Condominium Act: Finally Charging at Home as a Tenant

The decision by the Federal Cabinet to reform the Condominium Act was unanimously welcomed by the industry. According to the decision, both condominium owners and tenants will in the future have a legal right to install a charging facility for an electric vehicle.

“We welcome that the cabinet has also initiated the important reform of home ownership laws. Despite the historic challenge posed by the coronavirus, we remain firmly focused on the goal of helping e-mobility make a breakthrough,” said Reinhard Zirpel, President of the Association of International Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (VDIK).

He attaches decisive importance to private charging infrastructure. Surveys of e-car buyers have shown that the ability to charge at home is a crucial prerequisite for purchasing an electric car. To achieve the goal of around 10 million electric cars by 2030 in Germany, the automotive industry estimates that 8 to 11 million private charging points will be required. Not only does the VDIK currently see German rental and home ownership law as a central obstacle to the installation of private charging points.

Cumbersome apparatus: E-mobility could be in a much better position

The decision was also met with fundamentally positive feedback from the Federal Association of eMobility (BEM). However, this was linked to a reference to the long-standing and cumbersome disputes:

“E-mobility in Germany could be in a much better position if changes were not delayed by authorities and between departments as was the case with this Home Ownership Modernization Act,” criticized BEM President Kurt Sigl on the way to the Federal Government's decision.

It was pointed out that e-cars are charged 80 percent of the time at home or at work. Tenants and individual parties in multi-family houses therefore need a secure way to install charging facilities if they want to charge their new e-car. But instead of expediting reforms and providing end customers with certainty, the topic has been “lost” between the responsibilities of the Ministries of Transport, Economics, and Justice, as Sigl put it. This occurred in the context of impending fines for car manufacturers due to CO2 values.

Demand for practical implementation: Include energy suppliers

Based on this experience, the association is now advocating for a practical implementation of the new regulations. These should also include energy suppliers and the regulatory environment such as building authorities, the BEM argues. Administrative actions should be carried out in the spirit of the climate package and favor the introduction of renewable energies. Furthermore, they are suggesting the implementation of the 2018 EU Building Energy Efficiency Directive and the realization of the quotas for charging points contained therein.

“As soon as this country can work again after Corona, it will need a clear course. The Federal Government should focus on e-mobility and offer the industry the necessary political support,” Sigl appealed.