EV chargers in condominiums in Portugal: rules and costs

An owner can install an electric car charger in their space in the building's garage without needing the authorisation of the owners' meeting. They pay for the installation and the electricity they use, meet the technical requirements and, where the installation is in a common area or passes through one, notify the condominium management in writing at least 30 days in advance. The condominium can only object in the cases provided for by law (Article 23 of Decree-Law 93/2025, which approved the new legal regime for electric mobility).

What the law says

A new regime since 2025

For years, the matter was governed by Decree-Law 39/2010, amended by Decree-Law 90/2014. Decree-Law 93/2025 of 14 August repealed it and approved a new legal regime for electric mobility, in line with Regulation (EU) 2023/1804.

For condominiums, the logic has stayed the same: the right to install belongs to the owner, and the scope for saying no is narrow.

Who can install and on what conditions

Article 23 of DL 93/2025 allows charging points to be installed in existing buildings by any owner, at their own expense, in parking spaces, provided the technical requirements set out in a ministerial order (portaria) are met.

Tenants of a unit should check whether the right also applies to them and, in any case, obtain the landlord's written authorisation before going ahead.

Prior notice is required whenever the installation is in a common area or passes through one, even if it is a common area reserved for the owner's exclusive use, as is the case with many garage spaces.

How to apply

1. Technical visit

Before writing to the condominium, ask a qualified installer to look at the site: where the power comes from, where the cables will run, how much power is available and what protection is needed.

2. Written notice to the management

Send the notice at least 30 days before the planned installation date. It should state:

• the unit and the parking space;
• the planned installation date;
• the cable route and the common areas crossed;
• whether the charger connects to the unit's meter or to the common services' distribution board;
• the equipment's power rating and technical data sheet;
• the installer's details.

Registered letter or email with confirmation of receipt: what matters is being able to prove the date it was sent.

3. The condominium's reply

The law sets a deadline for the condominium to respond. An objection must be reasoned and communicated in writing. If there is no valid objection, the owner can go ahead on the date given.

4. Installation and documents

Once the work is finished, give the management a copy of the installation documents for the building's records.

When the condominium can object

An objection is only possible in the cases provided for in Article 23 of DL 93/2025:

• the condominium installs, within 90 days, a shared charging point offering the same services and the same technology;
• the building already has an equivalent shared charging point;
• the installation poses a real risk to the safety of people or property.

Under the previous regime, harm to the building's architectural lines was also a ground for objection. There are differing readings of how the new regime deals with this point.

Outside the cases in the law, an objection is not valid. Phrases such as "the neighbours don't want it" or "it increases the fire risk" are not enough without a technical report showing it.

Who pays for the installation and the electricity

The installation

The installation is paid for by whoever carries it out: equipment, cables, protection and labour. It is worth putting in writing that restoring any common parts affected by the work is also at their expense.

The electricity

The principle is simple: whoever charges the car pays for the energy. The other owners should not bear, through the common expenses, the consumption of an individual charger.

Solution	How it works	What to bear in mind
Unit's meter	The charger connects to the owner's own meter; consumption goes on their electricity bill	This is the cleanest solution, but the meter is often far from the garage
Common services' board with metering	The charger connects to the common installation, with a sub-meter just for it; consumption is charged per kWh	Requires regular readings and an approved price per kWh

With the second solution, the price per kWh should reflect what the condominium actually pays: energy, contracted power, fees and taxes. The owners' meeting should approve it, record it in the minutes and review it when the tariff changes. In Condgest's software, each condominium with chargers has the price per kWh to be charged on record, and billing the consumption is a monthly task with a deadline.

An unpaid charging amount is a debt to the condominium like any other. See how to act in unpaid condominium fees.

Safety and the building's power supply

A charger draws several kilowatts for hours. In an older building, the common services' power supply was designed for the stairwell, the lift and the gate.

• Available power. The installer should confirm whether the contracted power and the existing installation can support the charger, and whether it needs to be increased.
• Several chargers. Where there is more than one, a dynamic load management system shares out the available power and avoids trips or unnecessary power increases.
• Technical rules. Electrical installations for charging points are subject to the regime of Decree-Law 96/2017 and the applicable technical rules, with a dedicated circuit and their own protection.
• Insurance. Tell the building's insurer that there are chargers in the garage.

In new buildings under the horizontal property (propriedade horizontal) regime, DL 93/2025 requires the design to include electrical infrastructure for charging (Article 22). The minimum power levels and technical rules are set out in Ministerial Order (Portaria) 128/2026/1 of 26 March.

What the owners' meeting can and cannot decide

It can

• Approve the price per kWh and how consumption is metered and charged, when the chargers connect to the common installation.
• Decide on shared infrastructure: a separate board for the garage, cables to each space and load management, to which each owner then connects their own charger. Works of this kind tend to be treated as improvements (inovações), which require approval by a majority of owners representing two thirds of the total value of the building (Article 1425 of the Civil Code).
• Install a shared charging point, which, if done within the legal deadline, allows it to object to individual installations.

When the condominium decides to object, the decision should be recorded in the minutes, be reasoned and reach the owner who applied in writing.

It cannot

• Ban the installation of chargers in the garage in general.
• Require the owners' meeting's authorisation as a precondition outside the legal grounds for objection.
• Make the other owners pay for the electricity of an individual charger.

To prepare the meeting, see our owners' meeting guide.

This article is for information only and does not replace legal advice on a specific case.

Chargers in your building?

At Condgest, every request is logged with a number, a person responsible and a deadline, and every resolution of the owners' meeting becomes a task followed through to the end. Request a proposal for your condominium.