In brief
Name the person who coordinates the lift, the maintenance contractor, the examination provider and the emergency response contact.
Confirm the arrangements in writing. One company may provide several services, but the jobs still need to be clear.
Start with three questions
- Who in our organisation owns the lift action list and who covers their absence?
- Who maintains the lift, and who carries out the thorough examination?
- Who should we call if the lift stops or someone needs help?
Find the answers in the building records, contracts and latest examination report. If the answers conflict, ask the building owner or managing organisation to confirm the arrangement.
The people around your lift
- Building owner or organisation in control
- What to clarify: who makes decisions, funds work and has responsibility for the equipment. A contract with a service provider does not, by itself, remove duties held by the owner or organisation in control.
- Ask: “Who is accountable for our lift arrangements, and who can approve urgent work?”
- Property or facilities manager
- The day-to-day job: arrange access, keep records, chase actions and update building users, within the authority you have been given. Your title alone does not settle the legal responsibilities.
- Ask: “What can I approve, who do I escalate to, and who covers me?”
- Maintenance contractor
- The service: agreed maintenance, fault finding and repairs. Emergency attendance may be included or provided separately; check the contract.
- Ask: “What visits and call-outs are included, and how do I get the visit records?”
- Thorough examination provider
- The service: a competent person examines the lift and issues a report about its condition and defects. Competent means having the knowledge and experience needed for the task.
- Ask: “Who books the examination, who receives the report, and who answers questions about it?”
- Insurer or insurance broker
- What to clarify: whether examination services are part of your arrangement, separately charged or organised elsewhere. Do not assume an insurance renewal means an examination is booked.
- Ask: “Does our policy include an examination service? Which provider carries it out and is the next visit confirmed?”
- Emergency response and alarm contacts
- The arrangement: identify who receives alarm calls and who attends. These may be different organisations.
- Ask: “What are the daytime and out-of-hours numbers, and what lift reference should we give?”
Source: HSE guidance for lift owners .
Keep maintenance and examination separate
HSE says the examiner needs enough independence and impartiality to make an objective judgement. This should not be the same person who does the routine maintenance, because they would be checking their own work.
If a package includes both services, ask who actually carries out each one. Keep the service record and the examination report as separate documents.
Source: HSE guidance on competent persons .
Read servicing versus thorough examination for a side-by-side explanation.
Agree who follows up
You may see the word “dutyholder” in lift guidance. It means a person or organisation with legal duties for the equipment. Ask who holds those duties for your building and what has been delegated to you.
Use one named contact for each action. For a repair, record who requests the quote, who approves it, who arranges access and who checks that completion evidence has arrived.
If you have been handed responsibility without a budget, records or a clear point of contact, raise those gaps with the building owner or your manager. Ask for a written decision and a person to follow up.
Ask your organisation’s competent health and safety adviser to establish which duties apply and who holds them. Lifts used at work and lifts used mainly by the public can fall under different arrangements; neither should be treated as someone else’s problem.
Source: HSE passenger lift guidance .
Who arranges the work, and who pays?
Coordinating a repair, having a legal duty and paying the final bill are different questions. Naming a building manager as the contact does not settle all three.
- Who acts now? Identify who follows up safety instructions and arranges the response.
- Who can approve spending? Check the manager’s written authority and emergency approval route.
- Who ultimately pays? Check the lease or tenancy, management agreement and applicable law with an appropriate adviser.
For leasehold homes in England and Wales, the lease is an important starting point for service charges. Do not assume every resident pays an equal share, or that the maintenance contractor can decide liability.
Source: LEASE guidance on service charges .
For Scotland, tenancy questions or a dispute, seek advice that matches the property’s location and tenure. Do not let an unresolved payment question become a reason to ignore an immediate safety instruction; escalate the response and funding decisions promptly.
Put the contacts in one place
Lift contacts and responsibilities
Record the organisation, named contact, backup, phone number, service hours and job they handle. Keep a copy where the building team can find it.
Lift contact sheetChoose 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.
A message you can adapt
“I am updating the arrangements for lift [reference] at [building]. Please confirm your role, the services included, the best routine and emergency contacts, and any outstanding actions. Please also confirm who books the next examination and who should receive the report.”
For the building team’s day-to-day role, use the routine observation checklist to see what to report and what to leave to engineers.
Sources & scope
HSE · Simple guidance for lift owners (PDF) HSE · Thorough examinations and inspections HSE · Passenger lifts and escalators LEASE · Service charges (England and Wales)Source links checked on 16 October 2026. This is general guidance for Great Britain; confirm the arrangements and requirements for your building with a competent adviser.