to understand the work. Identify the parking bay, proposed charger and power rating, cable route and electrical contractor. Explain whether the charger will use a dedicated circuit, how electricity consumption will be metered and paid for, and whether load management is required.

Be clear about costs. If you are prepared to pay for the installation, say so. Also address ongoing maintenance, insurance and responsibility for removing or making good the installation when the tenancy ends.

This is more useful than telling the landlord that EV charging will increase the property's value. It deals with the questions they and the building committee will actually have to answer.

Before commissioning a design, ask whether the building already has an EV charging plan. Some buildings are installing shared charging equipment or an electrical backbone that individual parking spaces can connect to later. In that situation, connecting to the building's system may be simpler than seeking approval for a separate installation.

What Happens If the Answer Is No?

Your options depend on who has refused the request.

If the landlord refuses, tenancy law applies. There is currently no general Australian renter's "right to charge" that overrides the landlord's role in a permanent charger installation.

If the landlord supports the proposal but the strata or body corporate refuses it, the dispute falls under the relevant state's strata or owners-corporation legislation. The available challenge process, voting threshold and grounds for refusal differ between NSW, Victoria and Queensland.

That distinction matters. A tenant may have a dispute with the landlord over permission to alter the rented property while the landlord, as lot owner, has a separate dispute with the building over common property.

Are Renter Rights Likely to Change?

There is pressure for broader rights, but advocacy should not be presented as legislation.

Rewiring Australia has called for a "renter's right to plug in", including easier use of portable batteries, plug-in solar equipment and bidirectional EV charging without the approval barriers that apply to permanent modifications.

NSW's proposed right-to-charge provisions would also make it harder for strata committees to block chargers, although the proposed statutory right belongs to lot owners rather than tenants and, as of August 2026, has not yet become law.

Victoria is making new apartment buildings easier to retrofit for EV charging, while Queensland already has a formal process for tenants requesting an EV charger as a fixture.

None of those measures amounts to a general renter's right to install a charger.

The Bottom Line

If you rent an apartment in NSW, Victoria or Queensland, you should expect your landlord or rental provider to be involved in any permanently installed EV charger. If the work affects common property, shared electrical infrastructure or building services, the strata scheme, owners corporation or body corporate will usually be involved as well.

The details differ by state. Queensland gives renters a defined fixture-request process. NSW already has a lower voting threshold for sustainability infrastructure and is considering stronger rights for lot owners. Victoria's new-building rules make future charging installations easier, but existing buildings still rely heavily on owners-corporation approval.

Before buying equipment or booking an electrician, find out what the building already has, put the proposed work in writing and establish which approvals are required.

This article provides general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Strata and tenancy laws can change – check the current rules that apply to your state and building before proceeding.