It's one of the most common questions we get. Someone's bought an EV, or they're seriously thinking about it, and they live in a flat or a terraced house with no driveway. The assumption, often, is that home charging simply isn't available to them.
That assumption is increasingly out of date. The picture in 2026 is more nuanced, and in many cases more encouraging, than people expect. The honest answer is: it depends on your specific situation — but there are more routes forward than most people realise.
This guide walks through the main scenarios, what's possible in each one, what permissions you'll need, and what government grant support is currently available.
If you live in a flat with a dedicated parking space
This is the most straightforward of the flat scenarios. If your flat comes with a dedicated parking bay — whether in an underground car park, a communal surface car park, or a private space allocated to your property — a standard home EV charger installation is typically feasible.
The key requirement is permission. As the Mabel Trading FAQ confirms, if you are not the property owner, you must obtain landlord permission before installation can go ahead. For a leasehold flat that usually means written consent from your freeholder or managing agent, as well as the building management company if one exists. This isn't as daunting as it sounds — many freeholders have become accustomed to these requests as EV ownership has grown, and in purpose-built developments with communal parking, charger installations are increasingly routine.
The cable run is usually the practical complexity. Getting power from your flat's consumer unit down to a parking bay may involve running cable through communal areas, which requires the freeholder's co-operation and in some cases building regulations notification. A qualified installer will assess this during a site survey and let you know what's involved before any work is committed to.
If you live in a flat without dedicated parking
This is the harder case. Without a designated parking space, there's no obvious place to install a private charger, and the options narrow.
The most realistic route for most people in this situation is a combination of public charging and, where available, communal charging infrastructure managed at the building level. Some London boroughs and other local authorities are expanding on-street residential charging significantly. These are typically lamp-post mounted units or dedicated kerbside chargers on residential streets, paid for by local councils with OZEV funding — not something an individual resident installs, but something that may already exist or be coming to your street.
If your building has a car park or forecourt area that isn't currently set up for EV charging, it's worth raising the question with your managing agent. Residential landlord grant funding is available (see below) that makes installation more viable for landlords and freeholders than it used to be.
If you live in a terraced house with a driveway
If your terraced house has off-street parking — even a small forecourt or a side access — a standard home EV charger installation is usually perfectly achievable. The charger mounts to an external wall and the cable runs from your consumer unit, typically up to 10 metres on a standard installation. The fact that the house is terraced rather than detached makes no practical difference to the installation itself.
This is the scenario the Humax MX7 was built for. A standard installation through Mabel Trading in Greater London covers up to 10 metres of cable run, surge protection, RCD and MCB, building regulations notification, and full certification. From survey to installation, the process typically completes within a week of booking.
If you live in a terraced house without a driveway
This is the scenario that affects a significant number of UK households — particularly in older urban areas like much of Greater London, where terraced streets with no off-street parking are common.
Until recently, the options here were limited almost entirely to public charging. That's changed in 2026. The UK government has eased restrictions on cross-pavement charging solutions — a small channel or conduit installed in the pavement that allows a cable to run safely from a home to a street-parked car without creating a trip hazard. It's not a casual DIY job. You need permission from your local highways authority (the pavement is public land), and approval processes vary significantly between councils. Some are straightforward; some take time.
A dedicated cross-pavement solution, properly installed, means a terraced house without a driveway can have genuine home charging. The OZEV grant also covers households with on-street parking for this type of installation, which helps with the cost.
Where a cross-pavement installation isn't feasible, the practical fallback for most terraced house residents is using the public charging network for most charging, supplemented by workplace charging where available. The public network in the UK now exceeds 78,000 charge points, with on-street residential chargers growing significantly year on year.
What about permission if you're renting?
The Humax MX7 FAQ is clear on this: if you are not the property owner, you must obtain landlord permission before installation. That applies whether you're renting a house, a flat, or anything else.
In practice, getting that permission has become more realistic over the last couple of years, for a straightforward reason — landlords now have their own grant available. The Residential Landlord Chargepoint Grant means installation can be partly funded by the government, which removes some of the financial reluctance that used to make landlords hesitant.
For the Flats and Renters grant, from April 2026 you'll need to provide written permission from your landlord, freeholder or property manager, a utility bill showing your name and installation address, and a copy of your tenancy agreement. These requirements are new from April 2026 and apply to all grant applications under the scheme.
What government grants are available in 2026?
The OZEV EV Chargepoint Grant has been updated and extended for 2026. From April 2026, the grant cap increased from £350 to £500, covering 75% of installation costs for eligible applicants. The scheme runs until 31 March 2027.
Who is currently eligible:
- Renters in any property type with dedicated off-street parking
- Flat owners (leaseholders) with dedicated parking spaces
- Residents with on-street parking installing a compliant cross-pavement solution
- Residential landlords (up to 200 sockets per year across their portfolio)
Who is not eligible:
- Owner-occupiers of houses with their own driveway — the homeowner grant ended in March 2022
So if you own a terraced house with a driveway outright, you pay the full installation cost. If you rent it, or if you're a flat owner, the grant is available.
The grant is applied directly to your installer invoice — you pay the net amount and the installer claims the grant on your behalf. You don't need to do the claiming yourself.
A note on the Mabel Trading installation area
Mabel Trading's standard installation service covers Greater London. If you're outside London, the MX7 is available to buy directly — you'd need to source installation from a qualified OZEV-approved electrician in your area, who will handle the full process including any grant applications you're eligible for.
If you're unsure whether your property setup is suitable, the best starting point is a site survey. These are typically free and take the guesswork out of what's involved before you commit to anything.
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