Higher demand for car charging means government must ...

There’s been an increase in demand for rental properties with electric charging points for cars, according to ARLA Propertymark.

The news has come out in an official response from the organisation to the government’s latest announcement that electric vehicle charging points will be legally required in new build homes from the middle of next year.

The government claims the move will see up to 145,000 charging points installed across the country each year in new homes, supermarkets, workplaces and buildings undergoing major renovations.

The UK aims to switch to electric cars, with new petrol and diesel cars sales banned from 2030.

However, with rental demand for charging on the rise, the government’s measures may not be enough warns Propertymark.

Eleanor Bateman, policy officer, says: “The announcement that all new buildings will require electric vehicle charging points from 2022 is welcome news, particularly since parts of England are lacking critical charging infrastructure.

"With the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles prohibited from 2030, and at-home charging the most economic option, there has been a need for intervention to facilitate the uptake of electric vehicles to achieve Net Zero by 2050.

"However, new builds make up just a fraction of total housing stock. The UK government must therefore make funding available for retrofitting existing homes, as well as continue to invest in low-carbon public transport to ensure that no areas are left behind.

"Propertymark member agents are increasingly seeing buyers and renters citing electric vehicle charging points as a 'must have', therefore it is positive to see that the UK government is taking steps to address this, putting cost-effective measures in place will remove what is a significant barrier to electric vehicle ownership."