What can I do if the community will not give access to the meter room for my EV charger?

When the community will not open the meter room

With most chargers in communal garages, the cable starts at your own meter, in the building’s meter room (centralización de contadores). So if the community (comunidad de propietarios) will not give access, the installation is blocked. It helps to know that the law is on your side.

What the law says

Article 17.5 of the Horizontal Property Law (Ley de Propiedad Horizontal) states that installing a charging point for private use in an individual parking space only requires prior notice to the community. And the Spanish Supreme Court, in its ruling of 1 December 2025, made clear that no authorisation is needed even if the cable runs through common areas, unless the impact is unnecessary or disproportionate.

Recommended steps

1. Written prior notice to the president or the property administrator, stating the space, the charger, the power, the cable route and the registered electrical contractor.
2. A reasonable period. The law sets none, but it is usual practice to allow about 30 days for the community to provide access and the plans.
3. A formal demand by burofax (a certified letter with proof of content) if there is no reply or a refusal, asking for a specific date for access.
4. An administrative complaint or court action if the refusal continues. The courts are ruling in favour of the owner.

What the community can require

• That a registered electrical contractor does the installation.
• That the cable routes and fire compartments are respected.
• That any common elements affected are put back.
• That the electricity comes from your meter, never from the community’s.

Offering all of this in writing from the start usually unblocks the situation.

Technical alternatives

If the dispute drags on, it may be possible to supply the charger from your home’s fuse board, if it is close to the garage, or to request a separate meter for the space (scheme 3), although that also needs room in the meter room. We assess it during the technical visit.

When to call an electrician

From the outset: we prepare the notice with all the technical details the community needs and visit the meter room. In Seville, Spain, we handle it through EV charger installation in communal garages and work on meter rooms through our homeowners associations services.