One can’t fail to notice how many more electric vehicles (EVs) are on the roads each week.  EVs are a key component in the government’s ambition to have the UK achieve net zero status by 2030 but for those who rent rather than own their home, do landlords need to supply an EV charger for their tenants?

Do landlords need to supply an EV charger for their tenants?

The legal answer is no or, more accurately, not yet.  However, the law does give tenants a right to install an EV charger if they pay for it or, upon agreement with the landlord, that the landlord will pay for it up front with the tenant paying back the expense via an increase in the rent.  

This is often the most sensible compromise as the cost of the installation can be put down as an upgrade to the property’s general infrastructure.  It is also a sensible compromise because it combines the different interests of the landlord and the tenant.  

The tenant wants a low-cost solution because they will probably not stay in the property long-term. 

The landlord meanwhile wants to provide all their tenants have equal charging possibilities while keeping costs to a minimum and avoiding making their management of the property any more complicated.

Is there a grant to help landlords cover the cost of installing EV chargers? 

Given the rising popularity of the electric vehicle, landlords are being inundated with requests for an EV chargepoint from their tenants.  This is the reason why the government’s Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) has made several grants available to landlords, grants that could allow residential landlords and property managers to claim as much as 75% off the cost of installing EV chargepoints for their tenants

The first is the OZEV EV chargepoint and infrastructure grant for landlords.  This is aimed at anyone renting, leasing or managing a property.  It can reduce the cost of installing a charger by 75%, up to £350 per charger and a landlord can claim as many as 200 grants per financial year for residential properties. 

It is important to note this grant is not eligible for buildings used for both residential and commercial purposes, only for buildings used for one or the other, and landlords are limited to making one application per building.

The second option is the infrastructure grant for residential car parks.  This is for the landlords of residential buildings who wish to instal a charging infrastructure for five or more parking spaces. 

Of these five spaces needs to have an active chargepoint installed. The remaining four spaces only need passive infrastructure (e.g. cabling) installed.

This grant allows landlords to claim up to £30,000 or 75% of the installation costs depending on whether the spaces have a chargepoint or just cabling.

Alternatively, a tenant may be able to claim their  own grant.  The OZEV has created a separate grant – the EV Chargepoint Grant – for people renting flats which could reduce the cost of purchasing and installing a chargepoint by up to £350.

If you are a landlord or a tenant who has found themselves in a dispute over EV chargepoints or any other issue relating to a tenancy agreement or rent arrears, please contact the landlord and tenant specialists in our Civil Law team today.