Season parking, visitor parking and EV charging in a condo

In most condos the car park belongs to everyone. URA's planning guidelines say that, unless lots were explicitly approved as private parking lots in the approved plans, car, motorcycle and bicycle parking lots are treated as common property. That means the management corporation (MCST) runs the car park for all owners, rather than any one owner holding a lot.

The day-to-day rules come from your estate's by-laws. BCA's guide to by-laws lists parking of vehicles among the matters an MCST may make additional by-laws about. Most additional by-laws are made, changed or repealed by a special resolution at a general meeting, which BCA describes as support from owners representing 75% of the share value of the valid votes cast.

So the answers to "how many cars can I register?", "how are lots allocated?" and "what does season parking cost?" are in your own estate's by-laws, not in a national rule. BCA says the MCST must make the by-laws available for owners to view at the management office at no cost, if the full set is not displayed on the notice board.

The law behind all this was renamed on 1 October 2025: the Strata Titles Boards notes that the Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act is now the Building (Strata Management) Act. Older guides still use the former name.

Every estate has some way of registering residents' vehicles — usually a form at the management office, a car park label or a transponder. BCA's sample car-parking by-law shows the idea: residents and visitors may not park without the MCST's approval, and on approval the MCST designates a lot for the vehicle.

Your estate decides the details, including:

• how many vehicles each unit may register, and whether a second or third car is allowed;
• whether tenants can register cars, and what papers they need;
• whether lots are first-come-first-served or designated to particular units;
• any season parking charge, and whether it differs for additional cars.

Where fees are involved, BCA suggests putting such rules in the by-laws rather than in house rules. Check the by-laws and registration form before buying a second car on the assumption that a lot will be free.

An MCST can also grant an owner exclusive use or special privileges over part of the common property for a period through an exclusive use by-law. BCA notes the requirements for these are stricter than for ordinary additional by-laws, so a "reserved" lot is a decision for owners at a general meeting, not something the managing agent can hand out informally.

Visitor parking is almost always set by house rules or by-laws. BCA's sample house rule asks visitors who drive in to register at the guardhouse with their particulars and the unit they are visiting, and to park only in the designated visitor lots. Time limits, pre-registration and any overnight charge are for your estate to set, so check with the management office before a party or a long stay.

Start by telling the guardhouse or management office, with the vehicle number and the time. What happens next depends on the by-laws.

• Some estates have a wheel-clamping by-law. BCA's guide gives an example by-law under which a clamp is used to immobilise a vehicle that is unauthorised to be on the premises, unauthorised in a particular lot, or parking indiscriminately. Your estate can clamp only if it has passed such a by-law.
• BCA says MCSTs cannot impose fines or forfeit deposits for a breach of the by-laws, but may recover administrative fees to cover costs incurred because of the breach.
• BCA suggests the MCST first speaks to the person, then issues a formal written notice requiring them to comply.
• If it continues, the MCST — or an owner or occupier — may apply to the Strata Titles Boards or the court for an order to enforce the by-law. BCA lists "car parking woes" among typical Strata Titles Boards cases, and says BCA itself cannot intervene in private disputes.

Motorcycle and bicycle lots are treated as common property in the same way as car lots, so registration, labels, the number allowed per unit and where bicycles may be kept are set by your by-laws and house rules.

If you ride an electric motorcycle, note LTA's rule that EV chargers must not be used to charge detachable batteries directly.

Running a cable from a car park power point to your car is not allowed. EV charging is regulated by LTA under the Electric Vehicles Charging Act 2022, and the rules are specific:

• LTA's guide for drivers says non-fixed (portable) chargers are only permitted in landed homes and are not allowed to be installed at non-landed private properties such as condominiums.
• The same guide's home-charging safety checklist says no 13A household sockets.
• It is an offence to use an EV charger improperly or allow one to be used improperly — LTA's examples include fitting an adaptor between the charger and the car, or using a non-fixed charger with any extension cord or adaptor.
• Chargers approved only for "restricted access" use belong at landed homes; using one in any other location is an offence.

In a condo, charging means a fixed charger that has been properly approved, installed, certified and registered.

• Type approval: only charger models type-approved by LTA may be installed or certified in Singapore. An approved charger carries an LTA approval label.
• Licensed installer: a fixed charger must be installed by a Licensed Electrical Worker (LEW) — personnel licensed by the Energy Market Authority (EMA) to carry out electrical works — and certified by a certified charger equipment specialist.
• Location: at residential premises, chargers may only be installed and used where a vehicle may ordinarily park, such as garages and car parks. LTA's MCST guide adds that chargers should sit next to a demarcated lot, not in any free space.
• Registration: every EV charger must be registered with LTA before it can be used, and LTA's driver guide says the registration mark must be affixed within 60 days of registration.
• Inspection: the charger's registered responsible person must have it inspected and maintained. For locations other than landed homes, LTA's guidelines set an equipment-specialist inspection every 6 months and an LEW inspection every 12 months.
• Operators: businesses that charge a fee for charging, or run stations serving the public — which LTA says includes condominium residents and visitors — must hold an EV charging operator (EVCO) licence.

LTA notes there is currently no mandatory requirement for existing developments to provide EV chargers, so it is up to the owners. Because the car park is common property, chargers there are an MCST decision taken at a general meeting. An owner who wants them can write to the MCST secretary or managing agent asking for a motion to be tabled at the next general meeting.

The resolution. Since 8 December 2023, an ordinary resolution — a simple majority of votes, counted by number of owners or by share value of lots represented at the meeting — is enough for:

• a proposal to install or uninstall EV chargers, as long as the lease with the appointed charging operator is not more than 10 years and the proposal does not draw on MCST funds; and
• by-laws on the use of parking lots for EV charging, such as designating charging lots for EVs only.

Proposals outside those conditions, for example ones paid for from MCST funds, may need a higher resolution. Ask your managing agent which one your motion requires.

Power first. LTA advises checking with the building's facilities manager whether there is enough spare electrical capacity, and if necessary hiring an LEW to assess the substation and switch room.

Who owns the chargers. LTA describes three models:

• Capex-free — a licensed operator installs, runs and maintains the chargers at no cost to the estate, and collects the charging fees.
• Capex-intensive — the MCST pays for and owns the chargers; LTA notes the MCST must then be licensed as an EVCO, with the fees and obligations that brings.
• Hybrid — the MCST and an operator share ownership, costs and revenue.

Whether an individual owner may put a private charger at a lot in the common car park is not something LTA's guidance for condos covers. Its model is chargers installed for the estate as a whole. Ask the management office before buying any equipment.

LTA's EV Common Charger Grant co-funds chargers in non-landed private residences such as condos. As LTA describes it:

• it co-funds 50% of each eligible cost component (excluding GST), subject to caps;
• chargers must be in a common area accessible to and shared by residents;
• it covers up to 1% of the residential car park lots, rounded up;
• only smart chargers type-approved by LTA qualify;
• chargers may be installed only after LTA has approved the grant;
• depending on the ownership model, either the estate or the licensed charging operator applies.

The grant is time-limited: LTA says it is available until 31 December 2026, or until 3,500 chargers have been co-funded, whichever is earlier. Check LTA's charger grants page for its current status before counting on it.