What should a lift maintenance contract include? A practical guide for FM teams

The challenge is that two quotations described as maintenance can include very different visit frequencies, response arrangements, parts cover, reporting and exclusions.

This guide explains what to look for before appointing a provider, how to compare basic and comprehensive cover, and which responsibilities remain with the building operator or dutyholder. The objective is not simply to buy the lowest annual price; it is to understand what support will actually be available when the lift needs attention.

Why the contract scope matters

A low headline price can become expensive if the agreement excludes call-outs, common replacement parts, return visits or testing. Equally, a broad contract may not represent good value if the service frequency and reporting do not reflect the equipment or the operational needs of the building.

A well-defined agreement should help the FM team answer five questions:

1. What is maintained? The lift or lifts, associated equipment and any agreed interfaces should be clearly identified.
2. How often? The planned visit frequency and any seasonal or usage-based activity should be stated.
3. What is included? Labour, call-outs, consumables, replacement parts and testing should be described without ambiguity.
4. What happens when a fault occurs? The reporting route, prioritisation and applicable response commitments should be clear.
5. What evidence will be provided? Service reports, defect recommendations and asset information should support decisions and audit trails.

Maintenance and LOLER thorough examination are different

Routine maintenance and statutory thorough examination serve different purposes. Maintenance is the planned work used to monitor condition, complete appropriate cleaning, lubrication and adjustment, identify deterioration and support reliable operation. A LOLER thorough examination, where the Regulations apply, is a systematic examination by a competent person who must be sufficiently independent and impartial.

The maintenance provider can help the customer understand and complete remedial work arising from an examination report, but servicing does not replace the examination. The contract should therefore state whether coordination support is offered while leaving the statutory appointment and dutyholder responsibilities clear.

For authoritative guidance, see the HSE information on passenger lifts and LOLER responsibilities and maintenance of work equipment.

The core elements of a lift maintenance contract

1. Asset schedule and starting condition

The agreement should identify each lift, its type, location and relevant equipment details. Before the contract begins, a condition survey or structured handover review helps both parties understand existing defects, obsolete components, outstanding examination items and work that is not included in the opening contract price.

2. Planned visit frequency

There is no single servicing interval suitable for every lift. Frequency should reflect the lift type, usage, operating environment, condition, manufacturer guidance, reliability history and importance to the building. A lightly used platform lift and a heavily used passenger lift serving an occupied commercial building should not automatically receive the same regime.

The agreement should state the number of planned visits, how they are scheduled and what happens if access prevents a visit. Higher-use, older or operationally critical lifts may justify more frequent attendance.

3. Planned-maintenance activity

The precise task list depends on the lift, but the contract should explain the maintenance approach. Activity may include:

1. Operational checks: Door operation, levelling, ride behaviour, controls, indicators, alarms and emergency communication, as applicable.
2. Condition monitoring: Review of safety-related components, wear, unusual noise, leakage, heat, contamination and other developing concerns.
3. Cleaning and adjustment: Appropriate work to tracks, contacts, operating mechanisms and accessible equipment in line with the maintenance regime.
4. Lubrication: Lubrication where required by the equipment and manufacturer information.
5. Reporting: A record of work completed, observations, safety concerns and recommended remedial action.

4. Breakdown and passenger-entrapment support

The contract should distinguish planned maintenance from reactive support. Check whether breakdown calls are included, whether attendance is available outside normal hours, which events receive priority and whether labour or travel charges apply. The reporting route should also be clear, including whether customers can log breakdowns online. Passenger entrapments require a direct emergency route and should not be submitted through an ordinary website enquiry form or customer portal.

Altius Lifts provides 24/7/365 emergency breakdown support. Customers can log breakdowns through the LiftKeeper customer portal. For an urgent breakdown or trapped passenger, call 0161 399 4956 and state immediately if anyone is trapped. Contract-specific response commitments and chargeable items remain subject to the agreed terms.

