A lift should be serviced on the schedule written in your AMC contract, usually once a month, with every visit recorded in a signed service report. On who pays, the fairest and most common answer is that every unit shares the cost, with the exact rule agreed at an AGM and written in the minutes. Check your by-laws first, since some societies treat ground floor units differently.
Why does the lift cause so many arguments?
A lift is one of the biggest repair risks in any building. When it stops, elderly residents and families with small children are stuck, and the committee gets blamed. It is also one of the most visible costs. Residents who rarely use it ask why they should pay. So it helps to separate three questions: how often to service it, which contract to sign, and who pays.
How often should a lift be serviced?
The right schedule is set by the lift company, the age of the lift and how many people use it. Most buildings sign a contract with a regular visit, often monthly, and a callout for breakdowns. Your contract will state what it is. A few habits that help:
- Ask for a written service schedule at the start of the year and put it in the building group.
- Make sure the technician signs a service report after every visit, with the date, the work done and any parts that need replacing.
- Do a quick daily look through the guard or caretaker: lights, door movement, strange noises, floor levelling.
- Put a contact number and emergency instructions inside the lift car and on each floor.
- Any warning sign such as jerking, doors not closing or a different sound should be reported the same day, not left for next month.
What should an AMC contract include?
Read it carefully before signing, and ask your own lawyer or a trusted engineer if the amount is large. A clear contract answers these questions:
- What is covered? Routine service only, or also repairs and parts?
- What is extra? Motors, cables, doors, control boards and electronics are often charged separately.
- How quickly will they respond after a breakdown call, including nights and holidays?
- How long is the contract and how can either side end it?
- How is payment made? Monthly, quarterly or yearly, and what proof is given.
- Who is responsible for safety checks and for informing the committee when a part is worn?
- What happens when there is a power failure? Does the lift run on generator? See our note on the generator fuel split formula if the lift draws generator power.
Compare at least two or three quotes. The cheapest quote is not always the best if the response time is slow or the spare parts are extra.
Who should pay: ground floor or upper floors?
This is the argument that never ends. There are several approaches, and all of them can be justified:
| Approach | How it works | Good for | Watch out for | |---|---|---|---| | Everyone equal | All units pay the same lift share | Most mixed buildings, simple to run | Ground floor may feel it is unfair | | Reduced ground floor share | Ground floor pays a smaller, agreed share | Buildings with many ground floor shops or flats | The discount needs a clear number | | By floor | Higher floors pay more | Tall buildings | More complex to explain and bill | | By use | Based on the number of people | Rare in practice | Hard to measure |
These are general options only. The right choice depends on your building and your by-laws. A few points are worth thinking about before the vote:
- A working lift adds value to every unit in the building, including the ground floor, when it comes to resale or rent.
- Ground floor shops often have visitors using the lift to reach other floors, or heavy goods being moved.
- If the ground floor gets a reduced share, write the percentage, so it is not re-argued each year.
Example only: if the yearly lift cost is Rs 240,000 (an example figure) for 24 units, an equal share is Rs 10,000 per unit a year, or about Rs 833 a month. If the committee agrees on a half share for 4 ground floor units, the others pay slightly more to cover the difference. Run the numbers in the meeting so everyone sees the effect before voting.
Should lift costs be part of normal maintenance or a separate line?
Show it as a separate line in the monthly budget, so residents can see exactly what the lift costs. Big repairs belong in your reserve. See our guide on the sinking fund for building repairs for how to plan for them.
What records should the committee keep?
Good records protect the committee, the residents and the lift company. Keep these in one folder:
- The AMC contract and every quote you compared
- A list of service dates with the signed report for each
- Every repair, with the part, price and receipt
- A log of breakdown complaints, with time reported and time fixed
- Payments made to the lift company, with proof
- AGM minutes showing the cost-sharing rule
When a dispute starts, this file ends it. For the habit of attaching proof to each expense, see proof-based accounting for committees.
What should you do if the lift breaks down?
- Put a notice on each floor and tell residents on the group right away.
- Call the AMC company and note the time of the call.
- Ask for a rough date of repair and the cost before any part is changed.
- Check who is stuck or needs help, such as elderly residents or anyone carrying heavy items.
- If a part is expensive, get a second opinion and approval before spending.
- Record the breakdown, the repair and the receipt.
If anyone is trapped inside, do not try to open the doors by force. Call the lift company and follow their safety advice.
Quick checklist
- Do we have a signed AMC contract with scope and response time?
- Is there a service report for every visit?
- Is the cost-sharing rule written in AGM minutes?
- Is the lift cost a separate line in the budget?
- Is there an emergency contact inside and outside the lift?
- Are repair receipts attached to each expense?
Nearlify helps committees send notices to everyone with read tracking, record lift expenses with receipts and treasurer approval, and handle breakdown complaints with a clear status. Start free at https://nearlify.app/signup.