Charging a company car in rented or jointly owned housing: plan consent and implementation
A home charger for a company car can in principle also be planned for a rented home or an apartment owners' association. Parking space use, consent for building work, electricity supply and employer reimbursement must fit together. Only order the hardware once it is clear who decides on the work and which technical approach can be implemented in the building.
Fleet management's main task is coordination. The employer knows the vehicle and reimbursement requirements; the landlord or apartment owners' association decides on the permitted building work. This article explains the process in Germany, with the legal position as of 24 September 2026.
First clarify the right to use the parking space
Start with a simple question: Does the employee have a specific parking space where they can charge on an ongoing basis? Check whether it belongs to the apartment, is rented separately or is available only for shared use. An available parking spot in front of the house is different from an assigned charging space in an underground garage.
Mark the affected areas on a site plan: parking space, wall, cable route, plant room and meter area. This shows whether the installation affects only one area or passes through shared parts of the building. This preparation makes coordination much easier than simply sending a charger brochure.
If there is no specific parking space, first investigate a shared charging solution or another reliable source of charging. A right to a particular building alteration does not automatically answer every question about parking rights and availability.
Distinguish tenants from apartment owners
Under section 554 of the German Civil Code (BGB) , tenants can in principle require their landlord to permit building alterations for charging electrically powered vehicles. However, the provision includes a reasonableness limit and allows for special security to be provided. It does not give permission to start work without agreement.
Under section 20(2) of the German Apartment Ownership Act (WEG) , apartment owners can request reasonable building alterations for charging. A resolution must be adopted on implementation. In a rented apartment within an owners' association, the relationship between tenant and landlord must therefore be coordinated with the association's decision-making level.
The employer paying the costs does not change these responsibilities. The employer can support documentation and financing, but should not confuse the authorised tenant's or owner's decision with its own approval of an order.
Prepare a complete decision package
Present the relevant parties with an understandable proposal rather than an isolated device model. It should describe the location, cable route, electricity connection, power requirements, metering, access rules and subsequent operation. A qualified electrical contractor can assess the technical conditions on site.
Add the employer's requirements in understandable terms. These might include clear allocation of company car energy and a suitable exportable record. Avoid committing prematurely to a particular brand if the building already has an overarching load management or access arrangement.
Component | Why it is needed |
|---|---|
Parking space and cable route plan | Identify the scope of building work |
Technical connection concept | Assess available power and expandability |
Metering and billing model | Allocate responsibilities to household, building operator and employer |
Responsibilities and costs | Define operation and later changes |
Schedule | Coordinate vehicle handover with implementation |
Arrangements when moving out | Prepare for later handover or removal |
The package does not have to anticipate every technical detail. It should, however, identify all open decisions so that consent is not based on unclear assumptions.
Check the existing building plan before choosing an individual solution
Other residents in an underground garage may also need charging. A single charger that works independently today may later conflict with a shared expansion. Ask whether there is already a plan for connection capacity, cable routes, load management or operator services.
This does not mean every employee has to wait for every parking space to be equipped. An initial phase that fits technically and organisationally into the later overall plan may be sensible. What matters is discussing that development before ordering.
Also check data access. If a building service provider manages the chargers, the employer does not necessarily need direct access to each one. It does, however, need the records required by the selected method to be reliably available. Ask to see the actual data flow in advance.
Decide who buys and bills the electricity
A charger connected to the household's own electricity supply is different from one on a shared connection with separate billing for users. The latter may involve additional charges and a different invoice issuer. Employer reimbursement must reflect the actual contractual and cost arrangements.
With shared use, it is particularly important to establish how charging sessions are allocated to users and vehicles. The AGME technical guidance on metering for reimbursement shows why a simple stationary individual case cannot be transferred to every usage arrangement. Agree the metering setup with the provider and reimbursement with the responsible team.
Explicitly record in the approval which documents will be available each month. A building service charge statement, a charging report and an electricity bill may serve different purposes. None should be treated as complete evidence for the employer simply because of its heading.
Allocate investment and ongoing costs deliberately
The question of costs must be answered separately from consent for building work. Section 21 WEG governs costs and use of building alterations and covers different arrangements. A right to a measure does not mean that all owners must always share its costs.
For the company, distinguish the purchase, installation, necessary building work, ongoing operation and later changes. Define which items the company wants to pay for and the budget approved for them. Unresolved additional work must be reconsidered before it is commissioned.
Also consider a move out of the property. An agreement on use and costs of the charger should explain what is to happen to installed components and ongoing contracts. Have specific contractual clauses checked professionally rather than assuming a general obligation to remove equipment in every living situation.
Plan vehicle handover with an interim solution
Do not automatically equate the first business journey with the date the charger will be operational. The owners' decision, technical review and installation dates must be coordinated. Document milestones and identify who reports delays to fleet management.
Until final approval, the driver needs a working charging plan at the workplace or on the public network. The existing article on charging strategies for EV fleets helps connect these charging locations. Then check the first home charging session all the way through to a complete reimbursement record before treating the new solution as finished.
For the employer, StromNow home charging for company cars provides a starting point. Discuss your rental or apartment owners' association case with StromNow and bring the parking rights, current status of discussions with owners and existing building technology. This allows the charging solution to be planned around the actual conditions.
Frequently asked questions
Can a landlord refuse a company car home charger outright?
Under section 554 of the German Civil Code (BGB) , tenants in Germany can in principle require permission for building alterations for charging. However, this right is subject to a reasonableness limit. It does not permit installation without agreement and does not automatically resolve all questions about parking spaces. Provide a specific proposal covering location, cable route, technology and costs, and clarify consent before commissioning work.
Does an apartment owners' association have to approve the desired charger and pay all costs?
A right to reasonable charging infrastructure does not automatically mean approval of every desired configuration or shared payment of costs. Under section 20(2) of the German Apartment Ownership Act (WEG) , a resolution must be adopted on implementation; section 21 WEG governs costs and use in different arrangements. Clarify the building plan, cost allocation and usage rights separately. The employer paying the costs does not replace the necessary decisions by the owners.
What if the employer proposes a different charger from the building's plan?
First bring the requirements together before either side orders hardware. The employer needs suitable vehicle allocation and records; the building may have requirements for connection, load management and operator services. Have it checked whether a suitable configuration or data flow can meet both sets of needs. A particular brand or model should not become a reason for rejection without review if the required functions can reliably be delivered in another way.
Which documents speed up coordination with the landlord and employer?
Prepare parking rights, a site and cable route plan, the existing building concept and requirements for metering and reimbursement. Add responsibilities, cost limits, planned operation and arrangements when moving out. The electrical contractor assesses the technical conditions. For vehicle handover, there should also be a workplace or public charging plan in case consent and installation have not yet been completed.