5. Parts, labour and exclusions

This is often the largest difference between maintenance proposals. Confirm whether the price covers:

1. Planned-service labour: Engineer time for the scheduled maintenance visits.
2. Reactive labour: Engineer time for breakdown diagnosis, repair and return visits.
3. Travel and call-out charges: Including any different treatment for nights, weekends and bank holidays.
4. Consumables and minor parts: The agreement should define what is treated as a consumable or included minor component.
5. Major components: Controllers, drives, motors, door operators, ropes, hydraulic components and other high-value items are commonly subject to specific terms or exclusions.
6. Damage and third-party causes: Misuse, vandalism, water ingress, fire, power-supply problems and unauthorised work are commonly treated separately.

Do not rely only on labels such as basic, standard or comprehensive. These terms are not universal; the written inclusions, exclusions and limits are what determine the actual cover.

6. Reporting, recommendations and asset information

A useful service report should confirm attendance, work completed, lift status and any items requiring action. Recommendations should distinguish immediate safety concerns from reliability improvements, lifecycle planning and optional upgrades. Photographs or measurements can be helpful where they explain the finding.

The customer should also know how service history, quotations, examination reports and outstanding actions will be stored and accessed. Through the LiftKeeper customer portal, Altius Lifts customers can access job sheets and other service records in one place, supporting portfolio management, audit trails, budgeting and provider handover.

7. Service levels and communication

Response wording must be measurable and realistic. Review:

1. Priority definitions: What constitutes an entrapment, critical breakdown, ordinary fault or non-urgent repair.
2. Measurement point: Whether a response target means acknowledgement, engineer dispatch, arrival on site or restoration of service.
3. Coverage window: Normal working hours, evenings, weekends and public holidays.
4. Escalation route: Who the FM team contacts if an incident is unresolved or repeated.
5. Updates: How diagnosis, parts requirements, return dates and lift status will be communicated.

Basic and comprehensive cover

Altius Lifts offers Basic and Comprehensive maintenance arrangements. The Basic option is intended to provide planned maintenance, condition reporting, technical advice and forward planning. Comprehensive cover builds on those services and can include replacement parts and labour, subject to the contract terms, conditions and exclusions.

A practical comparison is:

1. Basic cover may suit: Newer or lower-use equipment, customers who prefer to approve repairs individually, or portfolios where repair expenditure is managed separately.
2. Comprehensive cover may suit: Operationally important lifts, buildings seeking greater budget predictability, or equipment where a wider level of reactive support is justified.

The right choice depends on equipment condition and risk appetite. A survey before quotation helps avoid comparing a broad inclusive proposal with a low-cost agreement that leaves significant expenditure outside the contract.

What affects the price of a maintenance contract?

Providers normally consider a combination of:

1. Number and type of lifts: Passenger, goods, platform, car and service lifts have different maintenance requirements.
2. Age and condition: Older equipment, obsolete systems and known defects may require additional planning or initial remedial work.
3. Usage and environment: Traffic levels, dust, moisture, temperature, misuse risk and operating hours influence the regime.
4. Visit frequency: More frequent planned attendance increases contract input but may be appropriate for critical or high-use equipment.
5. Reactive cover: Inclusion of call-outs, out-of-hours attendance, labour and parts changes the risk carried by the provider.
6. Location and access: Travel, parking, inductions, permits, escorts and restricted working windows can affect delivery.
7. Reporting requirements: Portfolio dashboards, bespoke KPIs, meetings and detailed asset data require additional administration.

For this reason, the most useful quotation is not simply the lowest annual figure. It is the proposal that clearly links price to asset condition, service input, reactive cover and exclusions.

Questions to ask before signing

1. Confirm the assets. Does the schedule identify every lift and the associated equipment being maintained?
2. Check the visit regime. How was the frequency selected, and what work is expected during each visit?
3. Test the breakdown wording. Is 24-hour support included, and what exactly does the stated response time measure?
4. Review parts and labour. Which components, consumables, call-outs and working hours are included or excluded?
5. Separate maintenance from examination. Who arranges the thorough examination where LOLER applies, and how are resulting defects managed?
6. Understand the handover. Will there be an opening condition survey, asset register and review of outstanding defects?
7. Agree reporting and escalation. Who receives reports, how urgent findings are communicated and how recurring problems are escalated?
8. Check termination and renewal terms. Understand notice periods, indexation, asset changes and access to records at contract end.

