Apartment and Strata EV Charger Installation.

EV Charging for Apartments and Townhouses in Inner North Brisbane

Charging an EV when you live in a strata-titled apartment or multi-unit townhouse is a different job entirely from installing a wall charger in a freestanding house. There's no single garage you own outright, there are common property rules to follow, and the electrical infrastructure is usually shared. We work through all of that, so you end up with a reliable, compliant charger you can actually use every day.

What the Work Actually Involves

The physical job varies depending on your building, but here's what's typically on the table.

Dedicated circuit from your switchboard. Your EV charger needs its own circuit, separate from general power and lighting. In an apartment building, that circuit often needs to run from a sub-board in a basement carpark or from your individual apartment's distribution board, depending on how the building is wired.

Cabling run to your parking space. This is usually the most labour-intensive part. Cable has to travel from the board to your allocated space, sometimes along conduit routes that already exist, sometimes through new conduit we install. Basement carparks with concrete ceilings can add complexity and cost.

Wall charger or bollard installation. Most apartment setups use a wall-mounted Level 2 charger (typically 7.2 kW or 22 kW, three-phase where available) or a freestanding bollard if wall mounting isn't practical. Smart chargers with app control and load balancing are worth considering here, especially in buildings where multiple residents may eventually charge.

Metering and sub-metering. In some buildings, we install a sub-meter so your charging consumption is measured separately from common property electricity. This matters for billing, especially if body corporate electricity supplies your carpark.

Strata liaison and documentation. We prepare the technical information you'll need to support your body corporate application. We don't manage the approval process on your behalf, but we can explain what's usually required and answer questions from a strata manager's electrician or building manager.

When You Need This Service

If you've bought or leased an EV and you live in an apartment or townhouse with an allocated carpark in Newstead, Teneriffe, New Farm, Bowen Hills or anywhere else in our Inner North cluster, this is the service you need. Relying on a three-pin GPO (standard power point) in a carpark is slow, typically adds only 10-15 km of range per hour, and is not a long-term solution for most EV drivers.

The right time to arrange installation is before you take delivery of your vehicle if possible. There can be lead time involved once you factor in body corporate approval, so starting early avoids the frustration of having a car you can't charge at home.

What It Costs in Brisbane

For apartment and townhouse EV charger installation, a realistic budget is typically $1,800 to $4,500, and sometimes higher in complex buildings. Several things move that number.

• Cable run length. A short run from a nearby sub-board costs far less than pulling cable 30 or 40 metres through a concrete carpark.
• Conduit work. New surface-mounted conduit or core drilling through concrete adds time and materials.
• Sub-metering requirements. Adding a sub-meter is an extra cost but is often necessary for accurate billing.
• Charger model. A smart, app-controlled unit costs more upfront than a basic fixed-rate charger, but typically adds value if you're planning to stay long-term or want solar integration later.
• Access conditions. If the carpark has restricted access hours or requires a building manager on site, that can affect the job schedule.

What's in Our Quote and What Isn't

Our quotes include labour, the charger unit (the model we agree on), conduit and cabling for the agreed run, all required electrical fittings, and a Certificate of Compliance (electrical safety certificate) on completion.

What typically sits outside a standard quote: any body corporate application fees (those go to your strata manager), structural work such as cutting penetrations through fire-rated walls (which may need a separate contractor), and any upgrades to the building's main switchboard if that turns out to be necessary.

We'll flag anything like that before we start.

Is This the Right Service for Your Property?

This service suits you if you own or rent in a strata-titled apartment or townhouse and have an allocated parking space that's either in a basement, undercover, or on a private title. If you own a freestanding house, our standard home EV charger installation is the more straightforward option. If your switchboard (at apartment or house level) is old and undersized, we may recommend a switchboard upgrade first or combine both into one job.

A Straight Note on Safety and Qualifications

EV charger installation is licensed electrical work in Queensland. It must be done by a licensed electrical contractor and completed with a Certificate of Compliance issued under the Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld). We're licensed and we issue that certificate on every job. If anyone quotes you EV charger installation without mentioning compliance documentation, that's worth querying before you proceed.

If you're at the stage of planning your body corporate application or you've already got approval and just need an installer, give us a call. We can talk through your building's setup and give you a clear idea of what the job looks like before you commit to anything.