Sometimes — and two questions decide it before any choice of charger. A lock-up is a rented garage in a separate block, away from your home, and it raises problems a house install never does: many lock-ups have no electricity supply at all, and the building is not yours. The supply and the owner’s written agreement come first; the charger a distant third.
Key Takeaways
- Supply first: many lock-up garages have no electricity at all, and a new connection is a separate utility job.
- Get the owner’s agreement in writing, covering the install, the cable route and restoring the unit.
- If both answers are yes, the install follows the normal rules — dedicated circuit, 125% breaker sizing, licensed electrician.
- A portable charger suits a tenancy because it leaves with you.
Question One: Is There Power in the Unit?
Visit the garage with a torch before you price a single charger. You are looking for a consumer unit, sockets, or any sign of a supply — and for whose name the supply is in.
| What you find | What it means |
|---|---|
| No supply at all | A new connection is the electricity utility’s job, with its own process, timescale and quote. It can outweigh the cost of the charger itself, and for many lock-ups it ends the idea; portable charging elsewhere is the practical answer |
| A supply on the owner’s meter | Every charge runs on the owner’s account. Agree in writing how your electricity is measured and paid for before anything is installed |
| A metered supply you can use or take over | The normal installation route opens up: a dedicated circuit, protection, and a charger fitted by a licensed electrician |
Question Two: The Owner’s Written Yes
The lease decides what you may do to the unit, and alterations to a building you rent are not yours to assume. Ask for agreement in writing that covers the installation itself, the route any cable takes, who owns the equipment, and who restores the unit when the tenancy ends. Verbal permission is not enough for work you may be asked to undo. This differs from asking a landlord about a house you live in, and from a landlord fitting chargers at their own rental property: here you are a tenant of a standalone garage, and the paperwork has to say so.
If Both Answers Are Yes
From this point the job is an ordinary installation, with the same rules as at a house. The charger goes on its own circuit, and because EV charging is a continuous load under the National Electrical Code, the breaker is sized at 125% of the charger current: a 32 A charger on a 40 A breaker, a 40 A charger on a 50 A breaker, a 48 A charger on a 60 A breaker. Our guides to breaker sizes and how an EV charger is wired explain the shape of the work. A licensed electrician does it, with the permit and inspection your local rules require. Two lock-up specifics deserve thought: the unit is unattended, so a robust, lockable setup matters more than at home; and you will leave one day, which argues for the plug-in end of the hardwired vs plug-in choice.
Gear That Suits a Tenancy
A portable charger leaves no fixed asset behind when the tenancy ends. The EVDANCE EV-ACS3210T 32A NACS portable charger delivers about 7.7 kW from a NEMA 14-50 outlet, adjusts from 10 to 32 A in six steps, and is rated IP66 — plug it in where the supply exists, and take it with you when you go. For a long, secure tenancy with the owner’s full agreement, a wall unit such as the EVDANCE EV-ACT5006T 48A Level 2 wall charger gives a neater permanent setup. Our guide to having an EV charger at home covers houses, rentals and condos generally.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run a cable from my house to the lock-up?
Almost never the answer. Lock-ups usually stand on someone else’s land, and a cable crossing land or a path you do not own is not yours to arrange. The supply has to exist in the unit itself.
Who pays for the electricity I use?
Whoever’s meter the supply runs through, unless you agree something else. If the supply is on the owner’s meter, settle how usage is measured and paid in writing before the install, not after the first bill.
Can I install the charger myself to save money?
No. A new charging circuit is licensed-electrician work, with the permit and inspection your area requires — the same as at a house, and doubly important in a building you do not own.
Related Reading
- Can I Have an Electric Car Charger at Home? Houses, Rentals and Condos
- EV Charger Hardwired vs Plug-In: Which Should You Choose?
- How Is an EV Charger Wired? A Plain-English Overview
- What Size Breaker Do I Need for an EV Charger?
