Guide
How to split elevator costs between apartments
Elevator maintenance, repairs and electricity are often the most debated line in a building's monthly expenses. Ground-floor apartments and shops rarely use the elevator, so many associations treat them differently. There is no single right answer, but there are four common rules.
1. Split equally between all apartments
Every unit pays the same share. It is the easiest rule to explain, but ground-floor owners may feel they pay for a service they do not use.
2. Exclude the ground floor
Ground-floor units pay nothing toward the elevator and the upper floors share the full cost. In the calculator this is the “elevator with ground-floor exclusion” example: one rule matches units on the ground floor and excludes them.
3. Reduce the ground floor's share
Some associations ask ground-floor units to pay a smaller share, for example half, because a working elevator still adds value to the whole building. Instead of excluding them, use a rule that multiplies their weight, for example by 0.5.
4. Split by ownership share
If your association splits expenses by ownership percentage, larger units pay more of the elevator cost too. You can still add an exclusion or a reduction for the ground floor on top.
Write the rule down
Whichever option you choose, record the decision, apply it every month, and show each owner how their share was calculated. A written, visible rule ends most elevator disputes.