A charger in a building: the assembly's decision

A charger whose cable runs through the common parts of the building requires a decision of the residents' assembly, as a rule by a simple majority of those present.

Translated from Serbian. Where the exact wording matters, the Serbian original applies.

Residents of a building talk in the entrance hall about a proposal for a charger
  • An assembly decision is needed when the cable to your space passes through common parts of the building
  • A simple majority of the votes of those present is enough; 2/3 of all votes is required only for disposing of common parts
  • Quorum: a majority of all votes, and at a repeat meeting 1/3
  • From request to installation, realistically 4–10 weeks; the installation itself takes one day

When a decision is needed

The question is always the same: where the cable runs and whose meter the electricity comes from.

  • Your own garage with its own meter, and the cable stays inside it: by law no decision is needed. Still, inform the building manager in writing and keep the test certificate.
  • Your space, cable through common parts (the garage area, a common wall, a shared distribution board): an assembly decision is needed.
  • A shared space that is not your separate unit: an individual request rarely succeeds. The realistic route is a solution for the whole garage: one circuit, several spaces and metering per user, at no cost to the building.

For a rented garage, you need the owner's written consent, not the assembly: a charger in a rented garage.

Details: what the regulations say

Law on Housing and Building Maintenance

  • Art. 12, para. 1, item 3: the owner alters their separate unit “without encroaching… on the common parts of the building… except with authorisation obtained for such actions”.
  • Art. 44: decisions are made “by a simple majority of the votes of the members present”. Two thirds of all votes are required for “disposing of the common parts of the building, entrusting management to a professional manager and taking on loans”.
  • Art. 45: the quorum is “a simple majority of the total number of votes”. Without a quorum, the meeting is called again no earlier than three and no later than 30 days later, and the quorum is then “1/3 of the total number of votes”.

As a rule, a charger is not a disposal of common parts: nothing is sold, let or alienated. If the building manager still asks for 2/3 of all votes, the meeting needs better preparation. The owners' rules may set additional conditions.

Energy Law, Article 210v regulates charging in public places. No licence is needed for your own car in a garage, and reimbursing electricity by the meter is re-invoicing of costs, not a sale: who pays for the electricity.

The Rulebook on technical norms for the fire safety of garages (Official Gazette of RS 31/2024 and 59/2025) also covers charging points in garages. Charging is regulated, not prohibited: it requires a dedicated installation and protection.

The electrical installation is carried out by an authorised contractor to the SRPS HD 60364-7-722 standard, with testing and a test certificate. The building manager has the right to ask for the test certificate.

Three questions at the meeting

The assembly rarely rejects the charger itself; what it rejects is unclear billing and unclear liability. Give the answers in writing, in the specification, before the meeting.

  • Who pays for the electricity? You do, exactly as much as you use. From your flat's meter, the building pays nothing. From the shared meter: a MID-certified meter, reimbursement at the price on the building's bill, with no markup, and a monthly statement for the building manager.
  • Who is liable? You are. That is why the work is done by an authorised contractor, with a dedicated circuit, type A + DC RCD protection and a test certificate for the building manager. A liability insurance policy costs less than the neighbours think.
  • What if everyone wants one? The first charger is installed so that it does not block the next ones, and a smart charger with dynamic load management does not trip the breakers. When more people are interested, there is a solution for the whole garage.

Step by step

Professional building managers recommend a similar sequence.

