Practical guide
Staircase and elevator sharing: the Article 1124 formula with example
Article 1124 of the Italian Civil Code sets a mixed criterion for sharing the maintenance and replacement expenses of staircases and elevators: half of the expense is split according to the value of the units, that is by ownership thousandths (millesimi), and the other half exclusively according to the height of each floor from the ground. The word exclusively, added by the 2012 reform, clarifies that the second half does not look at thousandths but only at height position. This guide applies the formula to a concrete case, with the numbers step by step, to make the calculation reproducible and to show why upper floors pay more than lower ones.
The formula in two steps
The Article 1124 criterion applies to both elevators and staircases, for ordinary and extraordinary maintenance and for reconstruction. The calculation runs in two parallel steps on the same total expense.
First step: take half of the expense and share it according to the general ownership thousandths, with the formula half expense divided by 1,000 multiplied by the individual thousandths. Second step: take the other half and share it according to the floor-height coefficients, that is in proportion to each unit's vertical distance from the ground.
Each owner's final share is the sum of the two components. The sum of all shares must come out exactly to the total expense.
Building the floor-height table
The height component requires a dedicated table, separate from the general thousandths table. Each unit is assigned a value proportional to the height of its floor from the ground, and the total is normalized.
Example: a building with four units, one per floor, with heights from the ground of 4, 8, 12 and 16 metres. The sum of the heights is 40. The proportional coefficients are 4 divided by 40 equals 0.10 for the first floor, 0.20 for the second, 0.30 for the third and 0.40 for the fourth. Expressed in thousandths they become 100, 200, 300 and 400.
The ground floor, if it does not use the staircase or elevator to reach its unit, remains excluded from the height component under the consolidated view, while still being liable for the value component when it has an interest anyway.
Complete numerical example
Suppose an elevator replacement expense of 10,000 euro. The four units have equal general thousandths, 250 each, and the height coefficients just calculated.
Value component: half the expense, that is 5,000 euro, divided by the general thousandths. With 250 thousandths each, every unit pays 5,000 divided by 1,000 multiplied by 250, that is 1,250 euro.
Height component: the other half, that is 5,000 euro, divided by the height coefficients. The first floor pays 5,000 times 0.10 equals 500 euro, the second 1,000 euro, the third 1,500 euro, the fourth 2,000 euro. Adding the two components, the first floor pays 1,750 euro, the second 2,250, the third 2,750 and the fourth 3,250. The total is 10,000 euro, as expected.
- First floor: 1,250 value plus 500 height equals 1,750 euro
- Second floor: 1,250 plus 1,000 equals 2,250 euro
- Third floor: 1,250 plus 1,500 equals 2,750 euro
- Fourth floor: 1,250 plus 2,000 equals 3,250 euro
Mistakes to avoid and automating the calculation
The most common mistake is sharing the whole expense on general thousandths alone, ignoring the height component: a resolution adopted this way does not comply with Article 1124 and is voidable. A second mistake is excluding the ground floor from any contribution, whereas the exclusion concerns only the height share and not necessarily the value share.
It should also be remembered that the criterion can be departed from only by unanimous agreement or by a contractual regulation accepted by everyone: failing that, the legal formula always applies.
Calculating two tables by hand for each job is laborious and prone to rounding errors. A management software such as AmministraPro lets you set up the floor-height table alongside the general one and automatically apply the mixed criterion of Article 1124, producing a report that shows the two components separately. The features are described on the features page and the plans on the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
Does Article 1124 apply to both staircases and the elevator?
Yes. Article 1124 governs together the maintenance and replacement of staircases and elevators, applying to both the same mixed criterion: half of the expense based on the value of the units and half based on floor height. The 2012 reform extended and clarified this rule, valid for both ordinary and extraordinary works.
How are floor-height coefficients calculated?
Each unit is assigned a value proportional to the height of its floor from the ground, then normalized. If the heights are 4, 8, 12 and 16 metres, the sum is 40 and the coefficients are 0.10, 0.20, 0.30 and 0.40. The half of the expense devoted to height is multiplied by these coefficients to obtain each floor's share.
Does the ground floor pay for the elevator replacement?
The ground floor is usually excluded from the height component when it does not use the elevator to reach its unit, because it gains no benefit in going up. It may however remain liable for the value component, calculated on general thousandths, if it still has an interest in preserving the asset, unless the regulation provides otherwise.
Why do upper floors pay more than lower ones?
Because half of the expense is shared exclusively by floor height, and upper floors have a greater distance from the ground, hence a higher coefficient. In the guide's example the fourth floor pays 3,250 euro against 1,750 for the first, despite the same value thousandths, precisely because of the height component.
Can software do this calculation automatically?
Yes. A management software such as AmministraPro lets you set up the floor-height table alongside the general thousandths table and automatically apply the mixed criterion of Article 1124 to staircase and elevator expenses, generating a report with the value component and the height component shown separately for each owner.
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