Lift safety, passenger entrapments and the importance of accountability
I assist a residential Right to Manage company in London which has experienced repeated lift breakdowns since September 2026, including two documented passenger entrapments and two further incidents in which residents reported the lift stopping abruptly.
Despite several engineer attendances and repairs by our lift maintenance contractor, WeMaintain, the problems have continued.
Most recently, on 8 November, a resident was trapped in the lift for approximately 45 minutes and had to be released by the fire brigade.
During this incident, the resident reported that the emergency telephone repeatedly cut out, despite WeMaintain having installed a new GSM emergency communication system in July.
The resident also reported that the fire brigade identified a problem with an emergency door-release mechanism. We have asked WeMaintain to investigate and clarify this.
These incidents have understandably raised serious concerns about the reliability and safety of the lift.
A formal complaint was submitted to WeMaintain on 22 October, followed up on 3 November, and escalated directly to its UK Managing Director on 9 November.
As of 11 November, we have received no acknowledgement or substantive response to that escalation, despite requesting urgent confirmation of the safety arrangements.
The lift has been taken out of service while these concerns remain unresolved.
We are not seeking to apportion blame before a proper investigation. We are asking for a clear technical explanation, an independent safety assessment and a plan to resolve the recurring problems.
For those of us responsible for managing residential buildings, passenger safety must always come first.
When residents have repeatedly experienced serious lift incidents, surely it is reasonable to expect a timely response and clear reassurance from the company responsible for maintaining the equipment?
We remain willing to resolve this constructively with WeMaintain, but the continuing lack of communication, particularly at senior management level, is deeply disappointing.
Given that Otis acquired a majority stake in WeMaintain earlier this year, I would also welcome its interest in ensuring that these outstanding passenger safety concerns receive appropriate attention.
#LiftSafety #PropertyManagement #BuildingSafety WeMaintain Otis Elevator Co.