Catalonia Announces €10.5 Million in Grants for Renovation and Accessibility

The Official Gazette of the Government of Catalonia (DOGC) has published a call for two grant schemes totalling €10.5 million for residential renovation and improved accessibility in buildings. The resolution, processed by the Consorci de l'Habitatge de Barcelona —a joint body comprising the Government of Catalonia (60%) and Barcelona City Council (40%)—, sets the application deadlines as 11 December 2026 for accessibility works and 31 December 2026 for interior renovations.

What's Changing

The budget allocation is distributed across two distinct programmes with specific requirements and caps:

• Scheme 1 – Interior Property Renovation (€6,000,000): This subsidises interventions for thermal comfort, decarbonisation (replacement of windows with thermal breaks or substitution of gas and diesel boilers with aerothermal or biomass systems), and functional improvements or home automation for people with disabilities. It covers up to €6,000 per primary residence (with a minimum eligible budget of €1,000). If the intervention simultaneously combines energy efficiency and functional adaptation, the limit increases to €9,000.
• Scheme 2 – Accessibility in Common Areas (€4,500,000): This funds the installation of lifts in multi-family properties of three or more floors that lack an elevator, adapted to the requirements of the Codi d'Accessibilitat de Catalunya. It subsidises up to 40% of the eligible cost with a cap of €45,000 per property, extendable to €60,000 if the lift is installed via an exterior structure on the facade or courtyard. For ramps and stairlifts, the grant covers up to 30% with a maximum of €30,000.

Who is Affected

The measure directly affects homeowners' associations with properties built before modern accessibility regulations, as well as owners or tenants of primary residences who need to renovate enclosures, climate control, or remove architectural barriers at home.

This is particularly relevant for residential properties where special levies for installing a lift were often blocked by the financial inability of vulnerable residents, an obstacle that the 100% coverage mechanism aims to administratively unlock.

What This Means if You Own a Property in Catalonia

Owning a flat on the third or fourth floor without a lift represents a significant disadvantage in terms of both quality of life and the property's valuation in the sales and rental market. These grants drastically reduce the required contribution from each resident.

Let's look at an illustrative numerical example: a homeowners' association of 8 residents plans to install a lift in the light well with a total budget of €110,000. By processing the external installation grant (40% of the cost, capped at €60,000), the direct subsidy amounts to €44,000. The net cost for the homeowners' association becomes €66,000, which means €8,250 per resident instead of the initial €13,750. If one of the residents demonstrates economic vulnerability through social services, their share is fully covered by the cohesion fund, without overburdening the rest of the neighbourhood.

What to Do Now

1. Urgently convene a homeowners' association meeting: The approval of communal works and grant applications requires resident agreement according to the Catalan Llei de la Propietat Horitzontal.
2. Review submission deadlines: Applications for accessibility close on 11 December 2026. For interior property renovations, the deadline expires on 31 December 2026.
3. Request a technical project and fixed budget: Applications require a detailed technical report of the works and itemised budgets including VAT that meet the minimums set by the regulations.