A word on… vertical blind spots
Dave Cooper, CEO at LECS UK, explains why lifts deserve greater scrutiny in building appraisals and makes the case for closer collaboration with chartered surveyors to deliver increased client benefits.
For many surveyors lifts remain an awkward grey area. Acknowledged as critical building services, recognised as expensive to replace and known to be subject to rigorous regulation, yet often afforded insufficient scrutiny within surveys and reports.
Typically, lift commentary is confined to a condition statement, an operational note and/or a recommendation to seek ‘specialist advice’. In our regulatory and risk environment, that approach is increasingly difficult to defend.
This is not an argument for surveyors to become lift experts. It is a recommendation to recognise where specialist input materially strengthens their service.
As independent consulting engineers we see how lift-related risks are frequently underestimated, and how easily this can undermine asset value, compliance and client confidence.
Regulated, high-liability assets
Unlike many building elements, lifts are governed by best practice and specific statutory obligations. In the UK, passenger and goods lifts fall under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER), supported by the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER).
Surveyors will review the latest LOLER report, but the presence of a recent report does not equate to an asset being in good condition, future-proofed, or fit for continued service. LOLER is a safety baseline, not a measure of performance, reliability or remaining life.
Similarly, compliance with BS EN81 standards, most notably BS EN81-20 and 81-50, does not apply retrospectively. Many operational lifts remain legally in-service despite falling significantly short of modern safety, accessibility and user expectations. This regulatory nuance is critical when advising clients. A lift can be compliant, operational, and still represent a substantial latent liability.
Lifts can influence whether a building remains compliant, lettable and insurable, and also represent a significant financial commitment. A single passenger lift may account for 5–10% of construction cost, with long-term maintenance and modernisation costs substantially increasing total expenditure over its lifecycle.
The challenge is that many of the issues affecting performance sit behind locked doors, and from a risk perspective, ageing lift systems are vulnerable to:
• Obsolete components with no manufacturer support
• Non-compliance with current safety standards
• Poor ride quality impacting occupier satisfaction
• Escalating reactive maintenance costs
• Latent defects masked by short-term repairs
For surveyors advising on acquisition, dilapidations, or lifecycle costing, these issues can materially affect valuation and future liability.
The cost of getting it wrong
We are often brought in ‘after the fact’, when a purchaser discovers an unanticipated hefty modernisation requirement or a landlord is challenged on accessibility and safety, and/or budgets failed to account for obsolescence-driven upgrades. In many cases, the lift was described as “compliant and operational at time of inspection”. Technically true, but professionally insufficient.
Two lifts of the same age can be in vastly different conditions. One may have a well documented maintenance history and a clear upgrade path, the other may be approaching functional obsolescence with no warning signs visible to a non-specialist.
In these cases, surveyors are often asked why the risk was not identified earlier, with the uncomfortable subtext being “specialist advice was available”. Courts and clients are increasingly intolerant of avoidable omissions.
Early engagement with an independent lift consultant can:
• Provide realistic CAPEX forecasts aligned with planned maintenance cycles
• Benchmark performance against current standards and user expectations
• Inform negotiations during acquisition or lease renewal
• Interpret LOLER findings in the context of asset condition and risk
• Assess BS EN81-20/50 compliance gaps and recommend proportionate upgrades
• Identify obsolete equipment and supply-chain risks
• Distinguish between maintenance issues, and genuine modernisation need
This insight saves clients six-figure sums and improves reliability and energy efficiency.
A collaborative way forward
The most effective projects we work on are collaborative. Surveyors set the commercial and strategic context; independent lift consultants provide the technical depth with clients receiving robust, actionable advice.
With rising costs, tighter regulation and heightened professional scrutiny, lifts deserve an increased level of scrutiny because when lifts go wrong, they do so vertically, and the consequences tend to be felt all the way down.
