Deferred Lift Maintenance (+lift maintenance checklist)

The importance of lift maintenance

Lifts are becoming more and more crucial, ensuring that those with mobility issues and young children can easily move around a building without being impeded by the building infrastructure. It also ensures that high rise buildings and apartments can be readily used and fully functional. In shops, they are often necessary for moving products around.

These practicalities and, in some case legal requirements, mean that it is vital that lifts are properly serviced and maintained to ensure a smooth experience and to rectify any potential issues before a failure occurs.

 How much does lift maintenance cost?

Lifts are complex systems with thousands of moving parts, which requires specialist knowledge and certified lift engineers. Here are some typical examples of maintenance visits.

• Lift doors that are stuck or false firing
• Problems with lift automation systems
• Replacement of worn-out lift cables
• Problems with the hydraulic system
• Upgrading out of date equipment

Often building owners will not employ dedicated lift engineers as the cost of employment outweighs the cost of a managed maintenance contract, so it is commonplace for a lift maintenance company to step in and take on the monthly maintenance visits and upkeep of the lift.

There are some real tangible benefits here for the building owner, however, it is worth noting that this will be dependent on the type of contract that is signed up to:

• Costs are managed as smaller issues are captured before they become major issues
• Site visits are accurately recorded and capture any repairs or noteworthy issues
• Often 24-hour emergency callout services are offered
• In some cases, they will manage the emergency calls that are received from trap-ins

What is deferred lift maintenance?

The following should always be considered prior to any decisions being made:

• Building Safety: Performing routine maintenance on lifts is required to ensure safety for passengers and all building users. A breakdown of the lift can be catastrophic for all the parties involved.
• Building Operation: Lifts have a very important purpose. When they are out of service, they will cause inconvenience and frustration at best. At worst, they can interrupt business operations and cause operational losses and reputational damage.
• Costs: Repairing or replacing broken lifts is costly but can be avoided with regular maintenance.
• Regulations compliance: There are regional laws and regulations that dictate the frequency of maintenance inspections for lifts. In some regions, buildings are even required to display the date of the last maintenance inspection in the lift.

The Real Cost of Deferred Lift Maintenance

Setting budgets is a tough business but having unexpected costs can become a real complication for many, particularly if the money cannot be found. As with many things, putting something off can actually make it a much bigger and more serious problem; it is not uncommon for what could have been a repair to turn into a full replacement with additional labour required, and these costs are likely to fall directly to the building owner.

It is also worth acknowledging the very real impact on those who need the lift for mobility reasons as well as potential trap-ins and the legal costs associated if the building owner is successfully sued.

Overall, it is far more cost effective to pay for the maintenance and repairs up front.

Preventative Maintenance Measures

What is preventive lift maintenance?

Preventative lift maintenance is the best way to ensure longevity, safety and performance of the lift. Regular and recorded maintenance visits often cover:

• Inspections
• Adjustments
• Cleaning
• Minor repairs

The importance of lift preventive maintenance

The importance of preventive maintenance cannot be overstated. Preventive maintenance not only saves money, but also helps facilities avoid replacements and down time. Preventive maintenance is inherently less disruptive, and it helps prevent lift failures and poor conditions that can negatively impact critical building operations, the building’s image, tenant retention, energy efficiency and insurance claims.

Free Download – Lift Maintenance Checklist

Author: Anca Podina, EU Digital Marketing and DACH Lead