What an AMC covers
- Scheduled preventive visits: cleaning, lubrication, adjustment of doors, brakes, ropes and controllers.
- Breakdown callouts with a response-time commitment.
- Periodic safety checks: overspeed governor, brakes, door interlocks, alarm and intercom.
- Service records per lift, which inspectors ask for.
Comprehensive vs non-comprehensive
| Comprehensive | Non-comprehensive | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour and visits | Included | Included |
| Spare parts | Included (as per contract terms) | Billed separately, per repair |
| Cost | Higher, predictable | Lower fixed fee, variable repair bills |
| Best for | Older lifts, buildings that want one number | Newer lifts under low wear, owners comfortable with variable costs |
| Risk sits with | The service company | The building |
For a lift past its first decade, comprehensive usually wins: a single rope or controller repair can cost more than the annual premium difference. For a new installation still inside its warranty ecosystem, non-comprehensive is often enough.
What is usually excluded
- Damage from vandalism, water ingress or power quality problems.
- Civil work: shaft, machine-room and pit repairs.
- Major modernisation: controller replacement, re-roping beyond wear terms, cabin refurbishment.
- Parts that are declared obsolete by the manufacturer, on a lift old enough that spares are no longer produced.
Note: Read the exclusions list before comparing prices. Two quotes that look 30% apart often converge once part coverage and response-time commitments are compared line by line.
The statutory side
Most Indian states regulate lifts under a state lifts act: the lift carries a licence that must be renewed periodically, and renewals typically require an inspection and evidence of maintenance. The AMC provider usually maintains the service records and safety-test results the inspector asks for, but the licence itself belongs to the building owner. A lapsed licence, not a breakdown, is the compliance failure that surfaces at the worst time.
What drives AMC pricing
- Number of floors and doors, and whether it is a passenger, goods or hospital lift.
- Age and brand: obsolete controllers and imported spares raise part risk.
- Usage: a lift in a 200-flat tower cycles many times more than one in a four-floor office.
- Response commitment: a 2-hour urban SLA prices differently from next-day.
- Contract type: comprehensive carries the part risk premium.
The AMC checklist
- Visit frequency written down (monthly at minimum for passenger lifts), with a checklist per visit.
- Response-time commitment for breakdowns, with entrapment callouts prioritised.
- Part coverage spelt out: what is included, what is billed, what is excluded.
- Safety tests scheduled and recorded: governor, brakes, interlocks, alarm.
- Service register maintained per lift, available for licence inspection.
- Renewal date, price-revision terms and exit conditions stated in the contract.
Running AMCs as a business
For the elevator company, the AMC book is the business: renewals are the revenue, missed renewals are churn, and every lift needs a visit schedule, a service history and a technician route. That is what Elevator Suite manages end to end, and Elevator Cloud adds live monitoring so faults are seen before the building calls.
Common questions
How often should a lift be serviced?
Monthly preventive visits are the common baseline for passenger lifts in regular use, with some contracts running fortnightly for heavy-traffic buildings. The schedule should be written into the AMC.
Is a comprehensive AMC worth it for an old lift?
Usually yes. Part failures rise with age, and a single major repair on ropes or the controller can exceed the annual price difference between contract types.
Who is responsible for the lift licence: the AMC company or the building?
The licence belongs to the building owner or society. The AMC provider maintains the records and safety tests renewals depend on, but renewal applications and fees are the owner's obligation unless the contract says otherwise.
What happens when an AMC lapses?
Service and callouts stop, the safety-test trail goes stale, and the next licence renewal becomes harder. Most providers also charge a reinstatement inspection before restarting cover on a lapsed lift.