10 things to check in your elevator maintenance contract
Most boards have never read their elevator contract, and the companies that write them count on it. This checklist walks you through the ten clauses that cost buildings the most, in plain language, with what good and bad look like for each. Ten minutes with your contract and this guide will tell you more than most buildings ever learn about what they signed.
No form, no gate. It is no charge because informed buildings make better clients.
The ten checks
The term and the auto renewal
How long you are really committed, and the evergreen clause that quietly re signs you for another full term.
The cancellation window
The handful of days each cycle when you actually have leverage, and how to find yours before it closes.
The escalation clause
What the annual increase mechanism compounds to by year five, and which versions to push back on.
Coverage and exclusions
What "full maintenance" actually includes. The exclusions list is where the surprise invoices come from.
Callback and overtime terms
When a service call is covered and when it bills at overtime rates, and the pattern to watch for on invoices.
Maintenance frequency and tasking
Whether the contract promises actual work or just visits, and how to tell which one you are getting.
Safety testing responsibility
Who pays for required periodic testing. Buildings routinely pay extra for tests their contract should cover.
The obsolescence clause
The language that lets a contractor stop supporting your equipment, and how it becomes a modernization sales tool.
Your own maintenance records
Your right to see what is being done to your equipment. If you cannot see the records, you cannot verify anything.
Termination and assignment
Your exit rights when service fails, and what happens to your contract when your contractor gets bought.