Lift repairs in Essex, from a base in the county
Our base is on Southend Road in Corringham, in the borough of Thurrock. Our engineers head out from there across south Essex, north to Chelmsford and Colchester, and west to Harlow and Epping. Lift repairs in Essex are everyday work for us, close to home.
We also work across London and the South East, and nationwide too. But Essex is where we are based.
We are independent and not tied to one lift maker, so we can work on most makes. We hold CHAS, SafeContractor and SMAS Worksafe accreditation.
Towns and areas we cover
These are some of the places where we carry out lift repairs in Essex:
- Thurrock and the south: Corringham, Stanford-le-Hope, Grays, Basildon, Wickford, Billericay, Rayleigh, Canvey Island and Southend-on-Sea.
- Mid Essex: Chelmsford, Brentwood, Witham and Maldon.
- North Essex: Colchester, Braintree, Clacton-on-Sea and Saffron Walden.
- West Essex: Harlow, Epping, Loughton and Waltham Abbey.
- On the London border: Romford and the rest of Havering.
Is your town missing? Call us anyway. We carry out lift repairs in Essex villages, business parks and industrial estates as well as in the bigger towns. We don’t publish travel times. When you ring, we give you an honest idea of when we can get there.
Emergency lift repairs in Essex at night and weekends
Who can call us out at night depends on whether you have a maintenance contract with us.
- Maintenance contract customers have emergency call-out 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Ring the call-out number in your contract or on the lift.
- Someone trapped? For contract customers, an engineer goes out at once, aiming to be on site within 1 hour.
- No contract with us? Call us anyway on 01708 986845. Out of hours, we send an engineer whenever one is available, with contract customers first. Until someone arrives, stop anyone using the lift, and dial 999 straight away if a trapped person is unwell, distressed or in danger.
Our lift breakdown guide sets out what to do, and what not to do, while you wait.
Many owners choose a maintenance contract for this reason: it brings the 24-hour call-out with it.
Getting an engineer into your Essex building
Many lift repairs in Essex take place on business parks, industrial estates and retail parks, where the lift is one small part of a bigger site. Sorting out access before you call saves time on the day.
- Gates and barriers. Tell us if the site has a barrier, a gatehouse or a security office, and whether the engineer has to sign in there first.
- The right unit and the right lift. On an estate with many units, give us the unit number and the entrance nearest the lift. If the building has more than one lift, say which one has stopped.
- Keyholders. Someone needs keys for the motor room or control cabinet, and for any locked roof, basement or landing on the way. For a contract call-out at night or at a weekend, give us the keyholder’s name and mobile number.
- Site rules. Some sites ask for a permit to work, a safety briefing on arrival or set working hours. Tell us when you book, so the engineer can plan for it.
- Shared buildings. Where several tenants share one lift, agree between you who will meet the engineer and who can approve a quote.
From your call to a working lift
When you call about a lift repair in Essex, this is the order things happen in.
- A few questions first. We ask if anyone is trapped, where the building is, which lift has stopped and how it is behaving now. We also ask about error codes on the display, and who will meet the engineer.
- Booking. Trapped passengers always come first. After that, faults are booked by how badly the breakdown affects your building, with contract customers ahead of one-off work.
- Safe before anything else. On arrival, the engineer frees anyone inside, then keeps the lift out of use while working on it.
- Finding the cause. The engineer reads the controller and its error codes, checks the doors and the safety circuit, and asks what happened in the minutes before the lift stopped.
- Fixed, or priced. Many lift repairs in Essex are done in a single visit. If a part needs ordering, we send you a quote with the part, the price and the likely wait. Nothing happens until you agree.
- Tested and logged. Before the lift returns to service, the engineer checks the doors, the levelling and the alarm, then writes up the visit in the logbook.
The lifts Essex buildings rely on
Lifts in Essex do very different jobs. Here is what tends to matter most in each kind of building where we carry out lift repairs in Essex.
Offices and business parks. A lift that runs all day puts the most strain on its doors and control gear.
Shops and retail parks. A broken customer lift can stop shoppers reaching an upper floor, and a broken stock lift holds up deliveries. We fit the work around trading hours where the repair allows.
