How to install a lift in a building that doesn’t have one

Living in a building without a lift is fine until it isn’t. The good news is that in most buildings one can be installed, even when it looks as though there’s no room. We explain the steps, the permits and (the hardest part) how to get it approved at the owners’ meeting.

Can a lift be installed in my building? The feasibility study

It all starts with a feasibility study: a technician visits the building and assesses where the lift would fit, what work is needed and what its travel would be. It’s the step that turns ‘it can’t be done’ into ‘it can, and here’s how’.

Where does the lift go?

Depending on your building, the lift can go in different places:

• In the stairwell: the central space is used by trimming back the steps. It’s the most common solution in Eixample buildings.
• In the light well or inner courtyard.
• Attached to the façade, when there’s no room inside.

An important goal is for the lift to reach street level (step-free), so there are no steps left between the street and the lift car.

Permits and licences

Installing a lift requires a building licence and a technical project. We take care of the project and the paperwork so the community of owners doesn’t have to wrestle with the red tape.

Majorities: how to get it through the owners’ meeting

Accessibility work is treated favourably under the Spanish Horizontal Property Act, precisely to make it easier to approve. Even so, the lift is decided at the owners’ meeting, and bringing well-prepared information makes a big difference. That’s why we give it to you in a format that can be presented and voted on, and we’ll even come and explain it if needed. If you’re part of a community of owners, this is the point you’ll appreciate most.

How long it takes and where to start

Timescales depend on the solution and the permits, but the order is always the same: feasibility study, project and licence, building work and installation, and commissioning. And as it’s a major project, it’s worth looking at grants and financing from the outset: they can considerably reduce what each resident pays.

And the regulations? A new lift complies with the current ITC from day one, so you avoid future upgrades.