Reviewed by Lee Gundenswager (Lead Electrician, Connex Lic #92217) and Darren Standring (Owner). Written for North Brisbane and Moreton Bay apartment and townhouse residents. Last updated 2026-07-25.
Quick answer: You can install an EV charger in an apartment or townhouse in Queensland, but you usually need body corporate approval first, because the work often involves common property (the car park, shared wiring, or the building’s supply). The practical path is: confirm where your power will come from (ideally your own meter), get a licensed electrician to assess it, submit a proposal to the body corporate, and install once approved. Metered, individual charging is the cleanest setup. Connex handles the electrical side and the paperwork your committee needs.
I’m Lee, lead electrician at Connex Electrical. EV charging in units and townhouses is trickier than a standalone house — not because of the wiring, but because of who owns what and who pays for the power. Here’s how to get it done properly in a Brisbane strata scheme.
Why apartment EV charging is different
In a house, everything’s yours. In a strata scheme, your car space and the wiring to it are often common property managed by the body corporate. That means you generally can’t just install a charger on a common-property wall or draw from a shared supply without approval. The two things to sort out are permission (body corporate) and power source (whose electricity you use and how it’s billed).
Where does the power come from?
This is the crux. Options, best first:
- From your own apartment’s meter — a dedicated circuit run from your unit’s switchboard to your car space. You pay for exactly what you use. Cleanest and fairest, but depends on the distance and cable route to your space.
- A new dedicated metered supply at the car space — a separate metered connection so your charging is billed to you. Common in larger schemes.
- From the common-property supply with sub-metering — the charger runs off the building supply but a sub-meter tracks your usage so you reimburse the body corporate. Requires a clear billing arrangement.
- Shared/common supply without metering — avoid; it means everyone subsidises your charging, and committees rightly resist it.
Getting body corporate approval
Most schemes require you to apply before installing. A strong proposal makes approval far more likely. Include:
- A description of the charger and where it will be mounted.
- How it will be powered and metered (so it’s clear you pay for your own electricity).
- A licensed electrician’s assessment confirming the building’s supply can handle it safely.
- Confirmation the work will be compliant, certified, and insured.
- Who is responsible for the equipment and any future maintenance.
Queensland has been moving toward making it easier for owners to install EV infrastructure in strata, but approval and a sensible power/billing arrangement are still the norm. A clean, metered proposal that costs the body corporate nothing is the one that gets waved through.
Load management: the shared-supply reality
If several residents want chargers, the building’s supply can’t necessarily run them all at full power at once. Load management systems solve this — they share the available capacity across chargers, throttling each so the total stays within the building’s limit. For schemes planning ahead, installing a managed system from the start beats retrofitting later. We can advise the committee on a scalable setup.
Townhouses vs apartments
Townhouses are often easier — many have their own garage and their own meter, so it can be close to a standard home install, just with body corporate notification. High-rise apartments with basement parking are the more involved end, where power source and load management matter most.
How Connex helps
- We assess your car space, the supply, and the cable route.
- We advise the best power source and metering for your situation.
- We provide the technical documentation your body corporate needs to approve it.
- We install compliantly once approved, with a Certificate of Compliance and Energex lodgement.
Call 0474 207 609 or request a quote and tell us whether it’s a townhouse or an apartment — we’ll map out the path for your scheme.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, but you usually need body corporate approval first because the work often involves common property such as the car park or shared wiring. The practical steps are to confirm your power source (ideally your own meter), get a licensed electrician to assess it, submit a proposal to the body corporate, and install once approved. Townhouses with their own garage and meter are often the easiest.
In most Queensland strata schemes, yes, because the charger and its wiring typically touch common property. A strong proposal that explains the charger, how it will be powered and metered so you pay for your own electricity, and includes a licensed electrician’s assessment is much more likely to be approved. A metered setup that costs the body corporate nothing is the easiest to get through.
The fairest setup runs the charger from your own apartment’s meter or a new dedicated metered supply at your car space, so you pay for exactly what you use. Alternatively a sub-meter on the common supply can track your usage for reimbursement to the body corporate. Charging from an unmetered shared supply should be avoided because it makes other owners subsidise your charging.
When multiple chargers are needed, the building’s supply may not run them all at full power at once. A load management system shares the available capacity across chargers, throttling each so the total stays within the building’s limit. Schemes planning ahead should install a managed, scalable system from the start rather than retrofitting later.
Book your strata EV charger assessment in North Brisbane
Connex Electrical installs EV chargers in apartments and townhouses across North Brisbane and Moreton Bay, and provides the documentation your body corporate needs. QLD Electrical Contractor Licence #92217, $20M public liability, 5.0★ rated with 513 Google reviews. Call 0474 207 609 or see our EV charger installation North Brisbane service page.
Sources & references
- Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997 (QLD)
- Queensland Electrical Safety Act 2002
- AS/NZS 3000:2018 Wiring Rules
- Energex — supply and Electrical Work Request (EWR) requirements