Blocks of flats. Residents use the lift every day. For older residents and wheelchair users, it may be the only way between floors. We work with managing agents and freeholders, and our quotes are easy to pass on to leaseholders.
Schools, colleges and public buildings. Where a pupil, a member of staff or a visitor with limited mobility depends on the lift, a breakdown can shut them out of part of the building. Larger lift repairs in Essex schools can be planned for the holidays where that is safe.
Warehouses and industrial units. Essex has many industrial estates and distribution sites, around Thurrock, Basildon and Harlow among others. Their goods lifts move heavy loads all day, so the doors, brakes and ropes wear quickly.
Restaurants, pubs and hotels. A kitchen leans on its dumbwaiter or food lift through every service. See our dumbwaiter repairs page.
Professional & Reliable Lift Services
Most makes and models
You don’t need to have bought the lift from us, or to have a contract with us, to book lift repairs in Essex. Most makes and models are covered, including:
- traction lifts, where a motor turns a grooved wheel that the ropes or belts run over
- hydraulic lifts, pushed up by a ram and an oil pump
- goods lifts and service lifts
- dumbwaiters and food lifts, of all makes
- platform lifts and through-floor lifts
Parts for older lifts are not always still made. We then look for a compatible replacement, or source the old part where we can, and give you the timescale before you say yes.
When the same lift fails again and again because its key parts are obsolete, we will say plainly whether more repairs or modernising the lift makes better sense over time. For faults that keep returning, a technical visit gives an engineer time to track down the cause.
Early warnings worth reporting
A small fault caught early usually means a smaller job and less time with the lift out of use. Ring us if you notice:
- a step between the car floor and the landing when the lift stops
- doors that are slow, bounce back open or don’t shut fully
- grinding, scraping or knocking that wasn’t there before, or a jerky ride
- on a hydraulic lift, oil on the floor, a smell of oil, or a car that sinks while parked at a floor
- water in the lift pit after heavy rain or a leak
Defects on a LOLER report
Many lift repairs in Essex start with a LOLER report. We arrange LOLER thorough examinations, carried out by an independent examiner, so every examination stays impartial. Each defect on the examiner’s report comes with a deadline for putting it right. Pass the report to us, and we will price the work, carry it out and record it, so you have proof that each defect was dealt with.
It doesn’t matter who examined the lift. We work from any examiner’s report, including your insurer’s, and you don’t have to move your examinations to us first. Our guide to how often a lift needs a LOLER examination sets out the intervals.
Contract or one-off: two ways to book
There are two ways to book lift repairs in Essex with us.
- One-off repairs suit lifts we don’t maintain. We charge per visit, and price parts and bigger jobs before starting. Book them by calling 01708 986845.
- A maintenance contract gives you planned servicing, emergency call-out 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and priority when a lift fails. The contract covers the planned visits; call-outs and parts are charged on top. We usually advise servicing passenger lifts every two months and most other lifts twice a year.
Our lift maintenance page explains how our contracts work.
While the lift is out of action
Where a lift is used at work, the employer or building owner must keep it in good repair, and must stop people using it while it is unsafe. The HSE sets out these duties in its guidance on lifting equipment at work.
Make sure anyone who needs the lift to leave the building still has a working evacuation plan.
More on our repair service
This page covers lift repairs in Essex. Our main lift repairs page explains common lift faults, how we put them right and the trade words engineers use.
Need a lift repaired in Essex? Send us the details and we will call you back.
Lift repairs in Essex: questions people ask
Can you repair a lift in Essex that you don't maintain?
Yes. Our lift repairs in Essex include lifts looked after by other companies, and lifts with no maintenance contract at all. We charge per visit, find the fault, and price any parts or bigger work before it starts. Call us on 01708 986845.
Which parts of Essex do you cover?
All of it. We carry out lift repairs in Essex from Southend-on-Sea and Canvey Island to Colchester, and from Grays and Basildon to Chelmsford, Harlow and Saffron Walden. Across the border we cover Romford and the rest of the capital, as our lift company in London page explains, and the South East.
