Adding a lift, ramp or accessible bathroom to a home

Key rules

• Your right: A resident with a disability, or anyone over 70, can require the community to carry out accessibility works.
• Cost limit: The community pays up to 12 monthly ordinary community fees; the owners who benefit pay the excess unless the community votes otherwise.
• Inside your home: Works inside your own home need no community permission, but you must tell the administrator.
• Grants: Apply for a grant before you start the works, because calls and dates differ by region.
• Lift: A new lift needs an installation certificate, registration and a maintenance contract before use.

Who approves and who pays

If you live in a building run by a community of owners, you can make the community install accessibility works. You have this right if you or someone living with you has a disability, or if a resident is over 70. The community must carry out the works without a vote. It pays up to 12 monthly ordinary community fees, shared by each flat's share of the building. Any cost above that falls on the owners who benefit, unless the community votes to cover it.

The works must be needed to reach your home or the common areas. They can include ramps, lifts and removal of barriers, and they can use common space.

If the cost goes beyond the limit, the community can still approve the works by a majority of owners and shares. Otherwise the owners who asked for them pay the excess. Grants are subtracted before the limit is applied.

How to claim your right

1. Send a written request to the community, through the administrator or president.
2. Attach proof of your disability, or of your age if you are over 70.
3. The community then has to put the works on the agenda of an owners' meeting and carry them out.

The documents list below shows what to prepare.

Works inside your own home

An accessible bathroom or other work inside your own home does not need the community's permission. Tell the administrator before you start. Do not harm the structure or other owners. If the work touches common elements, such as a wall, a pipe run or the facade, the owners must vote on it. You may have to restore common elements if the community's rules or the law require it.

Permits

Any lift or ramp normally needs a municipal permit. The type depends on your town hall and region.

• Ramp or simple works: many councils accept a declaración responsable or a licencia de obra menor.
• Lift that changes the structure, facade or common areas: this normally needs a licencia de obras mayor. You need a technical project signed by an architect or engineer, plus a health and safety study.
• Protected or listed building: you also need approval from the heritage authority.

Before anyone uses a new lift, it needs an installation certificate, registration with the regional industry department, and a maintenance contract with an authorised company. Large cities such as Madrid and Barcelona have their own rules and procedures, so ask your town hall which permit applies.

Grants

Grants for lifts, ramps and removing barriers come mainly from the regional governments, using national housing plan money and European recovery funds for rehabilitation. The recovery funds are being wound down, so do not count on them. Typical grants cover a share of the cost. Rates are often higher for owners with disabilities or low incomes, and there is a maximum per home. Many town halls run their own aid, and some regions offer tax deductions.

Each region opens and closes its calls on its own dates. You normally have to apply before starting the works, so do not begin until you have filed. Ask your regional housing department and your town hall which calls are open now. The timeline below gives the order of steps.

Common questions

The FAQ below answers the most frequent questions, including permits and applying late for a grant.

Timeline and deadlines

• Ask your regional housing department and town hall which accessibility grants are open: before you plan or start the works

• Apply for the grant: before the works start, within the dates each region sets for its call

• Start the works once the application is filed: only after applying

• Move quickly on European recovery funds for rehabilitation: the recovery programme ends in 2026, so these funds are being wound down

Grant calls change often; confirm current dates and funds with your regional housing department and town hall.

Documents you need

• Written request to the community, sent through the administrator or president, asking for the accessibility works.

• Proof of your disability or of your age if you are over 70, attached to the written request.

• Municipal permit for the works: a declaración responsable or licencia de obra menor for a ramp or simple works, depending on your town hall.

• Technical project signed by an architect or engineer, plus a health and safety study, for a lift that changes the structure, facade or common areas (licencia de obras mayor).

• Approval from the heritage authority if the building is protected or listed.

• Installation certificate for the lift, needed before it is used, and proof that it is registered with the regional industry department.

• Maintenance contract for the lift with an authorised company.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need the community's permission for works inside my own home?

No, you do not need the community's permission for works inside your own home, but you must notify the administrator. The works must not harm the structure or other owners.

Does a ramp need a permit?

Yes, a ramp normally needs a municipal permit, and many councils accept a declaración responsable or a licencia de obra menor for simple ramps. A lift that changes the structure or facade usually needs the fuller licencia de obras mayor. Ask your town hall which one applies.

What does a new lift need before you can use it?

Before a new lift can be used, it needs an installation certificate, registration with the regional industry department, and a maintenance contract with an authorised company. Your installer can normally guide you through these.

Can I apply for an accessibility grant after the works have started?

Normally no, because you must apply for an accessibility grant before the works start. Regions open and close their calls on their own dates, so check the current call first.