Common Matters

EV Charging in Strata: Are you keeping pace with the owners corporation rules and approval processes?

With more residents wanting access to electric vehicle (EV) charging, owners corporations need a clear framework to assess these requests. From an insurance and risk standpoint, the critical questions go beyond just the charger to include the building’s electrical capacity, common property, fire safety, responsibilities, record-keeping, and insurer requirements.

While a single charger might seem simple, in a shared building, one request can quickly spark broader questions about safety, capacity, maintenance, future demand and who takes responsibility if things go wrong. Whitbread Insurance Brokers has collaborated with FireInsure Group on the fire, risk, and insurance factors tied to EV charging in strata. Their work highlights a vital distinction: while rules and approval processes offer a solid framework, they cannot take the place of a building-specific technical assessment.

Look at the building first, not just the charger

Before approving or installing any EV charging infrastructure, the owners corporation must understand if the building can safely support it—this includes reviewing its electrical setup, fire protection systems, and emergency management plans. Australian Government guidance indicates that residents in apartments or shared buildings may require approval from their strata body prior to installing an EV charger. Before reaching a decision, owners corporations should consider:

Electrical capacity: Whether existing switchboards, cabling, consumer mains, and submains can safely handle the increased demand.

Condition and upgrades: If the building’s electrical infrastructure is in good shape or if upgrades are necessary.

Location and access: How the proposed spot interacts with common property, safety systems, and emergency access routes.

Future demand: How further charging requests will be managed, and if the building requires a coordinated EV charging plan.

Specialist input: Whether advice is needed from qualified electrical contractors, fire safety experts, engineers, or other professionals.

The NSW Government describes an EV-ready building as one equipped with the physical space and wiring to allow EV charging to be installed more easily down the track. Planning for a single charger is very different from planning for future demand across an entire building.

Use your approval process to gather the right details

Rules and approval processes help an owners corporation assess requests fairly and consistently. From a risk and insurance perspective, you’ll want to ensure the process clarifies the following:

Application: Whether approval is mandatory before a charger is installed, connected, or any work commences.

Supporting information: The proposed location, equipment specs, electrical assessment, plans, and installer details needed with an application.

Decision process: Who evaluates the proposal and what additional professional advice or owners corporation approval might be needed.

Costs: Who covers the assessment, installation, common property works, metering, electricity, maintenance, repairs, removal, and reinstatement.

Ongoing use: How faults or damage are reported, what records are kept, and who maintains the charger and its associated infrastructure.

Future changes: How extra charging requests, a change of resident, or the removal of a charger will be managed.

These points don’t automatically decide if a proposal should be approved. Rather, they provide the committee and applicant with a consistent process, helping to pinpoint the technical, financial, and insurance details required before a decision is reached. EV charging infrastructure must be assessed, designed, and installed by suitably qualified professionals. You’ll need to seek advice from qualified electrical contractors and, if needed, fire safety specialists, engineers, or other relevant experts.

Clarify responsibilities and keep thorough records

One of the biggest practical hurdles for shared buildings is figuring out how EV charging costs and responsibilities will be managed. Clear arrangements need to address:

Electricity: Who pays for the power used and if individual metering or billing is necessary.

Maintenance: Who looks after the charger, cabling, and related infrastructure.

Faults and damage: How safety issues, damage, or faults will be reported and fixed.

Safety arrangements: Who takes responsibility for emergency isolation points, signage, and access needs.

Removal: Who foots the bill for removal and reinstatement if the charger is no longer needed.

Periodic inspection and review: How the infrastructure will be reviewed over time to ensure ongoing safety and performance.

Your owners corporation should maintain clear records of all assessments, approvals, technical advice, installation documents, maintenance plans, and decisions regarding EV charging infrastructure. Having good documentation on hand will also help if insurance questions or claims pop up later.

Keep risk and insurance advice connected

EV charging infrastructure can shift how an insurer views a building’s risk profile. Insurers might ask how the setup was installed, if the electrical system is up to the task, where chargers are placed, what risk controls exist, whether proper risk assessments were done, and how the equipment will be maintained.

Owners corporations should seek advice early on, consulting with their owners corporation manager and insurance broker, ideally before an installation is approved. This helps flag whether the proposal might impact underwriting details, property information, risk requirements, or extra cover needs. Your approval process should also confirm whether the insurer needs to be notified. This doesn’t mean every application will affect your cover or premium; it just ensures any insurer requirements are spotted before works are wrapped up. For a more detailed look, read EV charging in strata: What owners corporations need to consider, developed by Whitbread Insurance Brokers alongside FireInsure Group.

Where the rules fit in

Your owners corporation’s current rules and approval processes might not have been created with EV charging in mind. Reviewing them now will help the committee ensure that responsibilities, required information, approval steps, conditions, and records are crystal clear. Whitbread’s role is to help point out the risk and insurance questions that should be asked early on.

If your committee feels that new or updated rules are needed, it’s best to seek legal advice. Any technical requirements should always be confirmed by the right qualified professionals. Planning ahead makes it much easier to embrace new technology while keeping decisions fair, clear, and right for your specific building. Your Australian Strata Management manager can help your committee access its current rules, review the approval steps, and coordinate any legal, technical, and insurance input your building needs. Reach out to your ASM manager if your building is getting EV charging requests or wants to refresh its approach.

FAQs

Why can’t an owners corporation rely solely on standard rules to approve an EV charger?

While standard rules create a solid framework for handling applications, they can’t take the place of a building-specific technical assessment. Every building has its own unique electrical capacities, structural setups, and fire protection layouts that need to be independently checked by qualified professionals.

What building factors need to be evaluated before approving EV charging infrastructure?

An owners corporation needs to assess whether current cabling and switchboards can safely carry the extra electrical load, check the condition of the existing setup, and review proposed spots for safety and emergency access. You’ll also need to plan for future building-wide demand and get qualified advice from fire safety or electrical specialists.

How does installing EV chargers impact a strata building’s property insurance?

EV charging infrastructure can alter a building’s overall risk profile. Insurers often want to know how the chargers were installed, if risk assessments took place, how safety controls are being managed, and if routine maintenance is scheduled. Checking your insurer’s requirements early helps avoid any unexpected surprises regarding your coverage.

What operational responsibilities and costs should an approval process clarify?

Your approval process must explicitly outline who pays for metering and electricity, who is responsible for ongoing repairs and maintenance, and how damage or safety issues are reported. It should also clarify who covers the cost of equipment removal and common property reinstatement if a charger is no longer needed or a resident moves out.

Glossary of terms

EV-Ready Building: A shared building that is designed or upgraded with the wiring infrastructure and physical space needed to easily support future EV charging installations across individual lots.

Electrical Capacity: The maximum electrical load your building’s existing switchboards, consumer mains, cabling, and submains can safely handle without risking a power failure or needing immediate upgrades.

Underwriting Information: Specific property, safety, and technical data—like risk assessments, equipment location, and maintenance plans—provided to an insurer to evaluate risk and set policy conditions.

Reinstatement: The obligation of a lot owner or applicant to restore common property back to its original state once an EV charger or related cabling is removed.