Bill to make accessibility works easier in homeowners' associations

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. The bill would keep smaller accessibility works (ramps, elevators or other devices) mandatory and free of a prior owners' meeting vote, as long as their yearly cost, after deducting public aid, does not exceed twelve months of common expenses. The works could not start until the available public aid has been requested.
2. For large-scale works, such as installing an elevator, the owners' meeting would still need to approve them. The bill would lower the majorities required at a second meeting to make these agreements easier.
3. The 1995 law on removing architectural barriers would be adapted so that paying for accessibility works follows the same rules as the Horizontal Property Law. The owner could require that a reformed interior be restored to its previous state.
4. The definitions of universal accessibility and universal design would be updated to make clear that they also apply to real estate, and cognitive accessibility would be expressly mentioned.
5. The procedure for requesting and deciding accessibility works would be the same as the one in the 1995 law on removing architectural barriers.
6. The rule would take effect the day after its publication in the Official State Gazette (Boletín Oficial del Estado). It would not affect agreements that owners' meetings had validly adopted before then.

Who it affects

• People with disabilities who live, work or volunteer in a building: They could demand accessibility works on common elements under clearer rules, with easier majorities for large works.
• Owners of apartments or premises in homeowners' associations: They would have clearer limits on when they must pay for accessibility works and what majorities approve them.
• People over seventy years old: They could request accessibility works on common elements just like people with disabilities.
• Owners' meetings (Juntas de propietarios): They would have clearer rules on which works are mandatory without a prior vote and which need a vote.

Words worth knowing

Propiedad horizontal (horizontal property)

The legal regime for buildings where each person owns their apartment or premises and shares common elements, such as stairs or elevators, with the others.

Junta de propietarios (owners' meeting)

A meeting of all the owners of apartments and premises in a building where decisions on common matters are made.

Cuotas de participación (participation quotas)

The share of the building that belongs to each owner, used to divide expenses and calculate majorities.

Ajustes razonables (reasonable accommodations)

Concrete, proportionate changes made so that a person with a disability can use a space or service on equal terms.

Accesibilidad cognitiva (cognitive accessibility)

How easy spaces and messages are to understand and use for everyone, for example through easy-to-read formats or pictograms.

It summarizes the text as it was introduced. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries