In brief
Ask a competent provider to explain the feasible options using the same fault history, building needs and planning period. Compare what is retained as carefully as what is replaced.
There is no automatic replacement age or breakdown count. Deal with urgent safety actions first, and keep unproven benefits and unknown costs visible.
Start with the problem you need to solve
Bring together the fault history, time out of service, repair spending, examination findings and user complaints. Ask your contractor to separate current defects from reliability improvements and optional upgrades.
For each proposed item, ask what problem it addresses, the evidence behind the recommendation, the consequence of deferral and any deadline set by a competent person. Resolve urgent safety matters through the appropriate process; a budget plan is not a reason to defer them.
Follow restrictions on use and defect deadlines while options are reviewed. Ask the examiner and competent provider what action is needed now; a future project is not permission to continue using unsafe equipment.
Source: HSE examination guidance .
Understand the three options
Repair: address a defined problem
A targeted repair fixes or replaces a particular item. Ask whether the evidence points to an isolated fault, whether suitable parts are available and what the repair would leave unresolved. A small scope may be sensible, but repeating the same repair without understanding the cause needs review.
Modernise: upgrade selected systems
Modernisation retains some equipment while upgrading other parts of the lift. Ask exactly what stays, its assessed condition and how the new and retained systems will work together. A refreshed interior alone does not resolve an unrelated reliability problem.
Replace: undertake a wider renewal
Replacement may be considered where condition, support or the building’s needs make narrower work unsuitable. Ask what “replacement” actually includes, what is retained and what building or electrical alterations are needed. Do not assume every quotation covers the same equipment.
These are options to investigate, not a scoring system. Ask the provider to explain why any option is unsuitable. A competent lift adviser can help the owner review a major or disputed proposal.
Provider example: Forge Lifts’ modernisation overview describes possible upgrades to controls, doors and drive equipment. Use it to make the scope discussion more concrete, then ask what would change, what would remain and why that work suits your lift.
Compare evidence and outcomes side by side
- Need: what fault, access requirement or other building need would each option address?
- Evidence: what survey, findings and fault history support the scope? What investigation is still needed?
- What remains: which equipment and limitations would be left, and what future work is expected?
- Benefit: what improvement is expected, how would it be assessed and what is uncertain?
- Support: who can maintain it, what parts and technical support are available, and on what terms?
- Disruption: separate parts lead time from time out of service; identify the effect on residents and building operations.
Use the same planning period for all options. Ask for the basis of any remaining-life, reliability or energy-saving estimate; do not treat a claim as a guarantee. A longer planning period may expose later work that a cheap immediate repair does not address.
Repair, modernisation or replacement comparison
Put the three options alongside one another, record evidence and unknowns, and capture the decision and conditions. It does not score safety or choose an option for you.
Repair, modernise or replaceChoose Excel to edit, PDF to fill in or print, or CSV for a plain spreadsheet. Add your building details and save a copy on your device.
Build the whole-project budget
Ask for a breakdown that separates the lift contractor’s price from other building costs. Mark each amount as quoted, estimated, included elsewhere or still unknown.
- Lift work, removal and disposal.
- Building work, electrical supplies, access equipment and making good.
- Surveys, professional advice and any project management.
- Testing, any necessary examination, approvals and completion records.
- Temporary access/support arrangements and resident communications.
- VAT, an explicit contingency and the payment timetable.
Over the same planning period, compare the project cost plus expected maintenance, examinations, alarm charges and foreseeable follow-on work. Ask for the evidence behind savings and future costs. Use scenarios where those costs are uncertain rather than a precise total that hides gaps.
Keep cash needed for the project separate from ongoing running costs and funding reserves. Check quote validity and any price-change terms. Agree who can approve variations before work begins.
Where leaseholder consultation, permissions or other legal requirements may affect the project, obtain advice specific to the building before committing to dates or costs. This guide does not set a consultation threshold or decide who must pay.
For the recurring costs, use the annual lift budget guide and worksheet.
Ask for a written options review
Ask for repair, modernisation and replacement options
Copy this wording and replace the square brackets with your details.
Subject: Lift options review — [building / lift reference]
We need to decide how best to address [confirmed problem / building need]. Our planning period is [period], and the key building needs are [access, capacity, reliability and other requirements].
Please review the attached [fault history / examination report / service records / quotations] and explain the feasible options for a targeted repair, modernisation and replacement. If an option is unsuitable, explain why. Please separate urgent required work from longer-term improvements.
For each feasible option, please provide:
- Evidence supporting the recommendation and any further survey or investigation needed.
- Work included, equipment retained, known limitations and any building or electrical work needed.
- Lift works price and all known associated costs, exclusions, VAT basis and quote validity.
- Lead time, expected time out of service, access requirements and the main uncertainties.
- Expected benefit, evidence behind any life or savings estimate, and issues the work would not resolve.
- Expected maintenance, parts support and other foreseeable costs over our stated planning period.
- Completion records, testing, any examination or approvals needed, warranty and return-to-service arrangements.
Please distinguish confirmed amounts from estimates and unknowns. Explain how variations will be approved and what information we need before making a decision.
Please respond by [date] and flag urgent safety issues immediately to [responsible contact]. This request is not an instruction to proceed and does not extend any defect deadline.
Download message template (TXT) ↓Need help deciding what review to commission? See lift surveys, maintenance audits and second opinions for the scope and questions to agree.
Record why an option was chosen
- Identify the lift, decision date, decision-maker and budget authority.
- Record the evidence, options considered and why any option was ruled out.
- Identify the chosen quote and version, scope, exclusions and funding arrangement.
- List conditions still to resolve, with an owner and deadline for each.
- Record approval limits for changes and when the decision must be reviewed.
Use the decision rows in the comparison worksheet. “Subject to survey” or “price to be confirmed” should remain an open condition, not disappear into an approval. Record any urgent work separately from the longer-term decision.
Plan the outage and the handover
Identify people and activities that depend on the lift. Agree an outage communication plan, building access arrangements, working hours and a named project contact. Ask for a process to approve variations and monitor progress.
At handover, request the updated records, operating information and a written list of anything outstanding. Agree how early issues will be reported and who will close them.
“What condition is each major system in, what evidence supports the proposed work, and which options would meet this building’s needs over our planning period?”
Use the resident update templates to communicate the planned interruption and later changes. Confirm who controls return to service and what checks, examination or approvals are needed for the actual scope. Major changes affecting equipment integrity may require a further thorough examination; clarify this with the competent examiner.
Ask for updated operating and maintenance information, agreed warranty terms, the first service arrangements and a follow-up review. Technical work belongs with competent people.
Sources: HSE examination guidance ; HSE maintenance guidance .
Sources & scope
HSE · Thorough examinations and inspections HSE · Maintenance of work equipmentHSE sources checked on 16 October 2026. They support the safety, competence and examination points. Option comparisons and budget prompts are editorial management aids, not a technical assessment, a price guide or a guaranteed life extension. Obtain advice on the actual lift, project and legal requirements. Provider examples checked on 16 October 2026; they illustrate services or reporting formats, not regulatory requirements or recommendations to appoint those companies.