Yet the choice between refurbishment and full replacement can be made years earlier if regular technical inspections are in place.
A lift has an expected lifetime of around 20-25 years, and even within that period partial modernisation is needed every few years: controls, door mechanics, cable replacement. Full replacement is typically justified when the equipment runs on outdated controls with no available spare parts, or when the cost of refurbishment approaches the price of a new unit.
The decision falls to the general meeting, and since it usually requires a qualified, often two-thirds majority, a thorough proposal backed by numbers is needed: the cost of refurbishment, the cost of replacement, and the difference in payback or risk between the two.
Financing typically comes from the renovation fund, an additional special contribution or a loan, often a combination of the three. In an 8-10 storey building with 100 flats a full lift replacement can easily be in the range of 15-25 million forints, which clearly calls for planning several years ahead.
An important legal detail: if the lift is fully out of service, the situation of owners with reduced mobility living on higher floors requires separate consideration. In a well organised project the downtime should be minimised in agreement with the contractor.
Before the shutdown residents should be informed by circular with an exact date and expected duration, and the community should be encouraged to arrange temporary help for elderly or less mobile neighbours.
For every lift project Merbo obtains two to three parallel quotes and gives the committee an itemised comparison between refurbishment and replacement.