EV Charging Body Corporate: A Guide for Gold Coast Strata Buildings

Aug 4, 2026 | Electrical, EV Charging

Home » EV Charging Body Corporate: A Guide for Gold Coast Strata Buildings

More EVs are hitting Gold Coast driveways every month, but for a lot of apartment and townhouse owners, there’s no driveway to speak of. If you live in a strata or body corporate property and you’re wondering how (or if) you can charge an EV at home, you’re not alone, and you’re not the first person your committee has heard from. Here’s what’s actually involved.

Charging an EV at a standalone house is simple: it’s your switchboard, your carport, your call. In a body corporate, the car space is often common property or shared infrastructure, which means installing a charger isn’t just an electrical decision, it’s a building decision too. As more owners buy EVs, committees across the Gold Coast are being asked to make that call for the first time, often without a policy already in place.

In most cases, yes. Getting EV charging approved on common property is governed under Queensland’s Body Corporate and Community Management Act, so it typically needs sign-off from the committee or at a general meeting rather than being an automatic yes. The first thing that matters is whether your car space is common property, exclusive use, or part of your actual lot, since that affects who’s responsible for the install and who needs to approve it. The exact process depends on your building’s specific by-laws, so it’s worth checking with your body corporate manager early rather than assuming.

Expert Tip:

Committees say yes a lot faster when there’s already a professional electrical assessment on the table. Coming to a meeting with “I want to install a charger” is a harder sell than coming with a licensed electrician’s report on what it’ll actually take.

Not every building handles this the same way, and the right setup depends on how many owners are likely to want charging and what the building’s electrical capacity looks like.

Regardless of which setup fits your building, the process usually looks like this:

Assess the building’s switchboard and existing electrical capacity

Confirm whether the car space is common property, exclusive use, or lot-owned

Recommend individual vs. shared/load-managed charging based on likely demand

Handle metering, so costs land with the right owner, not the body corporate at large

Install, test, and certify the work to current standards

If the building’s supply can’t comfortably take on EV charging yet, we’ll say so at the assessment stage, not after work’s already started.

Getting Your Committee On Side

If you’re the owner bringing this to your committee, the easiest path is usually: get a professional assessment first, then bring the findings to the meeting rather than just the request. It shows the committee you’ve done the groundwork, and it gives them something concrete to approve rather than an open-ended yes or no.

Who pays for EV charging in a body corporate?

It depends on the setup. Individual chargers on an owner’s own circuit are typically paid for by that owner. Shared infrastructure is usually sub-metered so usage costs land with the owner using it, not spread across the body corporate.

Can a body corporate say no to an EV charger?

Does every owner need their own charger?

Whether you’re an owner wanting a charger approved or a committee planning ahead of the first request, getting a professional electrical assessment is the best place to start. All Access Electrical has been the Gold Coast’s trusted electrician since 2014, rated 4.9 stars from 515+ Google reviews and voted the Gold Coast Bulletin’s Best Electrician. We work with body corporates across the region on exactly this, backed by a $0 call-out fee and straightforward, fixed pricing. Get in touch on 1800 960 874 or book online, and we’ll help you get EV charging sorted properly.

Article Author

Joel Crapper

Joel is the founder of All Access Electrical, bringing over a decade of hands-on experience in residential, commercial, and emergency electrical services across South East Queensland. Joel shares practical advice, safety tips, and insights to help homeowners and business owners understand their electrical systems, Air conditioning and CCTV Systems to make informed decisions.

All Access Electrical – for all your electrical and data needs in and around South East Queensland. Contact us for a free quote from your local Gold Coast Electrician. Are you looking for a Gold Coast Electrician to help you with all your domestic and industrial electrical work on the Gold Coast? Look no further than All Access Electrical.

Reviews

Careers

Commercial

Residential

Body Corporate

New Homes & Renovations

Smoke Alarms

CCTV & Data

Emergency Electrician

Air Conditioning

Security Cameras

Burleigh Heads, QLD, 4220

admin@allaccesselectrical.com.au

Licence Number 82801

RTA Licence AU62513

Terms & Conditions

* “No call out fee” does not apply to:

Same day service;

After hours / Emergency call outs:

Is subject to availability & not available during peak times or office closure.

2. “Free quotes” does not apply to:

Investigation of air conditioning faults / breakdown or error codes;

Investigation of electrical faults

3. “Same day service” is subject to availability and may be charged as After Hours.

4. Pre payment may be required for after hours call outs.