Plan renewal for elevators
Climbing four or five flights of stairs loaded with shopping can be a challenge, especially in communities of neighbours made up of elderly people. For this reason, it is increasingly common for them to consider installing an elevator, although the budget can be high.
For these situations, as well as for renovating an old lift or levelling out spaces that are difficult to access for people with mobility problems, autonomous communities and town councils grant subsidies. These are known as "lift plans" and "renovation" actions.
The grants for installing a lift cover between 25% and 35% of the budget, with a maximum limit of 45,000 euros, although the amount and conditions of the grants are very heterogeneous. They vary depending on the autonomous community or city in which the person lives. In the case of Barcelona, for example, the maximum limit is 45,000 euros, while in Andalusia and Extremadura the minimum is 6,000 euros. The duration of the grants is also limited; in general, the application period remains open for between one and two years, until the amount allocated for this purpose is exhausted.
How can I access a grant to install an elevator?
Not all communities of neighbours who apply for these grants are able to access them, since their granting depends on several factors. Among them, the purpose and the income of the applicants stand out.
To obtain one of the grants, an individual or the representative of a community of owners must go to a lift maintenance company that is part of the aid plans. This company will be responsible for preparing the budget and informing about the possibility of benefiting from these, as well as processing the grant after verifying that there are available funds. Sometimes, the conditions for undertaking the work are subject to the creation of projects for disabled people. This is the case in Valencia, where funds are granted in exchange for the construction of pedestrian routes that allow access from the street to the home for people with reduced mobility.
Some elevator manufacturing companies have launched a campaign to advise tenants on the installation process. They also explain the procedures required to apply for aid. This financing model offers:
- Financing for up to 10 years with interest linked to the Euribor, and other conditions such as zero amortization or total cancellation costs.
- Different models for sharing the installation costs among the neighbours , always through agreements made between the owners. The initial distribution will be based on the coefficients that each owner has in the community, but other models can be adopted, in accordance with the provisions of the Horizontal Property Law . The costs can be distributed according to the size of the flats, the floor on which they are located, with exemption from payment for the owners who live on the ground floors, in equal parts between residents, etc.
Source: Consumer Eroski Magazine; 20/02/2010
Continued in Aids for the installation of elevators (II)
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