Lift AMC checklist for housing societies

1. Identify the lifts and starting condition

List each passenger, service or goods lift separately. Record the lift make, controller or drive information if known, number of stops, rated load, building use and approximate operating pattern. A multi-tower society should not rely on a single description such as 'all lifts' when different units may have different equipment or histories.

Ask that the starting condition be recorded during an inspection. Existing defects, unavailable parts, temporary repairs and recommended work should be separated from the recurring maintenance scope. This prevents a later disagreement over whether a fault existed before the contract began.

• Lift number, tower, lobby and usage type.
• Equipment or components included in the proposed scope.
• Known shutdowns, door faults, levelling issues and repeat complaints.
• Access rules for the machine room, controller area and building security.

2. Compare scope, not just the contract label

The words comprehensive and non-comprehensive do not explain the whole contract. Ask for an itemised list of included preventive visits, breakdown labour, rescue-call coordination, consumables and replacement parts. Then ask for a matching exclusion list, including damage linked to water, misuse, unstable power, civil work, vandalism or equipment outside the agreed list.

If a proposal refers to covered parts in general terms, request the actual schedule. A clear document should explain how obsolete or unavailable components are handled and whether approval is required before chargeable work begins.

3. Define breakdown and emergency communication

Record one primary number, one escalation route and the people authorised to approve access or chargeable work. The contract should explain how a trapped-passenger call is reported, what information the building must provide and how ordinary faults are prioritised. Treat an estimated attendance window as a planning estimate, not a fixed rescue or repair commitment.

Security teams should have a short call sheet with the tower, lift number, floor position, passenger status, fault symptoms and gate directions. A technically good maintenance agreement can still fail operationally if the person answering the complaint cannot locate the building or access the equipment.

• Published reporting and escalation contacts.
• Process for trapped passengers, shutdowns and repeat faults.
• After-hours access and keyholder responsibilities.
• How the building receives an attendance or service record.

4. Require useful maintenance records

A visit entry should identify the lift, date, reported issue, observations, work completed, outstanding recommendation and person acknowledging the visit. Vague entries such as 'checked OK' make it difficult to see whether door, levelling or shutdown complaints are repeating.

Review the log at society meetings or facility reviews. Repeated callbacks, recurring replacement of the same component, increasing downtime or parts becoming unavailable can signal that repair planning or modernization assessment is needed.

5. Keep statutory duties separate

An AMC is a commercial maintenance arrangement; it should not be assumed to replace licensing, owner declarations or periodic inspections required by the relevant authority. In Delhi, the Labour Department's Electrical Inspectorate publishes lift rules and a periodical-inspection service. Other NCR jurisdictions may follow different procedures, so the society should confirm the current requirement for its location.

Keep licence, inspection, maintenance, breakdown and modernization documents in one controlled file. Nominate a committee or facility contact to track due dates and to verify any requirement directly with the applicable government authority.

Official references

• Delhi Labour Department: Bombay Lifts Act and Delhi Lift Rules
• Delhi Electrical Inspectorate services