If you live in a building with a lift in Madrid, there is a regulation that directly affects your community and that, if not complied with, can leave the device out of service. This is no joke or exaggeration. Royal Decree 355/2024, known as ITC AEM 1, came into effect on 1 July 2024 and establishes stricter safety requirements for all lifts in the country. And Madrid, with its vast number of old buildings, is one of the cities where this issue is most pressing.
But before delving into technicalities, let’s put the problem into context. The capital has been burdened for decades with a residential stock that includes many blocks from the 1960s and 70s without lifts or with completely outdated installations. Climbing five floors on foot may seem like healthy exercise when you are thirty, but it becomes a real problem for elderly people, those with reduced mobility, or simply those laden with supermarket shopping. Accessibility is not a luxury: it is a right, and there is regulation that supports it.
What RD 355/2024 Specifically States
The aim of this regulation is to bring the safety level of old lifts closer to that of more modern models. It sounds good on paper, and it is, although it involves work (and money) for many communities.
Among the most relevant new features introduced by the new ITC:
● Mandatory two-way communication systems, so that anyone trapped can contact the outside.
● Updated progressive braking systems.
● Mandatory maintenance plan, contracted with a specialised company and properly documented.
● Periodic inspections according to the type of building: every 2 years for public or industrial buildings, every 4 years for buildings with more than 20 homes or 4 floors, and every 6 years for the rest.
An important detail that many communities overlook: if the lift does not have any of the required elements, adaptation works are mandatory. The maintenance company must inform the community of what reforms need to be made and within what timeframe, which will coincide with the next technical inspection.
The Real Cost of Adapting
Here comes the part that no community president wants to read. Most adaptations require investments ranging from 1,000 to 8,000 euros per lift, although in complete modernisations, costs can reach between 30,000 and 40,000 euros, even going up to 100,000 euros when significant structural changes are necessary.
The good news is that you don’t have to face it all at once or alone. There are public aids that can cover between 40% and 75% of the total investment depending on the income and circumstances of the residents, as well as a 20% tax deduction on the installation cost in the income tax return for primary residences. It is worth checking with the regional administration which calls for applications are active, as they are usually renewed periodically in Madrid.
Madrid and the Historical Debt with Accessibility
Let’s return to the map. Madrid is a city that, in many neighbourhoods, maintains residential architecture designed for a time when the lift was a luxury and not a necessity. Neighbourhoods like Carabanchel, Vallecas, Tetuán, or large areas of the metropolitan south accumulate tens of thousands of homes in buildings without lifts or with installations that have never been renewed.
For those who work daily with this reality, such as lift installation companies in Madrid specialised in old buildings, the challenge is not just technical. The creative dimension is fundamental; each staircase, each light well, each façade presents a different challenge. Not all buildings have the same available space, nor the same structure, nor the same possibilities for intervention. The solution is not always obvious, but it almost always exists.
Based in Leganés and providing comprehensive coverage across the Community of Madrid, specialised lift installation companies like Disel Studio manage projects of this calibre through a 360° approach: from technical consultancy and licence management to execution and preventive maintenance. They offer services such as lift installation in the stairwell, on the exterior façade, or in the light well, tailored to the specific characteristics of each community and to efficiency and durability criteria in line with the number of inhabitants and the actual use of the device.
When is it Mandatory to Install a Lift?
Beyond wanting to improve accessibility, there are situations where the law directly obliges action. Current regulations may make the installation of lifts mandatory in buildings where people over 70 years old or with disabilities reside. In such cases, the homeowners' association can approve the work with a simple majority, and opposing neighbours may still be obliged to contribute.
The lift regulations for communities also govern how such decisions should be voted on in the assembly, what technical documentation must be submitted to the regional administration, and what the deadlines are for executing the works once approved. It is not a straightforward process to manage without specialised help, but it is not an impossible maze if you have the right guidance from the outset.
What Can Happen If Your Community Does Not Act
Failure to review within the established timeframe can lead to the lift being halted until its operation is approved. Additionally, there may be financial penalties for communities that do not comply with the regulations in a timely manner.
Communities that have not complied with the regulations within the stipulated timeframe could face significant financial penalties, as well as the disqualification of lift use until the necessary improvements are made. Translated: the lift stops, residents climb on foot, and the community ends up paying more to fix it urgently than if they had done it sensibly.
Acting on time is not just about complying with the law. It is also about saving money, avoiding neighbourhood conflicts, and ensuring that all residents, regardless of age or mobility, can use their building normally. In a city like Madrid, where accessibility remains a pending issue in too many properties, this matters more than it seems.
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