Elevator Repair/Maintenance Company Needed for Small Building
Six months ago I posted a similar thread and got a recommendation that didn’t pan out. So here I am in hopes of getting another name or two. I manage a small building with one older elevator and we’ve been using the same company for service and mandated inspections the entire time. Not only have their prices gone up way faster than inflation over the past decade, but the quality of interacting with them has suffered after the operation was sold by the original owner. We’re looking for an elevator service company but we fear our single small old elevator will not fit into the profile of most of the industry giants. Are there any reliable reasonable smaller companies still left in NYC? Thanks for your recs.
ejalbk
in General Discussion 5 years and 3 months ago
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27 replies
stevecym | 5 years and 3 months ago
@resident2: to your point, i worked in a building that had a wwi era elevator in it with the original controller. one hot july day, it decided to catch fire taking the control room roof with it and resulting in a lot of water damage.. the insurance paid out and immediately contacted us for the elevator maintenance contracts and i asked my boss why and he told me “they are going after them to cover some of the expense for the damages”. this is how dangerous and costly this stuff is to keep operating and in our case, the senior management had not wanted to spend the money to replace the controller (and no lesson learned; they got one for free in the end). they were lucky no one had become trapped and hurt.
resident2 | 5 years and 3 months ago
Due to the extremely high rate of the Liability Insurance for Elevator Companies, many have gone out of business and most of those that are left in NYC are, if you dig deep you will find are owned by the same few groups.
Residential Management companies fall into two categories: those that do manage elevator buildings & those that do not for a reason.
And now with the added challenge of owners making capital improvements without getting any increase on income to cover it, elevators are going to get really tough to keep running smoothly.
So to answer your question an older elevator will be too much trouble for an elevator company looking at their Liability to maintain it.
Your best bet is to start beating your head against a brick wall by asking HPD for help to replace it. It will be interesting to see what they have to offer that is not going to Bankrupt your building.
stevecym | 5 years and 3 months ago
take a look at the nyc blue book and see if you can find some service companies there. most of the readers on here are single or two family homeowners, so they may not be able to offer help. also, the elevator service supply comapny (parts) was located somewhere by yankee stadium (i know this because my guy with barrist elevator used to run there for parts). call them and see if you can get some names.
stevecym | 5 years and 3 months ago
we used armor konig (might be montgomery konig now) in the 90’s and they were responsive and they are bigger.
there have been a few people killed in elevator accidents in nyc over the past ten years and that is probably driving up the cost of insurance. only a guess.
these businesses have expenses they cannot get away from, the same union contract that provides a progressive benefits package to its members and insurance.
ejalbk | 5 years and 3 months ago
I prefer being able to reach responsible parties on the phone, but a well-run larger company should be able to provide for this so I should probably retract the preference for a smaller company.
lkrshacmzcy | 5 years and 3 months ago
Can I ask the reason for wanting to go with a smaller company over a larger one?
lkrshacmzcy | 5 years and 3 months ago
Can I ask the reason for wanting to go with a smaller company over a larger one?