EV charger grant for renters and flat owners: who qualifies
The EV charger grant for renters and flat owners gives up to £500 towards a home chargepoint in its final year. Who qualifies, and how to apply.
Electrical ExchangePublished · Updated · 7 min read
The quick answer
Yes, there's an EV charger grant for renters: OZEV's grant for renters and flat owners gives 75% off the cost to buy and install a chargepoint socket, up to a maximum of £500. You qualify if you rent and live in any residential property, or own and live in a flat, and you have your own private off-street parking. You apply yourself, and an OZEV-authorised installer fits the charger and claims the grant once you're confirmed.
The EV charger grant for renters and flat owners is run by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV), and its home and workplace chargepoint grants have been extended for a final year, with funding confirmed until 31 March 2027.
Here’s who qualifies, what you’ll need, how applying works since the April 2026 changes, and where we come in. Households with on-street parking only, landlords and workplaces have their own schemes, which our guide to EV charger grants and funding covers.
How much is the EV charger grant for renters?
The grant gives 75% off the cost to buy and install a chargepoint socket at your property, up to a maximum of £500. On 1 April 2026 the maximum rate for residents rose from £350 to £500 per socket, and residents can apply for one socket. You’re only eligible for one grant.
You don’t wait for the money to come back to you. The installer deducts the grant from your invoice before claiming it from OZEV, so you just pay the discounted price.
Who qualifies for the EV charger grant for renters and flat owners
You can apply if you either:
- own and live in a flat, or
- rent and live in any residential property, including properties under the shared ownership scheme.
You also need:
- private off-street parking: a designated, private space, either with the property or separate from it, that you have a legal entitlement to and can access at all times,
- to live there: you must be a resident at the property, and it has to be in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland,
- an eligible electric vehicle: a plug-in battery electric or hybrid vehicle that you’re the registered keeper of, lease, have as a company car or are named by your employer as the primary user of, or one you’ve ordered that will arrive within 3 months. You’ll need to show your installer proof.
| Your situation | Does this grant cover you? |
|---|---|
| You rent a house or flat and have private off-street parking | Yes |
| You own and live in a flat with private off-street parking | Yes |
| You rent through a shared ownership scheme | Yes |
| You own and live in a house | No |
| You’re a lodger in someone else’s home | No |
| You only have on-street parking | No, but see the on-street parking grant |
| You’re moving house, or planning to | No |
| Your charger is already installed | No |
The exclusion for owners covers a house you own, not a flat that’s part of a house, so a flat in a converted house can still qualify. You also can’t apply if you’ve already claimed this grant or the schemes before it, the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme and the Domestic Recharge Scheme, or if the chargepoint is a mandatory requirement, for example on some new or renovated buildings.
If your lease comes with a charger
Some vehicle leases bundle a chargepoint in with the car. The grant can still apply, but the scheme sets conditions: the lease has to state that you own the chargepoint once payment is complete, itemise the cost of the chargepoint and its installation including VAT, make sure the chargepoint warranty meets the grant’s requirements, and run for at least 6 months.
OZEV may also audit your application or your installation to check it meets the grant’s requirements, including before the application is approved, so keep your paperwork together.
Parking: what counts
The scheme is specific about parking. The space has to be designated and private, and you must be able to show a legal entitlement to it and access it at all times. It can be next to your home or separate from it. The scheme also asks your installer to assess whether the space lets an electric vehicle charge safely, which is part of our free survey.
If you only have on-street parking, this isn’t the grant for you. A separate grant for households with on-street parking also gives up to £500, but it needs a permanent cross-pavement charging solution and your local highways authority’s consent.
Ready to talk it through? Book a free EV charger survey and we’ll check your parking, your consumer unit and your supply, and give you the fixed quote you’ll need for your application.
How to apply for the EV charger grant as a renter or flat owner
Since 1 April 2026, you apply yourself on the government’s new grant platform, and your installer claims the grant after fitting the charger. In order:
- Get permission first. Any third-party permissions needed to install the chargepoint, such as from a landlord, a freeholder or the managing agent of a block of flats, must be obtained before you apply. OZEV may ask to see them at any time.