  1. On-site assessment: where the nearest power supply is, whose meter it is, where the cable can go, what capacity the connection has and whether there is three-phase power. It takes 30 minutes and gives an exact price and a technical description of the installation. You write the text of the decision using the template below.
  2. A technical specification on one page.
  3. A written request to the building manager. An email is enough.
  4. The meeting. Come in person and answer the three questions.
  5. Decision and minutes. Ask for a copy of the minutes: it is your permanent proof.
  6. Installation in one day and a test certificate. The building manager receives a copy of the test certificate.
  7. Monthly billing, if the electricity comes from the shared meter.
Details: what goes into the specification, the request and the decision
  • Specification: what is being installed (device, power), where the cable runs and how it is fixed, what protection (type A RCD + DC, circuit breaker), whose meter the electricity comes from and how it is measured, who carries out the work and who pays. This is the document residents actually read.
  • Request: a request for consent, the specification attached and a proposed agenda item. If the next regular meeting is not coming up soon, ask for the item to be added to the very next one or for an extraordinary meeting to be called. Convening a meeting takes 7–15 days.
  • Meeting: no speeches about electric cars. Offer to have the answers to the three questions written into the decision.
  • The decision states who is given consent, for which space, what is being installed, who pays for the work, how the electricity is metered and reimbursed, who maintains the installation and that the test certificate goes to the building manager.
Template: agenda item and draft decision

Fill in the square brackets with your details. The building manager adapts the text to your building's rules.

Proposed agenda item

“Granting consent to the owner of separate unit [flat no. __ / garage no. __] to set up an electric vehicle charging installation in parking space / garage no. __, at their own expense, in accordance with the attached technical specification.”

Draft decision

1. The residents' assembly of the homeowners' association at [address] gives consent to [full name], owner of separate unit [no. __], to set up, at their own expense, an electric vehicle charging installation with a power of up to [__] kW in parking space / garage no. [__], in accordance with the technical specification dated [date], which forms an integral part of this decision.

2. The work is carried out by an authorised contractor in accordance with the applicable technical regulations. On completion of the work, the owner provides the building manager with the test certificate (test report) for the installation.

3. The installation's electricity consumption is measured by a separate MID-certified meter. The owner pays for the energy consumed [to the homeowners' association — at the price on the supplier's bill, with no surcharge, on the basis of a monthly statement / to the supplier — through their own meter].

4. The owner maintains the installation at their own expense and is liable for any damage arising from its use. The installation must not endanger the safety of the building or the power supply to the common parts.

5. This consent does not change property rights over the common parts of the building and does not prevent other owners from requesting consent under the same conditions.

If the assembly says “no”

Ask why. The reason is almost always one of four: who will pay for it, that it is dangerous, cables all over the garage, or “then everyone will want one”. Each has an answer on paper: the meter, the test certificate, a neatly routed cable and a plan for the whole garage.

A blanket ban on charging has no basis in the regulations, but the assembly may turn down a specific request. A second attempt, with a written specification, often goes better than the first, verbal one. Instead of “may I”, propose “how will we”: a solution for the whole garage in which each user pays for their own space and their own electricity.

FAQ

Is design documentation or a building permit needed?

Not for a single charger on an existing installation: that is installation work by an authorised contractor, with a test certificate. A larger system (a new circuit from the building's supply connection, several spaces, a new distribution board) may need a decision approving the works under Article 145 of the Law on Planning and Construction, through the CEOP portal, with a designer.

Can the building manager approve it alone, without a meeting?

No. The building manager implements the assembly's decisions and runs the procedure, but authorisation for works on common parts is given by the assembly. Send the manager a ready-made text of the agenda item and the decision.

May the building charge a fee for a cable through a common part?

The assembly may set conditions: that the installation be removable, neatly routed and certified. It may not sell you electricity with a markup: electricity is reimbursed by the meter at the price on the bill. Anything beyond that is a matter for the building manager and a lawyer.

New build: who gives consent while the developer still runs the building?

Until the homeowners' association has been formed, consent is given by the developer as the owner of the common parts. In new buildings, garages often already have conduits in place or reserved capacity, so ask for the garage's electrical installation design.

Featured

Evolako installs chargers in buildings and garages with a MID-certified meter, plus monthly electricity billing at the price on the EPS bill and templates for the residents' assembly. evolako.rs

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Updated 07.09.2026 · Report an error

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