Do you offer emergency lift repairs in Essex at night and at weekends?
Yes. Maintenance contract customers have guaranteed emergency call-out 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, on the call-out number in their contract or on the lift. If you don’t have a contract, still call us on 01708 986845: out of hours we attend whenever an engineer is available, with contract customers first. Until someone arrives, keep the lift out of use. If anyone trapped is unwell or in danger, call 999.
How quickly can an engineer reach my building?
For a contract customer with someone trapped, we dispatch an engineer immediately and aim to reach the site within 1 hour. Other faults are booked by how badly the breakdown affects your building, with contract customers first. We don’t publish fixed travel times; we tell you honestly when to expect us.
Will I get a quote before a lift repair in Essex goes ahead?
Yes. If the engineer can put the fault right there and then, they will. If a part or a bigger repair is needed, you get the price and the likely timescale first, and the work waits for your yes.
What if the lift can't be fixed on the first visit?
Some lift repairs in Essex need a part we have to order. The lift is left safe and out of use, and the engineer notes what has failed and which parts are needed. We send you a quote, and once you agree and the parts arrive, we book the return visit.
How much do lift repairs in Essex cost?
No two lift repairs in Essex cost exactly the same. The price turns on what has failed, which parts are needed, how old the lift is and what type it is. It also matters whether the lift has a contract with us, and whether the work has to be done urgently. We always quote first. Our lift repair cost guide explains each factor.
Do you carry out lift repairs in Essex warehouses and on goods lifts?
Yes. Goods lifts on industrial estates and in distribution sites carry heavy loads every day, so their doors, brakes and ropes take a lot of strain. We repair doors and gates, controls, brakes and ropes, and we carry out re-roping. A lift that carries only goods needs a LOLER thorough examination at least every 12 months; one that also carries people needs one at least every 6 months.
Do you carry out lift repairs in Essex on hydraulic lifts?
Yes. Hydraulic lifts are often found in low-rise buildings. Their own faults include valve problems, oil leaks, worn seals, pump or motor faults, and a car that sinks while parked. We repair the power unit, the valve block and the lift’s controls. What Is a Hydraulic Passenger Lift? explains how they work.
Do you repair dumbwaiters in Essex restaurants and pubs?
Yes. Dumbwaiters and food lifts are a big part of our lift repairs in Essex, for kitchens in restaurants, pubs and hotels across the county. We work on all makes. Typical bigger jobs are new hatch doors, control boards, re-roping and a new car. See our dumbwaiter repairs page.
Can you repair a platform or through-floor lift in my Essex home?
Yes. Our lift repairs in Essex include platform lifts and through-floor lifts in private homes as well as in businesses. We don’t work on stairlifts.
Our LOLER report lists defects. Can you fix them?
Yes. Fixing LOLER defects is a regular part of our lift repairs in Essex. Send us the report, whoever wrote it, and we will price the repairs so the defects can be put right by the dates it gives. We arrange LOLER thorough examinations too, and an independent examiner always carries them out.
Our block is a high-rise. Does a broken lift need reporting?
It can. The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 apply to high-rise residential buildings, meaning those 18 metres or 7 storeys and over. There, the responsible person must check any firefighting and evacuation lifts each month. If one of those lifts is out of action for more than 24 hours, the fire and rescue service has to be told. In Essex, that is Essex County Fire and Rescue Service.
Book lift repairs in Essex
For lift repairs in Essex, call us on 01708 986845, or request a call back. We also offer a free lift survey and quote if you want a lift checked before something goes wrong.
Future Lift Services
Cawder Hall Farm, Southend Road, Corringham, Stanford-le-Hope, Essex SS17 9NQ
Phone: 01708 986845
Email: admin@futureliftservices.co.uk
Office: 08:00 to 17:00, Monday to Friday
Emergency call-out: 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for maintenance contract customers; anyone else, call us and we attend whenever an engineer is available
They explain the works they are doing in a way I can understand, and are always quick to respond to urgent call outs.
Highly recommend Future Lifts to be your Lift Service Engineers
