A wallbox in an apartment building: what you need from the HOA

Why it isn't like a house

In a house you decide alone. In an apartment building the work affects common parts — cable runs along a corridor or car park, equipment goes on a shared wall, and power comes off the building's supply. That needs the consent of the owners' association.

The Czech Ministry for Regional Development, together with the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Transport, published a methodology for wallbox installations in apartment buildings in 2023. Worth reading before the meeting.

What is actually being voted on

This is where most people go wrong: they turn up saying they "want a wallbox" and leave with nothing. The owners have nothing to decide on, because they don't know what it costs or what it does to the building.

A resolution needs concrete points:

• exactly where the charger goes and how the cable is routed,
• where the power comes from — your own flat's supply, or a common part,
• how consumption is metered and billed,
• who pays for the installation and any later changes,
• what happens when you sell the flat.

Bring that on paper and the vote is usually a formality. Without it, it gets deferred.

What majority is needed

It depends on your articles of association and how far the work goes into common parts. A routine single-bay installation is usually approved by a simple majority of those present; a more substantial change may need more. Have this confirmed by your building manager or a lawyer — articles differ from building to building.

The smartest move: don't just solve your own bay

If more than one household is considering an EV, it pays to propose a backbone for the whole car park with load management. Individual bays then connect as people buy cars, with no repeat vote and no repeat drilling.

It costs more the first time and far less the third. And the meeting approves one thing once, instead of relitigating every neighbour.

What the building's supply can carry

The second common sticking point. Ten chargers at 11 kW is 110 kW — no ordinary apartment building has that. The answer is dynamic load management: the system shares available current between cars according to what the rest of the building is drawing. Charging happens overnight, when building demand is lowest, so it usually works without a capacity increase.

Where we come in

Getting the HOA's consent is up to you — the proposal is usually put to the meeting by the unit owner or the committee. We come in once the resolution is approved: survey, final price and installation. The survey is free and without obligation.