Demised Bays VS Right to Park: Why It Matters for Your EV Charging Strategy
When it comes to installing EV infrastructure in apartment blocks, one of the most critical – yet often overlooked – factors is the legal nature of residents’ parking arrangements. A key part of the initial design process is understanding whether bays are demised (also known as allocated) or provided under a right to park.
Let’s break down what this means – and why it matters.
What Is a Demised (Allocated) Parking Bay?
A demised or allocated parking bay is one that is legally included within the leasehold title of a property. In simple terms, the bay “belongs” to the flat – much like a private driveway. The leaseholder (or their tenant) has exclusive rights to that specific space, and no one else can use it.
Key implications:
If the only place the Leaseholder or Tenant can park is this specific bay then their EV infrastructure must be situated in this location.
This will increase the anticipated scope of the project as a small number of EV chargers doesn’t help if you’re not allowed to park near them.
What Is a Right to Park?
A right to park means the resident has permission to park somewhere within the development, but not in a specific, fixed bay. These spaces are often shared, unallocated, and subject to availability. You might see this in buildings with first-come-first-served parking or communal car parks.
Key implications:
A shared area (or what we call an ‘EV Zone’) is likely the best solution as residents have the flexibility to park in this area when they need the service.
This EV Zone needs to be sized appropriately so that residents can adequately share the amenity without it becoming over crowded.
NOTE: It’s very possible that your parking facility has both Demised and Right to Park characteristics. It’s important to consult with an expert to accurately create a scope that balances cost anticipated driver behaviours and so on.
Why This Matters for Your EV Infrastructure
Understanding the type of parking arrangement in your building is essential to getting the scope of works right from day one. It impacts:
Design: Should we plan for individual chargers, communal charging points, or a hybrid model?
Permissions: Who needs to approve the works – individual leaseholders, the freeholder, or both?
Billing and Access: How will energy metering be managed, money collected and reporting completed?
Misjudging the parking type can lead to delays, disputes, or costly rework later down the line. At Cosmic Charging, we always start with a detailed review of the legal and practical parking setup to make sure your EV solution fits your building perfectly – now and in the future.
Did you know?
Very unhelpfully, many local planning conditions imposed on new build properties over the past 10 years were created without consideration of how bays are legally owned and used. Consequently many developments were built with EV chargers in demised parking bays that can’t then be used by the EV drivers at the property who don’t own a bay with a charger installed. What a mess…
Don’t worry though; the team at Cosmic have a long history of unpicking these situations to find the most cost effective means of improvement.
Our Recommendation
If you're considering EV charging for your apartment building, ask yourself (or your managing agent):
Do our residents have demised bays, or do they just have a right to park?
Once you know the answer (check your Lease if you’re not sure), we can help design a solution that works for your building, your residents, and your long-term sustainability goals.
🚀 Need help figuring it out?
Get in touch for a free consultation – we’ll help you decode the legal details and build the right EV strategy for your site.
