Lift Maintenance Audit
Is your lift maintenance delivering what you’re paying for?
If you’re responsible for a lift, you rely on your maintenance provider to keep it safe, reliable and compliant. But when breakdowns persist, performance dips, or costs feel out of proportion, it’s difficult to know whether the issue is the lift itself, or the standard of maintenance being delivered.
A lift maintenance audit by ILECS gives you a clear, independent assessment of how well your lift is being maintained, and whether your service provider is meeting the obligations set out in your maintenance agreement.
Are your lift contractors marking their own homework?
When the same contractor maintains your lift, reports on its condition, and recommends remedial works, independence disappears. Poor performance can go unnoticed, unnecessary works can be justified, and you’re left without a reliable benchmark.
An independent lift maintenance audit removes this conflict of interest. It provides an objective view of maintenance quality, helping you understand whether issues stem from the lift itself or from how it is being maintained.
Through a structured inspection and documentation review, we assess whether:
- Poor reliability or repeat callouts are linked to maintenance quality
- Maintenance tasks are being carried out in line with the contract
- Records are accurate, complete and properly maintained
- Health, safety and compliance obligations are being met
insight BY ILECS
How will a lift maintenance audit help you?
01.
Establish the true quality of maintenance being delivered
02.
Identify gaps between contract requirements and actual maintenance
03.
Understand compliance and health & safety performance
04.
Assess the competency and effectiveness of the maintenance provider
05.
Strengthen your position when challenging performance
06.
Receive independent recommendations
Request a Lift Maintenance Audit
A maintenance audit provides you with a detailed independent report and determines whether the lift maintenance provider is performing as specified in the maintenance agreement. It gives you clear and concise recommendations, allowing you to plan for the future based on concrete findings.
How our lift maintenance audits work…
01.
UNDERSTAND
We establish why the audit is required, review known issues, and collate key lift and contract information to focus the audit effectively.
02.
PREPARE
We arrange site access, request and review relevant documentation, and allocate the most appropriate consultant based on technical expertise and location.
03.
INSPECT
Our consultant will:
- Check that maintenance records are correctly maintained on site
- Review the maintenance regime carried out by the service provider
- Identify housekeeping and presentation issues
- Assess reliability trends and causes of callouts
04.
ADVISE
You receive a clear, professionally written report that:
- Summarises our findings
- Highlights areas of concern
- Provides practical recommendations for consideration
As a result, you’ll acquire confidence in your next steps, whether that’s addressing underperformance, refining your contract, or planning improvements.
client testimonials
Don’t just take our word for it…
What we commonly get asked…
As independent lift and escalator consultants, we regularly get asked the following questions. If you can’t find an answer to your question, feel free to get in touch to ask a member of our team.
How much does a lift maintenance audit cost?
Cost depends on the number of lifts, contract type, how many maintenance visits and records need reviewing, site access and working hours, and whether you want benchmarking and a follow-up review. Once the scope is agreed, it can be priced as a fixed fee per lift or a package for multi-lift sites.
What is a lift maintenance audit, and what does it assess?
A lift maintenance audit checks whether servicing is being delivered to the expected standard and contract requirements. It typically assesses planned maintenance tasks, record keeping, workmanship, fault response, parts and repairs recommendations, compliance management, and whether the maintenance regime suits the equipment and usage.
When should I commission a lift maintenance audit?
It is useful when breakdowns or callouts are increasing, costs are rising, you suspect maintenance quality issues, you are changing contractors, you want to validate contractor performance, or before re tendering to ensure the contract scope and performance measures are correct.
How do you check whether lift maintenance is being carried out properly?
This is done by reviewing the contract and maintenance schedule, checking service sheets and logs against required tasks, sampling visit quality and evidence of work completed, reviewing fault history and repeat issues, inspecting key areas for condition indicators, and checking how defects are reported, prioritised, and closed out.
What documents do you need for a lift maintenance audit (maintenance logs, service sheets, LOLER, O&M manuals)?
Useful documents include the maintenance contract and schedule of works, service sheets and engineer reports, callout and breakdown history, parts and repair quotations, recent LOLER reports and defect close out evidence, O&M manuals, and any records of upgrades or major repairs.
Will the audit identify missed tasks, poor workmanship, or repeat fault causes?
Yes. A good audit can highlight incomplete or skipped tasks, weak record keeping, poor workmanship indicators, and repeat fault patterns, especially around doors and controls, and it can pinpoint where procedures or maintenance frequencies need adjustment.
Can a maintenance audit help reduce breakdowns and nuisance callouts?
Yes. By identifying root causes, improving task coverage, tightening defect close out, and addressing contract gaps or poor practices, an audit can reduce repeat faults, improve reliability, and lower the number of nuisance callouts over time.
Will the audit highlight contract gaps and extra charges (exclusions, callouts, parts)?
Yes. It can identify exclusions and grey areas that drive extra costs, such as callout charges, small parts, consumables, remote monitoring fees, and response arrangements, and it can recommend clearer contract wording and pricing structures to control spend.
Do you benchmark performance and response times against agreed maintenance standards?
Yes. Performance can be benchmarked against the contract, agreed KPIs, and reasonable service expectations, including response times, first time fix rates, downtime, repeat faults, planned visit completion, and the quality and timeliness of reporting.
What is the difference between a lift maintenance audit, a lift condition survey, and a LOLER Thorough Examination?
A maintenance audit focuses on how well servicing is being delivered and whether the contractor is meeting the contract and expected standards. A condition survey focuses on the equipment’s physical condition, obsolescence risk, and lifecycle planning decisions. A LOLER Thorough Examination is a statutory safety examination focused on safe operation and legal compliance at the time of inspection.