Strata Lift Maintenance: A Guide for Owners Corporations

Who is responsible for strata lift maintenance?

The owners corporation (NSW, VIC, ACT, WA, SA, TAS) or body corporate (QLD) holds the maintenance obligation for lifts on common property. Under the Work Health and Safety Act — and the Occupational Health and Safety Act in Victoria — the owners corporation is classified as a PCBU. That classification creates a positive duty to ensure common-property plant, including lifts, is maintained in a safe condition and does not pose a risk to health.

In practice, the strata committee cannot treat lift maintenance as optional or defer it indefinitely. A breakdown that injures a resident or visitor can trigger regulatory action against the owners corporation, not just the maintenance provider. The committee must ensure a current maintenance contract is in place, statutory inspections are completed, and the lift log book is kept up to date.

Victoria is the exception to the national WHS framework. WorkSafe Victoria administers the OHS Act 2004 and OHS Regulations 2017 — the duties are substantively similar, but the legislation, regulator, and registration processes differ. If your building is in Victoria, verify your obligations through WorkSafe Victoria rather than Safe Work Australia.

Comprehensive vs non-comprehensive contracts

The distinction between comprehensive and non-comprehensive maintenance contracts is the single most consequential decision a strata committee makes when procuring lift servicing.

A comprehensive contract bundles all scheduled servicing, parts, labour, and emergency callouts into one fixed annual fee. The provider covers the cost of component failures — motors, door operators, controllers, ropes — as they arise. Budgeting is predictable, and the provider has a financial incentive to maintain the lift well, because every breakdown they prevent saves them money.

A non-comprehensive contract covers scheduled service visits and basic inspections only. Parts, emergency callouts, and major repairs are billed separately at market rates. The annual fee is lower — often 40–60% less than a comprehensive equivalent — but the total cost of ownership can be higher if the lift is older or unreliable. Strata committees choosing non-comprehensive contracts should budget a contingency in the administrative fund for unplanned call-outs, which typically range from $150 to $300 per visit plus parts at full price. For a detailed cost breakdown, see the guide to lift maintenance costs.

Neither contract type is universally better. A newer lift under five years old may suit a non-comprehensive contract because component failures are rare. An ageing lift over 15 years old — particularly one with obsolete parts — is usually better served by a comprehensive arrangement. Match the contract type to the lift's age, condition, and parts availability.

Service frequency and statutory inspections

Most strata lift maintenance contracts specify monthly or quarterly scheduled visits, depending on the lift's age, traffic volume, and the contract tier. Monthly servicing is standard for high-traffic residential buildings with more than 10 floors. Quarterly visits are common for low-rise buildings with a single lift.

Statutory inspections are separate from routine maintenance. Every state and territory requires a periodic inspection by a competent person — typically annual, though frequency varies by jurisdiction. The inspection verifies that the lift complies with the relevant Australian lift standards, that safety systems are functional, and that the lift is registered as plant where required. Your maintenance provider should coordinate statutory inspections, but the owners corporation remains responsible for ensuring they happen.

Emergency phone compliance is another ongoing obligation. All lift emergency phones in Australia now operate on 4G VoLTE following the decommissioning of the 3G and PSTN copper networks. The committee should verify that the monitoring arrangement is active and that the 4G connection functions correctly — this is typically checked during routine service visits.

Budgeting for lift maintenance

Routine maintenance is funded from the owners corporation's administrative (operating) fund. As of Q3 2026, indicative annual costs for a comprehensive strata lift maintenance contract range from $2,500 to $6,000 per lift, depending on the lift's age, number of floors served, and the contract scope. Non-comprehensive contracts typically sit between $1,200 and $3,000 per lift per year, but unbudgeted call-outs and parts can push the true cost higher.

Major repairs, modernisation, and lift replacement are capital expenditure items funded from the capital works (sinking) fund. A full lift modernisation — new controller, doors, motor, and car interior — typically costs between $60,000 and $150,000 per lift. The capital works fund plan should include a provision for modernisation based on the lift's age and condition, reviewed every five years.

Statutory inspections (typically $400 to $1,200 per lift per year) and emergency phone monitoring ($300 to $700 per year) are recurrent costs that sit in the administrative fund. Include them as separate line items in the annual budget rather than burying them in general maintenance.

Record-keeping obligations

The owners corporation must maintain a lift log book for each lift on common property. This log records every service visit, inspection, breakdown, entrapment, and modification. It is the primary audit trail if a regulator, insurer, or workplace safety inspector examines the building's compliance history.

Records to retain include service reports from every maintenance visit (the provider should supply these after each attendance), statutory and periodic inspection reports, incident and entrapment logs with dates and actions taken, plant registration and design registration certificates, and modernisation or major repair documentation. Retain records for the service life of the lift — not just the current maintenance contract term. Auditors, insurers, and state regulators can request access at any time.

Switching your maintenance provider

Strata committees can and do change maintenance providers — the contract is not permanent. Start by reviewing the current contract's exit clause: most specify a notice period of 60 to 90 days, and some include an auto-renewal clause that extends the term unless notice is given by a specific date. Missing the notice window can lock the building in for another 12 months.

Once notice is served, run a structured tender. Shortlist three to four providers — mixing OEM service arms and independent contractors — and score their proposals on response-time SLA, parts access for your lift's brand and age, scope (comprehensive or non-comprehensive), and references from comparable buildings. The handover must include transfer of keys, access codes, the lift log book, and all service records.

Lift maintenance is a compliance obligation and a budget line — not a set-and-forget item. Strata committees that treat it as a procurement decision consistently achieve better uptime, lower total cost, and fewer compliance surprises. Get free quotes from maintenance providers serving your building to compare scope and pricing.