Lift construction and accessibility

A lift improves quality of living in all phases of life, makes everyday life easier, and adds to the safety and accessibility of a living environment. It enables independent activities for people with mobility aids and increases the value of a dwelling. Removal of barriers also entails unobstructed access from outside into a building or into the dwellings and common parts within. People with mobility aids such as walkers or wheelchairs must be able to move about without barriers in a building. The homepage of the Lift – Barrier-Free Finland project has useful information about the implementation of a lift project for residents and house managers alike.

Lift and accessibility subsidy from ARA

A subsidy for constructing lifts in blocks of flats may be applied for from the Housing Finance and Development Centre of Finland, ARA. Lift subsidies are granted for installing new lifts in blocks of flats whose stairwells lack them. The maximum amount of lift subsidy is 35% of approved costs related to lift construction.

Accessibility subsidy means a subsidy for removing impediments to accessibility. ARA grants subsidies for removing impediments to accessibility, making residential buildings, the flats therein and other spaces accessible to people with impaired mobility. Measures eligible for subsidies include widening of front doors and construction of ramps, railings, or stairlifts. The maximum amount of accessibility subsidy is 35% of approved renovation costs.

NOTE! From 1.1.2024, accessibility subsidies to existing lifts will no longer be eligible for assistance.

The city’s own lift and accessibility subsidy

The city grants their own lift and accessibility subsidies for housing companies to which ARA has granted a lift or accessibility subsidy from state funds. Lift subsidies can be granted for the construction of a lift in a residential building organized as a limited liability housing company with a minimum of three storeys and with staircases that lack lifts. The maximum amount of the subsidy to be granted for the construction of a lift is 10% of the total approvable costs related to lift construction.

An accessibility subsidy may be granted to a residential building organized as a limited liability housing company for the removal of a structural impediment to enable a person with reduced mobility to access the residential building and its apartments and common parts from the outside. The maximum amount of a subsidy for accessibility renovations is 10% of the approvable costs.

Applying for a lift and accessibility subsidy from city funds

Applying for a lift and accessibility subsidy from city funds becomes possible after ARA has approved the cost of the project and granted it a lift or accessibility subsidy from state funds. The city-funded subsidy must be applied for within three months as of approval from ARA. 

It is granted within the framework of the annual appropriation available and paid retroactively in accordance with the actual costs incurred. The minimum amount of the subsidy is €500. 

The lift and accessibility subsidy from city funds is applied for with a separate application (in Finnish)to which the subsidy decision of ARA is to be attached. Applications may be e-mailed to the address asuntotoimi(at)jyvaskyla.fi or mailed to the address Hissi- ja estettömyysavustus/Maankäyttö, PL 233, 40101 Jyväskylä.

The lift and accessibility subsidy from city funds is paid in accordance with the terms of payment mentioned in ARA’s decision after ARA has notified the applicant of the payment thereof. Payment of the subsidy from city funds is applied for with a separate form (in Finnish).