A maintenance contract is not a formality. It decides who carries what when the lift breaks down.
These are the terms you should see in writing before you sign.
Is it required at all?
Yes. The technical regulation for electric lifts, issued by the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO), makes it the owner's duty to keep the lift under a maintenance contract while it is in service. The maintenance company must keep a record for each lift.
Source: Articles 7 and 8 of the regulation. Details are in our licensing and inspection article.
Scheduled visits
Ask for a set number of visits a year, not a phrase like "as needed".
A good visit includes inspection, adjustment, cleaning and lubrication of moving parts, and a test of the doors, the buttons and how accurately the cabin stops at each floor.
Maintenance and repair
Separate two things:
- Preventive maintenance, which stops faults from forming.
- Repair, after a fault has happened.
Ask whether repair sits inside the contract or is charged after each visit. That difference changes the cost of the year.
Spare parts
Ask the contract to state:
- Which parts are covered and which are excluded.
- Who pays for large parts.
- Whether replacement parts are new, and where they come from.
Vague wording here turns into an argument at the first breakdown.
Response to a breakdown
Write down how you reach them when it fails, and which hours the response covers. What happens on a Friday or outside working hours?
Do not accept a general promise. Ask for a plain description of what will happen.
Reports and records
Each visit should produce a written report: what was checked, adjusted or replaced, and any note. That record helps you follow the lift's condition, and it helps if you ever change company.
The yearly inspection
The regulation requires a periodic inspection by an accepted inspection body at least once every year. Ask whether the maintenance provider helps arrange it, so renewal does not depend on you chasing dates.
Before you sign
- The length of the contract, and how it is renewed or ended.
- What it excludes, stated openly.
- The contract price. It varies with the number of floors and the type of lift.
Read every term and ask about anything unclear. Five questions for choosing a company may help.
See our service on annual maintenance contracts.
Ask for a maintenance contract on WhatsApp and tell us the number of floors.
