Spain enforces new elevator safety standards and unveils up to €18,000 housing renovation grants

The Spanish government has tightened elevator regulations with Real Decreto 355/2024, which came into force on 1 July 2024. Communities must now keep a maintenance plan for each lift, carry out periodic inspections and, from 1 July 2026, provide a user‑manual detailing safety instructions. The rules also require automatic‑door safety devices, emergency intercoms and precise level‑stop mechanisms, affecting thousands of residential buildings where many elevators are over 20 years old.

Separately, the State Housing Plan 2026‑2030 approved a €7 billion funding programme that includes grants of up to €18 000 per dwelling for accessibility, energy‑efficiency and habitability upgrades. Eligible homes, built before 2006, can receive up to 80 % of renovation costs, with higher limits for households where a resident has a disability of 65 % or more. The aid covers ramps, lifts, domotics, asbestos removal and façade work, and is administered by the autonomous communities.

Both measures aim to improve safety and living standards in Spain’s aging residential stock.