A condo owner gets approval by applying in writing to whoever the building’s documents put in charge — the board, an architectural committee, or the managing agent — with a complete pack: the equipment, the installer, the circuit route, and how the electricity will be metered and paid for. Consent comes back in writing, normally with conditions attached. The process, not the charger, is what most applications succeed or fail on.
Key Takeaways
- Approval is a written application to the body your documents name — board, committee, or manager.
- A complete pack covers equipment, installer, circuit route, metering, the parking space, and restoration.
- Consent arrives in writing with conditions; those conditions are the agreement, so read them before signing.
- Per-user session records are the hardware feature that answers the board’s fairness question.
Who Decides, and in What Order
- Read the documents first. The declaration, bylaws and house rules say who approves alterations, what counts as a common-area change, and whether your parking space is deeded, assigned, or common.
- Ask the manager what the pack should contain. Managing agents process these applications routinely; a five-minute conversation prevents the most common refusal — an incomplete file.
- Submit the written application. One pack, all fields covered (next section), sent to the body the documents name.
- Wait for the recorded decision. Depending on the building, consent is a committee sign-off, a board vote at a scheduled meeting, or a manager’s approval under delegated authority. The category is set by your documents — there is no standard timetable.
- Install to the consent, then close the file. Permit, licensed install, and a copy of the completion documents back to the association.
What the Application Pack Typically Contains
Boards ask for the same fields again and again. Treat these as the anatomy of a complete application:
| Field | What the board is checking |
|---|---|
| Equipment | Charger model, its safety listing, power rating, and a photo or spec sheet |
| Installer | A licensed electrician, their insurance, and who carries the permit |
| Circuit route | Where the power comes from, the route across any common areas, and a load assessment for the shared panel |
| Metering and billing | How your electricity is measured and paid for, so other owners do not subsidise it |
| Parking space | Whether the space is deeded to your unit, assigned, or common — and whose consent that requires |
| Restoration | What happens on removal or sale: who takes the equipment out and makes good |
How Consent Is Recorded — and the Conditions Attached
Approval usually arrives as a written consent or a short licence agreement, not a verbal yes. The conditions attached are typically of a few kinds: you pay for the installation and the electricity, measured by an agreed method; you maintain the equipment and carry the insurance the documents specify; the consent covers the named equipment at the named space, so a later upgrade is a new application; and removal restores the space at your cost. Read the conditions before you sign — they, not the meeting discussion, are what you agreed to. How buildings organise the shared side of this is covered in our guide to apartment and condo EV charging in shared parking.
The Hardware Question Boards Always Ask: Records
The metering field is where hardware decides the argument. A wallbox with user identification ties every session to a person: the EV-ACT3204PE (22 kW, Type 2, RFID and app, IP66, CE) records per-user sessions at a single bay. For a shared bay serving several owners, the EV-AC03201T dual-connector AC station (two Type 2 connectors, up to 43 kW shared, OCPP 1.6J, RFID, IP54) keeps the same records for two cars at once. Our explainer on RFID and user management for shared chargers shows how that reporting works in practice.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does condo approval take?
There is no standard period. It follows your building’s rhythm — a committee that reviews monthly, a board that meets quarterly — plus how complete the first application is. A complete pack is the only part of the timing you control.
Can the board approve a shared charger instead of my private one?
Yes, and boards often prefer it: one shared unit in the common garage, with per-user records, answers the fairness question for every future applicant at once. Expect the cost and billing model to be the board’s main conditions.
My parking space is deeded with my unit. Is approval simpler?
Partly. A deeded space settles whose parking it is, but the circuit still crosses common infrastructure and draws on a shared supply, so the electrical and metering fields of the application remain. An assigned or common space adds the space itself to what consent must cover.
Related Reading
- Apartment and Condo EV Charging: Solutions for Shared Parking
- RFID and User Management for Shared EV Chargers
- How to Charge an EV When You Live in an Apartment
- Can I Have an Electric Car Charger at Home? Houses, Rentals and Condos
