Independent lift & escalator consultants

How an independent lift condition survey saved residents £39k in quoted lift repair works

ILECS were asked to provide insight and independent advice on a problematic lift.

Hillgate Management, a managing agent who specialises in residential properties in Central London, use our OneVision lift management service for their portfolio of lifts. By using the service, they gain a dedicated account manager who thoroughly checks their lift documentation, including LOLER certificates, service and callout records, quotations, and invoices. For one residential block within Hillgate Management’s portfolio, the lift had broken down, which subsequently led to the lift being out of service for 8 months, causing a lot of stress and frustration for the residents.

Why did we propose an independent lift condition survey?

After months of investigation, the incumbent lift maintenance contractor concluded that the lift breakdown was caused by the lift car over-travelling the top floor with the safety gear engaged. With limited or no access for the lift maintenance contractor to fix the issue, but to negate the problem occurring in the future, they quoted to supply and fit a new lift car and sling to accommodate the repositioning of the safety gear from the top to the underneath of the lift car.

The quoted lift repair equated to £39,444.00 with an approximate lead time of 14 weeks from receipt of the order to completion which came as a shock to our client. Understanding our client's frustrations, OneVision Account Manager Ross Sanderson suggested ILECS undertake an independent lift condition survey to give all parties insight into the matter, providing recommendations. 

What did our lift consultant identify?

Hillgate Management agreed to proceed with the independent lift condition survey, at which point the job was handed over to an experienced lift consultant here at ILECS. Neil Merritt, took on the job, and upon his investigation, he identified that the issue being experienced was because of the type of safety gear switch in place. Being an old Otis switch, when modifications are made, the safety gear is prone to this type of issue. Fortunately, this could be resolved simply by installing a spring to the rope hitch which would stop the jolting of the hitch resulting in the breaking of the switch. 

How did this benefit the client?

Following our survey, ILECS requested the lift maintenance contractor attempt Neil’s recommendation, which resolved the issue and the lift was put back in service.

The original quote of £39,444.00 was closed, and the lift repair was carried out under the lift maintenance contract in place at no cost. Our client and their residents within the block were thrilled to find out they didn’t need to pay a large sum of money unnecessarily to have their lift returned to service.

One resident said, “We are very grateful for ILECS’ orchestrating a quick and cost-effective repair for our lift. Getting them involved turned out to be extremely worthwhile and stopped us from spending a lot of money on something that could be resolved simply. Making use of their OneVision lift management service gives us the peace of mind our lift is in good hands”.