As a property manager, I’ve dealt with my fair share of vendors, from HVAC techs to roofing crews, landscapers to plumbers. But nothing compares to the confusion, cost, and complexity of dealing with elevators. Whether you manage a commercial office tower, a retail space, a high-rise condo building, hospital system, or a hotel, you’ve probably said this at least once:
“I wish the elevator industry had…”
The elevator industry is broken in ways that are not conventional to other mechanicals in the building. And when you’re the one responsible for uptime, safety, and budgets, you feel it every time someone calls about a door issue, noisy cab, a button broken, or a repair quote comes in that’s more expensive than your last capital project.
So, let’s break it down what I and just about every building owner I know wish the elevator industry had.
I Wish There Was a Real, Independent Expert I Could Trust
When an elevator service company hands you a $48,000 quote for a door issue, you’re stuck in no-man’s-land. You can either accept it (with no idea if it’s padded or even necessary), or reject it and risk more issues including downtime or being liable when something fails.
Most of us aren’t elevator experts. We’re real estate experts. Facilities managers. Asset protectors.
The elevator companies know this. And they use it to their advantage.
We need unbiased elevator consultants, people who aren’t trying to sell us equipment or monthly maintenance contracts to interpret these proposals and specs. To tell us what’s real, what’s bloated, and what can wait. We need someone in our corner.
I Wish the Elevator Industry Wasn’t Built on Obsolescence
Let’s talk about a dirty little secret: elevators are being aged out by design.
OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) are making components obsolete at an alarming rate. Need a replacement circuit board for a 15-year-old elevator system? Sorry that part’s discontinued. Now you’re on the hook for a full modernization or waiting months to see if the part can be repaired.
Elevators used to last 30-40 years. Today, we’re lucky if parts are supported for 10-15 years.
This isn’t just frustrating it’s financial sabotage. Building owners are being cornered into massive capital expenditures they didn’t plan for, simply because they are at the mercy of some manufacturers who would rather sell a $400,000 modernization than support a $5,200 component.
There’s no open marketplace. No third-party validation. And worse, there’s no pressure on the OEMs to change.
I Wish There Were More Reliable Sources for Elevator Parts
Finding a part for a TK Elevator, Schindler, Otis, or KONE system (and others) shouldn’t feel like you’re calling in a black-market favor. But it does.
The supply chain for elevator parts is fragmented and guarded. OEMs dominate distribution and limit access to their own inventory, leaving independent service companies and building managers scrambling.
This puts property managers in a bind:
- Do I wait weeks (or months) for a backordered part?
- Do I risk using a generic aftermarket component?
- Do I pay a premium to replace an entire system just to fix one part?
None of those answers are good.
We need a centralized, transparent source for elevator parts one that’s open, reputable, and accessible. Something like an “AutoZone for elevators.” Because right now, it feels like we’re shopping blindfolded in a closed market.
I Wish Elevator Contracts Weren’t Written in Another Language
If you’ve ever read through an elevator service agreement, you know they’re not meant to be understood by a non-elevator person. They’re built with one thing in mind protecting the service provider.
Vague maintenance definitions. Undefined response times. Exclusions buried in. Contracts that lock you in with 5-year evergreen clauses and 90-day cancellation windows. It’s legalese, weaponized.
And when something breaks? Suddenly, it’s not covered. Suddenly, that $1,500-a-month contract you’ve been paying for doesn’t include… maintenance.
What we need is contract transparency and expert negotiation someone who can decode the fine print, protect us from one-sided terms, and make sure what we’re paying for is actually being delivered. A professional elevator consulting firm can help.
I Wish There Was a Way to Hold Providers Accountable
Here’s a question no one in the elevator industry seems to want to answer: How do I know if the service I’m paying for is actually being done?
There’s no logbook. No footage. No service ticket transparency. And when we ask for documentation, it’s either vague, prolonged, difficult to get or nonexistent.
Imagine if your car mechanic never gave you a receipt or work order. You’d never go back. But in elevators, we’re forced to accept it.
We need a standard for service verification something that tells us:
- What was done
- When it was done
- By whom
- And whether it actually fixed the problem
Until that exists, we were stuck in the dark. The ElevatorApp was designed exactly for this. It empowers the building and gives the building control of their elevator service.
I Wish There Was a Better Way to Plan for Modernization
Modernization shouldn’t be a surprise but it usually is. This can be a fault to both the building owner and the elevator service provider.
Most building owners aren’t told their equipment is aging out until it fails. And when it fails, there’s no time to plan. No time to budget. Just sticker shock and rushed decisions.
We need real, long-term modernization planning something that gives us a 3-5-10 year runway. Something that helps us stage upgrades, apply for incentives, and phase capital expenditures smartly if needed.
Because modernizing elevators isn’t just about money. It’s about timing, tenant impact, and regulatory compliance. Buildings should take more time to know their equipment as well. An elevator audit or an elevator assessment can help ant building with the future capital expenditures.
The Bottom Line
This industry hasn’t evolved the way it should not for the people who own buildings, manage operations, and answer for downtime.
We don’t need more tech buzzwords. We don’t need more dashboards. What we need is:
- Transparency
- Accountability
- Better access to parts and information
- True independence from OEM agendas
Until the elevator industry shifts, we’ll keep wishing. But elevator consulting firms like The Elevator Consultants are already stepping up helping building owners like us navigate this complex, frustrating system with data, expertise, and advocacy.
So maybe the better question is:
What if the elevator industry already has what we’re wishing for — we just haven’t called in the right help yet?