One-in-five homes could benefit from new rental home car charger grants

Landlords, tenants and flat owners can now benefit from a grant that will make it easier to fit an electric vehicle charger in rented properties.

The original home charger grant was discontinued in March, but has been replaced by a new offer that targets rental properties and flats. It provides a £350 discount on chargers and could be of benefit to one-in-five properties.

Being able to charge at home is a big positive in EV ownership, but it is rare to find chargers installed on rented properties because tenants cannot make changes to a property without permission and landlords have little incentive to fit them.

However, the new scheme reduces the cost of entry for both landlords and tenants, potentially future-proofing properties as EV uptake increases and more buyers plan to make the switch.

This year, there are around 460,000 EVs on UK roads with data from industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders indicating over 77,000 EVs have been registered so far this year. This is up 88 per cent on the same period in 2021, despite overall sales being down about five per cent.

Danny Morgan, editor and marketing manager at Smart Home Charge said: “The new EV Chargepoint Grants for landlords, tenants and flat owners are exciting, as they help open up the UK rental market to affordable home electric car charging.

“It’s also very well-timed too, as there are more and more EVs on UK roads and many people, particularly younger individuals who rent homes, want to make the switch from petrol and diesel-powered vehicles.”

EV chargepoint retailer and installer Smart Home Charge says it is working with rental property provider Annington to install chargers for tenants.

Gary Smith, property manager at Annington, said: “We’ve seen a huge increase in interest in EVs from our tenants, who are now actively looking for properties that have chargers in place, so their homes are ‘EV ready’.

“That’s why Annington is working with Smart Home Charge to install charge points at a number of its properties, so they can be used by existing tenants but also future-proofed for those who are yet to make the shift to an electric vehicle.”