It can include skimming and painting the walls and ceilings, renewing the floor at the entrance and on the landings, and also doors and lighting. Write the building's address and the number of floors.
Who decides on a stairwell renovation
Shared premises, including the stairwell, are the common property of the apartment owners (Law on Residential Properties, Section 4). Work in common property needs the association's consent, and a decision is taken if the owners who represent more than half of the apartment properties in the building vote for it, unless the law requires more.
Each owner pays the building's management costs according to their share of common property, on the basis of the association's decision. The share is the ratio of the apartment area to the total area of all the apartments. Routine repair of common property is one of the mandatory management activities (Law on the Management of Residential Buildings, Section 6), so start with the building manager.
Law on Residential Properties, Sections 4, 5, 11, 13 and 16; Law on the Management of Residential Buildings (Dzīvojamo māju pārvaldīšanas likums), Section 6(2). Checked 11.11.2026.
What a stairwell renovation includes
- Filling cracks and damage, skimming walls and ceilings.
- Painting walls and ceilings on all floors and at the entrance.
- Floors at the entrance and on the landings: tiling or restoring the existing covering.
- Interior doors and vestibule doors, if they are not external structures of the building.
- Light points and switches; electricity supply for common property is a management job, so the building manager organises it.
An owner must treat common property with care and comply with fire safety and other requirements (Law on Residential Properties, Section 10).
Accessibility: a lift or a ramp
To ensure accessibility, an owner, after informing the association or the building manager in advance, may install a lift in the stairwell, build a ramp or otherwise adapt common property (Law on Residential Properties, Section 11(5)). The Riga municipality's benefit for adapting a home does not include adapting shared premises in apartment buildings. More: adapting an apartment for seniors.
The order of work in a stairwell
- Decision The association takes a decision on the work and its financing; the building manager prepares the proposal for the vote.
- List of work The list of work contains: m² of walls and ceilings, m² of floors, doors and light points.
- Informing residents The building may have its own rules of use; ask the building manager whether they include renovation times.
- Walls and ceilings Filling cracks, skimming, priming and painting from the top floor down.
- Floors and doors Tiles or covering, then doors and light fittings.
How much does a stairwell renovation cost?
Prices are for labour. Materials are calculated separately in the estimate. For a stairwell the estimate is drawn up by the area of walls and ceilings, not by the building's area.
| Work | Price |
|---|---|
| Skimming walls or ceilings | from €10/m² |
| Painting walls or ceilings | from €4/m² |
| Tiling | from €24/m² |
| Installing interior doors | from €100 per door |
| Socket, switch or light point | from €12 per point |
Example: a stairwell with 400 m² of walls and ceilings. Skimming 400 × €10 = €4,000 and painting 400 × €4 = €1,600, in total from €5,600 for these two jobs. The total is usually split according to each owner's share. The price is affected by the condition of the walls, the number of cracks and the chosen finish. All prices: apartment renovation prices.
What is in the stairwell renovation price
What this work includes
- filling cracks and skimming;
- priming and painting walls and ceilings;
- tiling the floor at the entrance and on the landings;
- installing doors and light points.
What is calculated separately
- materials: paint, filler, tiles, doors, light fittings;
- the association's decision and its preparation;
- work on the roof, facade, windows and risers, decided by the association.
Other business premises: office renovation, cafe and restaurant renovation. All business work: business premises renovation.
Sources
- Shared premises are common property; association's consent; decision by more than half; costs by share; careful treatment; accessibility adaptations (Law on Residential Properties, Sections 4, 5, 10, 11, 13, 16) checked 11 November 2026
- Mandatory management activities: routine repair, electricity supply of common property (Law on the Management of Residential Buildings, Section 6) checked 11 November 2026
- The Riga benefit does not include adapting shared premises (RD-23-193-sn) checked 11 November 2026