Getting bulky furniture delivered up narrow stairs and small lifts

Key rules

• Measure first: An item that does not fit is not a fault, so the return cost usually falls on you.
• Delivery: Delivery usually stops at the building entrance, and carrying upstairs is often an extra fee.
• Facade lift: If a lift occupies the pavement, the moving company normally requests the town hall permit.
• Online returns: You can withdraw from an online purchase within 14 days of receipt, and you normally pay the return cost.

Measure before you buy

Old buildings are the problem, not the furniture. Many Spanish blocks built before 1980 have no lift. Where there is one, it is often only 0.8-1.0 m wide and 1.0-1.2 m deep, with doors around 60-70 cm. Sofas, wardrobes and mattresses over about 2 m often will not go in.

Measure the street door, the portal (the shared entrance hall), the stair width, each turn, the ceiling height, the lift interior and lift door, and your own flat door. Then compare them with the item's diagonal and depth. The checklist below has the full list.

What delivery covers

Expect delivery to the building entrance or the kerb. Taking the item up to your home is usually an extra fee, and some shops include it for large appliances and mattresses. Fees normally depend on your floor and the item's size, so check at checkout.

Tell the seller your floor and whether there is a lift when you order. Drivers often refuse to climb stairs, and a delivery can be refused if access is impossible. Some shops also install items and remove your old appliance for a fee.

Assembly options

• The shop's service. Many large furniture and home stores offer it, priced by item type and region.
• A handyman (manitas). Typical prices in 2025 were 20-40 euros per hour, with a minimum call-out charge.
• Per item. Simple wardrobes or beds were about 25-80 euros each. Large wardrobes and kitchens cost more.

Prices are lower in smaller towns. Get quotes in advance, ask for an invoice, and check whether tools and transport are included.

Choose pieces that can get in

If the stairs are tight, buy flat-pack furniture or a modular sofa. A window or balcony can also be a route, so measure them. For a big one-piece item, a facade furniture lift hoists it from the street.

Permit for a lift outside the building

A lift that occupies the pavement or road usually needs a town hall permit for using public space. It may carry a short-term fee and parking restrictions with signs put up days ahead. Rules vary by town, and big cities like Madrid and Barcelona have their own procedures.

Professional movers usually request the permit, so ask the moving company whether it will. If the lift stays on private land, no town hall permit may be needed. The community of neighbours may still need to agree if you block shared access.

If it does not fit

An item that does not fit is not a fault, so the return cost usually falls on you. Check it as soon as it arrives.

For online purchases you can withdraw within 14 days of receipt, and you normally pay the return cost. Bulky items need a pick-up, which shops often charge for. The seller must refund you within 14 days of your withdrawal notice.

Items bought in a shop have no general legal right of return. Many chains offer a voluntary one, for example 30 days, if the item is unused. Custom-made goods cannot be withdrawn. Read the retailer's terms before buying.

Timeline and deadlines

• Measure the street door, stairs, turns, lift and your flat door, and compare them with the item's size: before you buy

• Tell the seller your floor and whether there is a lift: when you order

• Check the item fits as soon as it arrives, and decide whether to send it back: on the day of delivery

• Send your withdrawal notice for an online purchase: within 14 days of receiving the item

• Use a shop's voluntary return period, which for many chains is 30 days and needs the item unused: within the period the shop offers, for example 30 days

Checklist

• Measure the inside of the lift and its door width; older lifts are often only 0.8-1.0 m wide by 1.0-1.2 m deep, with doors 60-70 cm wide.

• Compare the item's diagonal and depth with those measurements; sofas, wardrobes and mattresses over about 2 m often do not fit in the lift.

• Note any floor with no lift, since many buildings from before 1980 have none.

• Consider flat-pack items, a modular sofa, a facade furniture lift, or a window or balcony as a route if the stairs are too tight.

• Ask whether delivery is to the building entrance or into your home, and what the extra fee is for your floor and item size.

• Tell the seller your floor and whether there is a lift when you order, since drivers often refuse to climb and may cancel delivery if access is impossible.

• Ask the moving company whether it will request the town hall permit for a facade lift that occupies the pavement or road.

• Decide who will assemble the furniture: the retailer's service, a handyman or a freelancer.

Frequently asked questions

Who arranges the permit for a furniture lift outside my building?

The moving company usually arranges the permit when a furniture lift takes up the pavement or road. It asks the Ayuntamiento (town hall) for a licence to use public space, which often has a short-term fee and may mean no-parking signs placed days ahead. If the lift stays on private land, you may not need a town permit, but your building's owners' community may need to approve blocking shared access.

Who pays if a sofa does not fit and I have to send it back?

You normally pay, because an item that does not fit is not a fault. Bulky items need a return pick-up, which retailers often charge for. Custom-made goods cannot be withdrawn from at all, so measure before you order them.

How much does it cost to have furniture assembled in Spain?

A handyman (manitas) typically charges about 20-40 euros per hour, usually with a minimum call-out charge. Simple wardrobes or beds cost about 25-80 euros per item, and large wardrobes or kitchens cost more. Retailers such as IKEA price assembly by item type and region, and big cities offer more choice than small towns.