Contract red flags

1. Unclear inclusions: The proposal uses broad descriptions but does not define parts, labour, call-outs or exclusions.
2. One regime for every lift: Visit frequency appears unrelated to equipment type, condition, usage or criticality.
3. Vague response promises: Terms such as rapid or priority are used without defining what is measured.
4. No opening condition process: Existing defects and obsolete components are not identified before risk transfers are discussed.
5. Maintenance presented as LOLER compliance: The proposal does not clearly separate routine servicing from independent thorough examination.
6. Poor evidence: Reports do not state the work completed, lift status or priority of recommendations.

What to expect when moving to Altius Lifts

A structured change of provider should establish a clear baseline and practical maintenance plan:

1. Initial discussion. We review the lift portfolio, present arrangements, operational priorities and known concerns.
2. Site assessment. Where appropriate, we survey the equipment and building conditions before finalising the proposal.
3. Defined scope. The quotation explains the planned regime, chosen level of cover, key assumptions and exclusions.
4. Mobilisation. Contacts, reporting routes, access arrangements and emergency information are agreed. Altius Lifts also provides customer access to LiftKeeper for online job sheets, service records and breakdown logging.
5. Ongoing review. Service findings and repair recommendations support reliability, budgeting and longer-term lifecycle decisions.

Quick procurement checklist

1. Provide consistent asset data to every bidder. Include lift type, age, usage, current provider, breakdown history and known defects where available.
2. Issue the same response requirements. Define operating hours, criticality, reporting needs and expected emergency arrangements.
3. Compare exclusions side by side. Normalise proposals before comparing price.
4. Score quality as well as cost. Consider competence, communication, local engineering coverage, parts strategy and evidence from service reports.
5. Resolve qualifications before award. Record assumptions and confirm how inherited defects will be treated.

Frequently asked questions

How often should a lift be serviced?

Frequency depends on the equipment, usage, environment, condition, manufacturer guidance and operational importance. The maintenance provider should assess those factors and recommend a planned regime rather than apply an arbitrary interval to every lift.

What is normally included in a basic lift maintenance contract?

Basic cover commonly includes scheduled servicing, inspections within the maintenance scope, condition reporting and technical recommendations. Reactive labour, call-outs and replacement parts may be chargeable, so the actual written terms must be checked.

Does comprehensive maintenance include every repair?

Not automatically. Comprehensive agreements can include a wider range of labour and replacement parts, but exclusions, limits and customer responsibilities still apply. Review the component schedule and exclusions rather than relying on the contract label.

Is a maintenance visit the same as a LOLER thorough examination?

No. Maintenance supports condition and reliable operation. A thorough examination, where LOLER applies, is a separate systematic examination performed by a competent person who must be sufficiently independent and impartial.

Should breakdown support be included?

That depends on the building and chosen level of cover. FM teams should confirm the reporting route, operating hours, priority definitions, response measurement and applicable charges. Critical lifts may justify broader reactive cover.

Can an existing lift be placed straight onto comprehensive cover?

A provider may first need to survey the equipment and identify pre-existing defects, overdue work or obsolete components. Initial remedial work or specific exclusions may be required before broader cover begins.

How can Altius Lifts customers access job sheets or log a breakdown?

Customers can sign in to the LiftKeeper customer portal to view job sheets and other service records or to log a breakdown. Urgent breakdowns and passenger entrapments should be reported by telephone on 0161 399 4956; state immediately if anyone is trapped.

Summary and next steps

A good lift maintenance contract defines the assets, visit regime, maintenance activity, breakdown arrangements, parts and labour cover, exclusions, reporting and escalation process. It also keeps routine maintenance clearly separate from independent thorough examination responsibilities.

Altius Lifts provides planned maintenance for passenger, goods, platform, car, food and dumbwaiter lifts across Greater Manchester, the North West and other UK locations by arrangement. Customers can also access job sheets and other service records and log breakdowns through the LiftKeeper customer portal. To review an existing contract or arrange a no-obligation site survey, contact the team. For an urgent breakdown or trapped passenger, call 0161 399 4956.

Internal links

1. Planned maintenance and servicing
2. Lift breakdowns and repairs
3. Contact Altius Lifts
4. LiftKeeper customer portal