- Get a quote from an OZEV-authorised installer.
- Apply. Select “Start new application” on the grant’s page, create an account and submit details of your property and your vehicle.
- Upload your documents (listed below).
- Wait for OZEV. OZEV initially estimates up to 10 working days to assess applications on the new platform. If you’re eligible, it emails you and your installer with the terms of the grant and instructions on starting the installation.
- Have the charger installed once you’re confirmed, never before.
- Let the installer claim the grant, with details of your chargepoint, photos of the installation and a copy of your invoice showing the total cost minus the grant. OZEV then pays the grant to the installer.
The documents you’ll need
If you rent, you’ll need:
- a signed and dated tenancy agreement,
- a utility bill less than 3 months old, showing your name and the address where the chargepoint will go,
- a quote from an OZEV-authorised installer.
If you’re in a shared ownership scheme without a tenancy agreement, you’ll need a letter from your housing provider confirming that you pay rent. If you live in armed services accommodation, a Ministry of Defence licence to occupy takes the place of the tenancy agreement.
If you own your flat, you’ll need a utility bill less than 3 months old showing your name and address, and the installer’s quote. If your vehicle is on order, add your order form.
| Step | Who does it |
|---|---|
| Landlord, freeholder or managing agent permission | You |
| A quote from an OZEV-authorised installer | Us, after a free survey |
| The application and documents | You, on the government’s grant platform |
| The eligibility decision | OZEV, by email to you and your installer |
| Installing the charger | Us, once you’re confirmed |
| Photos, invoice and the grant claim | Us |
Where we come in
We’re an OZEV-approved installer, and every job starts with a free survey of your parking, your consumer unit and your supply. If the consumer unit needs bringing up to date first, a consumer unit upgrade from our electricians goes into the same fixed quote. The same in-house team takes on our Christchurch electrical jobs and consumer unit upgrades in Highcliffe, and they’re the electricians covering Poole too.
That quote is the one you’ll upload with your application. Once OZEV has confirmed you’re eligible, we fit the charger, take the grant straight off your invoice and handle the claim, including the photos OZEV asks for: a close-up of the chargepoint, one showing its model and serial number, one with its parking space, and a wide view of the building or space around it.
We’re based in Christchurch and cover EV charger installation across Dorset and Hampshire. Closer to home, that includes our work as EV charger installers in Christchurch and home EV charging in Poole. Our guide to how long EV charger installation takes explains what happens on the day itself. Our surveys are free and carried out by our own team for every job, whether it’s a charger or a solar panel survey.
Don’t leave the EV charger grant for renters too late
Funding is confirmed for this final year only, and the government reserves the right to end or change the scheme. If it does, it aims to give 4 weeks’ notice. Because OZEV has to confirm your eligibility before the charger goes in, it pays to start early. If you rent or own a flat and want to use the EV charger grant for renters and flat owners, book a free survey and we’ll get your quote ready.
Questions we're often asked
- Can I get the grant if I own a house with a driveway?
- No. This grant is for people who rent, or who own and live in a flat, and the scheme lists living in a house you own as a reason you can't apply. The exclusion is for houses, not for a flat that's part of a converted house.
- Do I need my landlord's permission?
- If the landlord's, freeholder's or managing agent's permission is needed to install the chargepoint, you have to get it before you apply for the grant, and OZEV can ask you to show it at any time. Sort that out first, then get your installer's quote.
- What if I rent but only have on-street parking?
- This grant needs your own private off-street parking. Households with on-street parking only have a separate grant, also up to £500, which needs a permanent cross-pavement charging solution and your local highways authority's consent. Our grants and funding guide covers that scheme.
- Can I claim the grant after the charger is fitted?
- No. The chargepoint must not be installed before OZEV confirms you're eligible, and you can't apply for a chargepoint you've already had installed. Apply first, and book the installation once OZEV has emailed to confirm.
- How long does OZEV take to decide?
- OZEV's guidance says it initially estimates up to 10 working days to assess applications and claims on its new platform. You and your installer hear at the same time, and the email sets out the grant's terms and how to start the installation.
