Hi,
I am a landlord. My tenant wants to install Electric Vehicle charging point in the property.
Their electricity supplier is Scottish Power and they asked the tenant to get a letter from the landlord saying landlord happy to install the EV charger. Tenant said he will pay the cost to do the installation.
Is there is any problem allowing tenants to install EV charger in the property?
Who will be responsible for maintaining it?
What will happen after the tenant moves out, if he does not move to his new property?
IIRC, that previous post was more about the logistics as it wasn’t straightforward.
I’ve got an EV charger and as I know it costs about £1,000 to purchase and install, I’d bite my T’s hand off if they said they wanted to pay for one to be installed as it’s not the kind of thing that they can take with them. It also requires no maintenance. Once they move out, you can market the property with an extra feature and charge accordingly. I assume you have a driveway and a place to put the charger e.g. on a wall near the garage or somewhere convenient.
So here’s my advice…
Make sure this is a T you want for the long haul because this is the kind of improvement that a T who wants to really make the place their home asks for.
Find out from T exactly what kind of charger they’re wanting to install e.g. is it tethered or not, what speed it charges at etc.
Make sure the T understands that it remains at the property if they leave and get them to sign paperwork to this effect. One copy for each of you.
Talk directly to the company doing the install before money changes hands to verify how the wiring will work etc.
If you decide to go ahead, let your insurance/mortgage companies know that a) it’s going ahead and when and b) that it’s been installed. Shouldn’t affect your policy at all but wise to let them know.
get all the paperwork involved (commissioning certs, electrical certs, invoices, proof of payment, guarantee etc.)
Its not a kind of separate object, it is part of your home electrical system, so you need to consider some consequences. Other people mentioned other aspects, so i will just say what is your main fuse capacity? 80amp, 100amp? Because the charger takes 13 , so if its 80 and depending on what other appliances you have then it might cause overloads and you’d be better upgrading to 100 first. A lot of people already running close to max capacity.
Hi,
Is there a way to find out the main fuse capacity - whether it is 80 or 100 amp?
It is not too old.
The tenant is with Scottish Powder and I hope they are supplying and installing the EV charger.
Thanks
It’s going to be installed by a qualified installer not someone you’ve never met on this forum. They’re going to do it properly. No one here has the faintest idea how to install it correctly so you’re best asking them whether any of your electrics will need upgrading. If they do, then you’re getting a free upgrade so I’d say it’s worth it.
You need to speak to national grid or whosoever supplies the electric cables in your area
It’s based on a principle of diversity
They will calculate maximum usage if everything that is a 13a appliance is switched on ( oven , washing machine, dryer etc etc)
They will then see if you are at risk of overloading or not
If it’s over 80a then they may advise you to switch up
If it’s not it at the level they advise to keep going and call if it becomes a problem
Have you really had an EV charger installed in your property @A_A?
I have and I had to do none of the things you are suggesting. If it needed to be done, it was done by the installer and that was between them and the supplier.
No I haven’t had an ev charger added to my property .
I wouldn’t waste my money on an electric car. Lithium mining is more damaging to the planet that fossil fuel !
( the country does not have enough power if every household had an EV , but this government… )
However , you write:-
‘no one has the faintest idea how to install it properly ‘
I don’t know how to install an EV charger but I do know about the principle of diversity and it should be considered
It may not apply to your property but one really should consider it in a rental.
In HMOs the load can be above 80-100 a
In the old days the house was 100 a . Now , if the fuse is replaced, they reduce it to 80a.
In an HMO you may have a large oven , two fridges, washing machine tumble dryer ( several in fact ) and electric showers .
I’ve recently added two en-suites with electric showers in an HMO
Normally I would add 10.5 kw electric showers but because of diversity I called national grid to discuss my options. They were the most reasonable and advised as I write in my previous post .
My electrician did not bother to discuss it with me . Why ? Well he’ll make money out of my problems !!
I’m not an electrician but I have a ‘faint idea ‘of diversity ….
Your electrician may not have needed to raise it but should have considered it , especially considering how many appliances people use these days .
You may charge your vehicle overnight so it may be the only thing running and diversity would not apply . Your tenant may work nights and may run it in the day when other people are showering and doing laundry etc etc.
One has to think of all circumstances in a rental and think laterally.
Unfortunately not all electricians consider this and I cannot afford for electrics to cut out because tenants overloaded usage because of my shortcoming .
One can deal with one’s own problems at leisure . One does not have that luxury in a rental . you’ll be calling an electrician in an emergency for overload , at premium, filling his coffers . Then he’ll tell you to reduce the power of the shower. When actually you need to increase the supply to the house !
Yes my electrician tried to do that …. He’s not my electrician anymore !
Hi Graham, charger takes 32 amps. About the same as an electric shower. Installer should conduct pre-installation survey to determine if any changes are required. Often a second consumer unit will be needed.
My daughter plugs her elec car into a 13 amp socket overnight at a very cheap rate. Slower though to fully charge up Certain renters of a property can get a grant towards the cost
