EV chargers in sectional title schemes: a guide for trustees
Sooner or later an owner will ask your trustees: "Can I install a charger for my electric car?" In many complexes that question has already arrived. This guide explains what is happening with electric vehicles (EVs) in South Africa and around the world, and how a sectional title scheme or HOA can say yes safely and fairly.
Why this is coming to your complex
- Sales are growing fast. South Africans bought 18,945 new energy vehicles (hybrids, plug-in hybrids and fully electric cars) in the first eight months of 2026, already more than in all of 2025. Plug-in hybrids and fully electric cars make up about half of that, and both need to plug in.
- EVs are getting cheaper. Until recently the cheapest electric car cost more than R700,000. There are now several models under R400,000, and more than 50 fully electric models on sale.
- Most charging happens at home. South Africa has only several hundred public charging sites, so owners want to charge where they park overnight. Charging at home costs roughly a third of the fuel bill of a petrol or diesel car.
- The industry is organising. The South African Electric Mobility Association (SAEMA) launched in October 2026 to push the transition.
What is happening in Africa and the rest of the world
Across Africa, adoption is uneven but rising. Egypt (about 300 public charging stations) and Kenya (about 235) led the continent in 2025, while more than 25 African countries had none. Ethiopia has more than 115,000 EVs after strong pro-EV policies, and in Nigeria EV owners rely almost entirely on charging at home.
Elsewhere, many countries have given apartment and complex owners a "right to charge":
- Australia (New South Wales): in October 2026 Parliament passed a law letting owners install a charger for their own parking space. The strata committee may only object on reasonable grounds, in writing, and the owner pays for the installation and any damage.
- United States: about 15 states, including California, Colorado, Florida and New York, stop HOAs and condominium boards from unreasonably refusing a charger. Boards may still require a licensed electrician, insurance and that the owner pays for the electricity.
- Canada: British Columbia and Ontario have similar rules for strata and condominium buildings, with an application process.
- Europe: the EU's revised buildings directive of 2024 requires new and renovated buildings with parking to be prepared for EV charging. Several countries, such as France and Spain, let an owner install a charger in their own bay after notifying the building.
- United Kingdom: since 2022, new homes with parking must be built with a charge point.
South Africa has no specific "right to charge" law for sectional title schemes yet. Requests are handled under the scheme's own rules and the Sectional Titles Schemes Management Act, which is why a clear policy matters.
Approvals in your scheme
What approval is needed depends on where the charger and its cable go:
- Inside the owner's own garage (part of their section), wired from their own distribution board: usually the simplest case. Most schemes still ask for written trustee approval and the electrician's paperwork.
- In an exclusive-use parking bay: the bay is common property that the owner has the right to use, so trustee approval and clear conditions are needed.
- Cables or equipment crossing common property, or a shared charger for everyone: this is a change to common property and may need a resolution of the owners, depending on your scheme's rules and the cost.
If your conduct rules say nothing about EV charging, consider adopting an EV policy or a conduct-rule amendment before the first request, so every owner is treated the same way. Rule changes need a special resolution and approval by the Community Schemes Ombud Service (CSOS).
Safety and technical points
- Registered electrician and a Certificate of Compliance (CoC). The installation must follow the wiring code (SANS 10142-1) and the Electrical Installation Regulations, and the electrician must issue a CoC. Without it, an insurer may reject a claim.
- Dedicated circuit and the right protection. A home charger needs its own circuit and earth-leakage protection suited to EV chargers.
- Power. A typical single-phase wall charger draws about 7 kW (around 32 amps), roughly the same as a large geyser running continuously. Three-phase chargers can do 11 or 22 kW.
- Supply capacity. Before approving several chargers, get an electrician to check the complex's total supply. "Smart" chargers with load management can share the available power so the supply is not overloaded.
- Load-shedding and solar. A charger can drain an inverter battery quickly. If the scheme or owner has solar or backup power, check the charger circuit is set up correctly, and remember that solar and backup systems may need municipal approval.
Who pays for the electricity?
The fairest rule is simple: the EV owner pays for every kWh they use. Ideally the charger is wired from the owner's own meter. If it has to use the common supply, insist on a sub-meter or a smart charger that records usage, so the body corporate can recover the cost and non-EV owners do not subsidise anyone's driving.
Insurance, maintenance and selling
- Tell the scheme's insurer about approved chargers and keep copies of each CoC.
- Require the owner to maintain the charger, repair any damage to common property and indemnify the body corporate.
- Agree in writing what happens when the owner sells: does the charger stay with the unit, or is it removed and the area made good?
Options for a complex
- Individual chargers, paid for by each owner under the scheme's policy. Quick to start, but plan cable routes so the parking area does not become a tangle.
- Shared charging bays paid for by the body corporate, with users paying per kWh through an app or card.
- Third-party operators who install and run chargers at their own cost. Read the contract carefully: who owns the equipment, how long the contract runs, and who pays for electricity.
An EV policy checklist for trustees
- How to apply, and how quickly the trustees will respond
- Registered electrician, CoC and a copy for the scheme's records
- Where chargers and cables may go, and how they must look
- Metering and how electricity is paid for
- Insurance, maintenance, indemnity and what happens on sale
- A fair process if an application is refused
How we help
Cloud Hawk can log EV charger applications on our service desk, check that the paperwork is complete, coordinate with your electrician and managing agent, track sub-meter readings, and help trustees draft an EV policy for the owners to approve.
This article is general information, not legal or electrical advice. Figures come from industry and news reports from 2025 and 2026. For a specific installation, use a registered electrician, and for legal questions speak to a sectional title attorney or the CSOS.