How much does lift maintenance cost in the UK?

In short: lift maintenance cost depends on the type of lift, how many lifts and floors there are, how many service visits a year it needs, its age, condition and usage, access to the site, and the make. Most contracts cover planned servicing and breakdown call-outs; parts, LOLER examination fees, defect repairs and upgrades usually cost extra. We don’t publish fixed prices, because two lifts are rarely the same, but this guide explains exactly what drives the cost so you can compare quotes fairly.

This guide is for building owners, managing agents and facilities teams in the UK who want to understand lift maintenance cost before they ask for quotes. We are an independent lift company maintaining all makes of lift across Essex, London and the South East.

What a lift maintenance contract usually covers

A lift maintenance contract is a yearly agreement for a lift company to look after your lift. On our contracts, the lift maintenance cost covers:

• Planned service visits. The engineer checks, cleans, lubricates and adjusts the lift, and records each visit in the logbook.
• Breakdown call-outs. If the lift breaks down, we come out, and contract customers can reach us 24 hours a day.
• An alarm line to us. The emergency phone in the lift car comes straight through to us.
• Arranging the LOLER thorough examination. We arrange the independent examiner; the examination fee is charged separately.

Our lift maintenance contract guide explains what to check in a contract before you sign.

The 8 things that decide your lift maintenance cost

1. The type of lift. Passenger, goods, platform and service lifts, and dumbwaiters, all need different checks, and some take longer to service than others.
2. How many lifts and floors. More lifts and more floors mean more equipment to check on each visit.
3. How many service visits a year. On our contracts this ranges from once to twelve times a year. More visits cost more, but can prevent breakdowns on busy lifts.
4. Age and condition. Older lifts, or lifts with known problems, take longer to service and need closer attention.
5. How much the lift is used. A lift that runs all day in an office, hotel or block of flats wears faster than one used a few times a day.
6. Location and access. How easy the site, machine room or control cabinet and lift pit are to reach.
7. The make and how easy parts are to find. Some makes need specialist parts or tools, which affects how quickly faults can be fixed.
8. Out-of-hours cover. Contract customers have breakdown call-outs as part of their contract; what is included is set out in the contract.

The quickest way to an accurate lift maintenance cost for your building is a survey. We offer a free lift survey and quote.

What you get for your lift maintenance cost on each visit

Each service visit follows a checklist suited to the lift. Typically the engineer will:

• Check the doors: locks and contacts, the safety edge, door gear and sills, and clear debris from the tracks.
• Test the controls: car and landing buttons, indicators and the floor display.
• Test the alarm and emergency phone, and check the emergency lighting in the car.
• Check how the lift runs: levelling at each floor, smooth starts and stops, and any unusual noise.
• On traction lifts, check the brakes, the ropes or belts and the drive wheel; on hydraulic lifts, check the oil level and look for leaks.
• Check the controller, machine room or control cabinet and the pit, and keep them clean.
• Record the visit in the logbook, with anything found and anything that needs attention.

If the engineer finds something that needs a part or extra work, we explain it and quote before going ahead.

What costs extra on top of lift maintenance

Most of the cost of owning a lift is in the contract, but some things are charged separately. Knowing about them avoids surprises:

• Parts. When something needs replacing, we quote for the part before any work goes ahead.
• The LOLER thorough examination fee. We arrange the examination with an independent examiner, and the fee is charged separately.
• LOLER defect repairs. Work to put right defects listed on the examination report is quoted separately.
• Damage and misuse. Repairs after vandalism, overloading or impact damage, such as trolleys hitting the doors.
• Upgrades and modernisation. Larger projects, such as a new controller or new doors, are quoted as separate jobs.

When you compare lift maintenance cost between companies, check which of these each quote includes.

How often should a lift be serviced?

There is no single answer. On our contracts lift servicing ranges from once to twelve times a year, depending on the lift, how much it is used and what you need from it:

• Busy passenger lifts in offices, hotels and larger blocks of flats usually need the most visits.
• Residential lifts in smaller blocks often need fewer, but residents depend on them, so reliability matters.
• Goods lifts that work hard every day need regular checks on doors and gates.
• Platform lifts used occasionally may need fewer visits.
• Dumbwaiters in pubs and restaurants run all day and benefit from regular visits.

We agree the number of visits with you after surveying the lift. More lift servicing visits raise the yearly lift maintenance cost, but on a busy lift they usually save money by preventing breakdowns.

Is there a legal minimum number of service visits?

No. UK law doesn’t set a fixed number of lift servicing visits. The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) say equipment used at work must be maintained in an efficient state and in good repair, which in practice means regular servicing. Separately, the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) require a thorough examination by a competent person, normally at least every six months for lifts that carry people. A LOLER examination is not a service visit, and a service visit is not a LOLER examination.

Lift maintenance regulations in the UK

For lifts used at work, the main rules are:

• PUWER 1998: keep the lift maintained in an efficient state and in good repair, and keep it safe to use.
• LOLER 1998: have the lift thoroughly examined by a competent person, normally every six months for lifts that carry people, and act on the defects in the report.
• Keep records: the logbook, service records and examination reports.

The HSE explains these duties in its guidance on lifting equipment at work. Meeting them is part of what you are paying for in lift maintenance cost.

