With collective charging infrastructure in an apartment building, individual billing per user is not a luxury, but a necessity.

Here is how to set it up correctly, both technically and administratively.

The technical basis: metering per charging point or per user?

Per userVia RFID or appEach resident gets a personal RFID card or app. The system records who charges, at any charger.Standard in modern installations
Per charging pointMeter in the chargerEach charging point is linked to one resident. Simple, but it does not work if several residents use the same charger.

Most residences choose metering per user. An added benefit: visitors can get temporary access through a guest card, at an adjusted rate.

The administration: three possible billing flows

01

Direct billing by the management platform

Residents pay the charge point operator directly, for example through My.Certipower, based on their consumption. The co-ownership is not in between. The property manager analyses the electricity cost and sets the selling price for the electricity.

Key takeaway: the property manager has no administrative burden and can follow everything.
02

Billing through the co-ownership

The management platform supplies monthly overviews to the property manager, who includes them in the regular statement of common costs.

Key takeaway: a bit more work, but the co-ownership keeps an overview.
03

Prepaid

The resident tops up their account in advance. Consumption is deducted from it.

Key takeaway: especially useful in residences with tenants, where direct debit is administratively harder.
Want to see how that works in practice?We show you live how a building with 22 charging points handles its monthly billing, without the property manager’s involvement.
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The rate: what do you charge, and how?

Work with an all-in rate per kWh, made up of three parts:

Part 1Energy costThe co-ownership’s actual supplier price, or a fixed rate with annual indexation.
Part 2Grid and platform costIncluded in the kWh price. Charging residents a separate capacity surcharge or management fee is not allowed.
Part 3Charger contributionIf the resident did not pay for the device. Agree upfront whether it is a one-off or spread.

Transparency is key. Write down the build-up of the price per kWh once at the start, and state the consumption, applied rate and period on every statement.

What matters for tax

For co-ownerships registered for VAT, which is rare, direct billing to residents avoids VAT complications. In ordinary co-ownerships, consumption is recharged without VAT based on the co-ownership’s own supplier price. Residents reimbursing the co-ownership is simply a recharge, not a commercial activity.

Three classic mistakes

Mistake 1Retyping charging data manuallyErrors guaranteed.
Mistake 2No rate indexationAfter 3 years, residents pay 30% too little or too much.
Mistake 3No arrangement for guestsVisitors charge for free, at the community’s expense.

What we recommend

Choose a platform that automates the whole chain: metering, billing and direct debit, with an annual rate review and transparent billing rules. From five active users onwards, manual work in this chain is not an option.

InstallShared infrastructure in the car park, with charging points per resident.
MeasureConsumption per resident via RFID, without estimates.
Individual billingEach resident pays for their own consumption. The property manager has no administrative work.
My.CertipowerOverview per charging point and per resident, for property manager and co-owners.

Read also who pays for charging infrastructure in a co-ownership? and the decision process in a co-ownership. How several charging points share one connection: load balancing: what and why? Our approach is under real estate and HOA solutions.

Live demo of My.Certipower

Individual billing without work for the property manager?

We show you how a building with 22 charging points handles its monthly billing.

  • Metering per resident via RFID
  • Automatic billing and direct debit
  • Annual rate review, transparent on every statement
Request a demo+32 51 15 30 15
Prefer email? sales@certipower.be
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This information is based on the tax rules in force at the time of publication and is not tax advice. Have the VAT treatment for your co-ownership checked by your property manager or accountant.