Lift Maintenance and Breakdown Policy

Residents were asked for their views on our Lift Maintenance and Breakdown Policy, which details our responsibility for ensuring that passenger lifts are regularly serviced, thoroughly inspected, tested, and efficiently repaired.

The council distributed and raised awareness of the policy in two housing policy engagement sessions, and with the Tenant and Resident Associations that represent areas with high-rise buildings. Additionally, we engaged with members of the Resident Building Safety Forum and other residents by post and email.

Online consultation took place over a 4-week period, from February 5th to March 5th, 2025.

Respondents were generally in support of the Lift and Maintenance Breakdown Policy but raised concerns about the council’s commitment to delivering on the promises and actions of the policy.

One of the strongest themes to emerge from the consultation, was respondents desire for improved communication from the council. Across multiple questions, respondents raised concerns that tenants are often not informed about maintenance and breakdowns in a timely or effective manner. While the policy commits to keeping residents updated, some felt that, in practice, this is not happening consistently.

However, despite these concerns, there was a broad agreement, that the responsibilities outlined in the policy were easy to understand and articulated clearly. Some respondents suggested improvements that could make the policy more accessible for tenants, such as providing information in multiple languages or audio formats for those with a disability or without English as a first language.

Responses have been carefully considered by the council and a consultation report has been produced. 

The servicing schedule will be published on our website, and we will contact tenants in advance, regarding any planned maintenance.

We will also conduct a review of language barriers online, in person, and in our policy documents. As part of the review, we will assess current online tools available for language support, identify gaps in language accessibility and develop a plan to implement additional resources or tools to address these gaps.