How Often Do Passenger Lifts Need to be Serviced?

How Often Do Passenger Lifts Need to be Serviced?


Tower Lifts engineers regularly answer clients’ questions around how often passenger lifts need to be serviced, inspected, and examined. The terminology is confusing, and we always try to answer such queries clearly for lift owners or building managers. In this blog we provide a guide to the regulations and requirements around lift servicing and maintenance.

Passenger safety is the primary goal for lift servicing, which is why a regime of care for your lift is so important. A secondary benefit to commercial lift owners, is the maintenance of efficiency and productivity within your work environment. A lift that can’t be relied upon will slow down work, lower morale, and raise questions around executive priorities.


What is a Lift Service?

This is a preventative measure which has 3 main aims:

  1. Maintain the high performance of your lift.
  2. Minimise risk to the safety of passengers.
  3. Reduce the need for major repairs by providing ongoing maintenance.

Tower Lifts servicing engineers provide ongoing reports that inform clients of the work they undertake in addition to regular maintenance, such as repairs or component replacements. They will also provide recommendations for modernisation, upgrades, or refurbishment.

How Often Should Passenger Lifts be Serviced?

This depends upon the age, size, and number of floors it services. Tower Lifts service contracts take all these variables into consideration when recommending the regularity of intervals at which your lift should be serviced. Keeping your lift serviced is a legal requirement, in addition to ensuring its efficiency and safety for passengers.

As a general guide, we would normally recommend at least 2 service visits each year, and up to 6 service visits for high volume lifts in – for example – hospitals, hotels, or airports.

What is a Thorough Examination?

The LOLER ‘thorough examination’ is the MOT of the lift world. It is illegal to operate a lift without a LOLER certificate, and the examination has to be carried out by a ‘competent’ person, who is not your regular maintenance engineer. Why? Because LOLER want to check that your maintenance is up to scratch, amongst other things.

How Often is a Thorough Examination Required?

A thorough examination is required every 6 months for a passenger lift. The HSE has published detailed guidance on what is included in a thorough investigation. The examiner is required to be someone with technical proficiency, who has practical knowledge, and is impartial.

What is a Lift Inspection?

This is required by LOLER and is in addition to preventive maintenance/servicing and thorough examinations. It is usually carried out by an employee who has been trained in the role. Inspections punctuate the period between examinations and comprise a number of routine checks. For example, inspecting the alarm interlocks, and lift door operations.


About Tower Lifts

We offer tailored service packages to businesses managing passenger lifts. We can also offer individuals to carry out a LOLER Thorough Examination where we are not contracted to provide regular maintenance/servicing. If you are looking for comprehensive lift management, Tower Lifts offers lift consultancy in London and across the UK.


Would you like to speak to Tower Lifts about a service contract, or LOLER regulations? Call us today on 01525 601099


Tower Lifts carry out design and installation on a varied range of lifts throughout the UK including:

Domestic Lifts • Food Lifts • Bespoke Platform Lifts • Service Lifts • Platform Lifts • Goods Lifts • Scenic Lifts • Heavy Duty / Car Lifts • Passenger Lifts • Dumbwaiter Lifts • MRL Lifts • Fire lifts • Residential Lifts • low-Headroom Lift