Lift maintenance cost for older lifts

Older lifts can still be reliable, but they often cost more to look after:

• Parts can be harder to find. Some have to be sourced from specialist suppliers, reconditioned or made, which takes longer and costs more.
• More visits may be needed to keep an older lift reliable, which raises the yearly lift maintenance cost.
• Faults can take longer to trace, especially on older controllers.

A survey shows whether an older lift can be kept running at a sensible cost, or whether modernising some parts would bring the cost down.

The cost of not maintaining a lift

Cutting lift servicing to save money usually costs more in the end:

• More breakdowns, often at the worst time, with the lift out of use until it is fixed.
• Bigger repairs. A worn part that would have been replaced on a service visit can damage other equipment when it fails.
• LOLER defects that must be fixed. An examiner can find defects that stop the lift being used until they are put right.
• People left without a lift. Residents, staff and visitors who rely on the lift, including disabled people, can be stuck on one floor.
• Legal risk. For lifts used at work, PUWER and LOLER require the lift to be maintained and thoroughly examined.

Lift maintenance cost by type of building

• Blocks of flats: the lift maintenance cost is usually paid by the freeholder or managing agent and recovered through the service charge. Reliability matters most, because residents depend on the lift.
• Offices and shops: busy lifts often need more frequent visits, which raises the yearly cost but reduces breakdowns.
• Hotels: visits are often planned around quieter times, and guests notice a broken lift straight away.
• Pubs and restaurants: dumbwaiters and goods lifts carry food and stock every day. See our dumbwaiter repairs page.
• Buildings with platform lifts: often used by one person who relies on them, so a breakdown can stop someone getting in or out.

Comparing lift maintenance quotes

A low price only helps if the contract covers what you need. When you compare lift maintenance cost between companies, check:

• Visits: how many a year, and what is checked on each.
• Call-outs: are breakdown call-outs part of the contract, and can you reach someone 24/7?
• Parts: included or charged separately, and will you get a quote before work starts?
• LOLER: who arranges the thorough examination, and is the fee included?
• Contract length and renewal: the minimum term, the notice period and whether it renews automatically.
• Records: will you get visit records, and will the logbook stay with the building?

Why cheap lift maintenance can cost more

• Fewer or shorter visits can mean worn parts are missed until they fail.
• Breakdowns between visits add repair bills that a lower contract price doesn’t show.
• No logbook entries make faults slower to trace.
• Surprise bills for work that wasn’t quoted first.

The cheapest contract is the one that keeps the lift running at a fair, predictable lift maintenance cost, not the one with the lowest headline price.

Questions to ask about lift maintenance cost

• What exactly is included in the yearly price, and what is charged separately?
• How many visits a year, and why that number for this lift?
• How are parts charged, and will you quote before replacing anything?
• Who arranges the LOLER thorough examination, and what does it cost?
• What happens out of hours, and how do we reach you?
• How long is the contract, what is the notice period, and does it renew automatically?

Switching lift maintenance company to save money

If your current lift maintenance cost feels too high, or the service isn’t good enough, you can change company when your contract allows:

1. Check your contract for the notice period and end date, and give notice in writing.
2. Book a survey. We survey the lift so we know its condition before we quote.
3. Compare like with like, using the questions above.
4. Collect the paperwork: the logbook, the latest LOLER thorough examination reports and records of recent repairs.
5. Agree a start date, so the lift isn’t left without cover.

We maintain all makes of lift and regularly take over lifts from other maintenance companies.

How to keep your lift maintenance cost down

• Get the right number of visits. Match lift servicing to how much the lift is used: enough to prevent breakdowns, no more than it needs.
• Fix small faults early. A noisy door or a lift stopping slightly off level is cheaper to fix before it gets worse.
• Modernise parts that keep failing. Replacing a worn-out controller, drive or door equipment can cut repair bills over time.
• Keep the door tracks clean. Rubbish in the tracks is a common cause of door faults.
• Act on LOLER defects by the dates on the report.
• Keep the logbook up to date, so engineers can see the lift’s history.

Our lift repair cost guide explains what affects repair bills and when modernising makes more sense than repairing.

When modernising lowers lift maintenance cost

If an old lift keeps breaking down, or its parts are no longer made, each repair takes longer and costs more. Modernising the worn major parts, such as the controller, drive or doors, can bring the lift maintenance cost down, because the lift becomes more reliable and parts are easier to find. See our lift modernisation page.

Lift maintenance words explained

• Service visit: a planned visit to check, clean, lubricate and adjust the lift.
• Call-out: a visit when the lift has broken down.
• LOLER thorough examination: a legal safety examination by an independent competent person, separate from servicing.
• Defect: a fault listed on the examination report, with a date by which it must be put right.
• Logbook: the record of every visit, fault and repair.
• Modernisation: replacing major worn parts, such as the controller, drive or doors, to bring an older lift up to date.
• Comprehensive contract: a term some companies use for contracts that include most parts. On our contracts, parts are charged separately and quoted first.

What to have ready when you ask for a lift maintenance quote

• The site address, and how many lifts there are.
• The type and make of each lift, if you know them.
• How busy each lift is, and how many floors it serves.
• The latest LOLER thorough examination report and the logbook.
• Your current contract, if you are switching, including the notice period.

We maintain all makes of lift and can take over lifts from other maintenance companies, starting with a survey. See our lift maintenance page.

Questions people ask