Changing lift maintenance provider is one of those jobs property managers put off, usually because it feels riskier than it is. Handled well, a switch is straightforward and leaves you with better service, clearer reporting and lifts that are demonstrably compliant. Handled badly, it leaves gaps that surface at the worst moment, in a LOLER review, an insurance claim, or a sale.
This guide is the checklist we wish every incoming client had worked through before they called us. It covers what to read, what to demand, and what to watch for, so the transition is clean.
Why property managers switch
The reasons are consistent. Slow or unreliable callout response. Reporting that arrives late or not at all. Quotes for repairs that feel padded or unexplained. An account manager who has gone quiet. Or simply a lift that keeps breaking down while the contractor resets it and moves on rather than fixing the root cause. None of these are dramatic on their own. Together they are a fair reason to look elsewhere, and you are entitled to expect better.
Read your current contract first
Before you approach anyone new, read the contract you are already in. This is where switches most often run aground. The three things to find are the notice period, the renewal mechanism, and any tie-ins.
- Notice period. Many lift maintenance contracts require three to six months written notice. Miss the window and you may be locked in for another term.
- Automatic renewal. A lot of contracts roll over automatically unless cancelled in a set period before the end date. Diary that date well ahead.
- Tie-ins and exit terms. Check for any early termination charge, and whether you own outright the equipment the contractor has fitted, such as an autodialler or monitoring unit.
Serve notice properly and in writing, keep a dated copy, and only then line up the start date with your incoming provider. Getting these two dates to meet cleanly is the whole game.
The handover pack you should demand
When a contractor leaves, the records for your lifts go with them unless you insist otherwise. These documents belong to the building, and you are entitled to them. Ask for the full set in writing.
- The lift logbook for each lift, with the service history.
- The most recent LOLER thorough examination reports and any open actions.
- Wiring diagrams and the controller documentation.
- The fault and callout history, so the incoming engineer inherits the context.
- All keys: motor room, controller, landing door drop keys and release keys.
- Details of the autodialler connection and the emergency monitoring arrangement.
A reluctance to hand over logbooks and reports is itself informative. The paperwork is yours, and a professional outgoing contractor will pass it across without friction.
Who owns the autodialler SIM and monitoring
The single most overlooked item in a handover is the lift emergency phone. Autodiallers route to a monitoring centre under a contract that has to stay live, and they often run on a SIM or line provided by the outgoing contractor. If that SIM is deactivated or the monitoring contract lapses when the old contract ends, a trapped passenger could press the alarm and reach no one. Confirm, before the switch completes, who owns the SIM, whether the monitoring transfers or needs setting up fresh, and that there is no day on which the emergency phone goes dark. Our guide to autodiallers and EN 81-28 explains why this matters and how the units fail.
The lift can be perfectly maintained and the paperwork immaculate, but if the emergency phone goes silent for a fortnight during the handover, none of that helps the person stuck in the car.
Avoiding a compliance gap during transition
The aim is continuity. Your statutory duties do not pause while you change contractor. A passenger lift still needs a current LOLER thorough examination and ongoing maintenance throughout the transition. Line up the incoming provider to start on the day the outgoing one finishes, with no gap in cover, and confirm the next thorough examination is booked. If you are unsure how the LOLER side fits together, our LOLER inspections guide sets out the duty holder's responsibilities.
Red flags in your current service
If you are weighing up whether to switch, these are the signals that the answer is probably yes.
- Callouts that take far longer than the contract promises, with no clear reason.
- Service visits you cannot evidence, where reports are vague or missing.
- The same fault recurring while the lift is repeatedly reset rather than repaired.
- Repair quotes with little detail, presented on a take it or leave it basis.
- LOLER actions left open for months with no plan to close them out.
What a good takeover looks like
A credible incoming contractor will want to survey the lifts before pricing the work. That survey establishes the condition of each lift, flags anything urgent, and means the quote reflects reality rather than guesswork. On day one they should take a baseline: photograph the controllers, check the emergency phones, confirm the logbooks are present, and set the maintenance schedule. From there, you should be able to see service visits, reports and any open actions in one place rather than chasing them by email. That is exactly what our lift maintenance takeover service is built to do, and it runs through Durant OS so your records are in one place from the first visit.
Where Durant Lifts fits in
We take over lift maintenance contracts across London, Kent and the South East, and we make the switch deliberately painless. We survey first, take a clean baseline, chase the handover pack so you do not have to, and confirm your emergency phones and LOLER cover are continuous. If you are thinking about moving, send us the lift details and your current contract end date, and we will map out a clean transition.
Thinking about switching lift contractor?
We handle the survey, the handover and the compliance continuity so you do not have to. Tell us your lift details and current contract end date, and we will map a clean transition.
