A man is cleaning or repairing a commercial elevator ceiling with a tool.

Condition and Maintenance Assessments for Elevators and Escalators

For Elevators and Escalators

[Summary: A condition assessment gives you a clearer view of your elevator or escalator equipment, maintenance quality, and future planning needs. At ATIS, we believe that assessments involve more than a checklist. We'll survey your equipment, document its condition, evaluate your maintenance program, and analyze records. You'll get unbiased guidance, so you can make more informed decisions when planning for modernization or repair.]

Professional elevator condition assessments and escalator maintenance assessments are key to maximizing vertical transportation reliability and safety in any building. ATIS’s industry-leading elevator and escalator maintenance assessment services provide building owners and facility managers with a clear, actionable roadmap for equipment performance, compliance, and planning.

Expert Elevator and Escalator Condition Assessment Services

Our elevator and escalator condition assessment solutions are more than just a checklist. Each evaluation includes a hands-on elevator or escalator equipment assessment conducted by experienced advisory professionals.

A Condition and Maintenance Assessment Includes:

2-4 hour survey of equipment (dependent on units/stops)
All travel to and from job
Written assessment of condition
Analysis of past maintenance, inspection records, and contract
Written evaluation of maintenance program
Estimated lifetime of equipment
Basic Capital Planner

Our specialists perform comprehensive on-site inspections to assess your equipment's operational performance, maintenance quality, and anticipated lifespan. This analysis will help guide future decisions regarding your maintenance provider and service level, help start your capital planning process, and could eliminate unnecessary shutdowns. Many clients find that the assessment helps them to avoid unnecessary work proposed by their elevator contractor.

We perform elevator and escalator service quality audits to verify compliance with both local and national maintenance quality inspection standards. Our thorough performance evaluation procedures ensure each system operates smoothly, safely, and as designed. Our team applies reliability assessment methods to uncover patterns of downtime or recurring issues that may affect building occupants or tenant satisfaction.

ATIS stands out for delivering objective, actionable reporting. After your assessment, you’ll receive a comprehensive, easy-to-understand report. Our experts will walk you through findings, recommend corrective actions if needed, and help you confidently navigate vendor proposals or compliance audits.

When to consider a Condition and Maintenance Assessment?

Your elevator is often in need of costly repairs and regularly shut down for maintenance or repairs
You received a modernization or repair quote and need unbiased guidance before you spend
You’re creating a capital plan to prepare for upcoming expected expenditures

Why Condition and Maintenance Assessments Are Essential

A regular elevator or escalator condition and maintenance assessment ensures you meet current monitoring requirements. This data-driven approach helps property teams identify efficiency gaps through elevator and escalator efficiency analyses, discover potential safety issues, and determine when to prioritize repairs versus full modernization. Many clients rely on our maintenance audit services to build their capital plans and negotiate more effective service agreements.

At ATIS, we have extensive expertise in code compliance and have provided assessments and consulting services for many facilities, from healthcare centers to retail offices. In an elevator condition assessment, we evaluate your elevator’s components, maintenance history, and overall performance. We help extend equipment lifespan and support compliance with local and national safety standards.

A missed elevator inspection can result in safety concerns and significant financial penalties. We recommend an elevator service quality audit at least once annually, especially for high-traffic buildings, to help you stay ahead. Routine assessments help keep your equipment safe, efficient, and ready for inspections.

Frequently Asked Questions

Property owners and facility managers considering condition assessments typically ask the following questions:

The common reasons elevators fail mandated inspections include:
- Incomplete documentation: Elevator owners may have incomplete maintenance records, missing signatures, or a lack of equipment information, such as serial numbers. Unorganized, incomplete documents can signal poor elevator maintenance.
- Deferred maintenance and inspections: Elevator units must have a maintenance control program (MCP), highlighting the maintenance activities required of each elevator throughout its lifetime. This MCP must often be kept on-site. Maintenance records would show whether this program had been followed. Deferred maintenance and inspections can also result in noncompliance with newer code requirements.
- Code violations: Jurisdictions typically adopt industry standards in their regulations, specifically ASME A17.1, or the Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators. These code requirements evolve, which necessitates working with professionals who stay on top of the changes. Violation examples include door obstructions or misalignment, damaged cab interiors, and nonfunctional emergency alarms.
- Unauthorized modifications: Elevator modifications typically require permits and code reviews, such as when you install cameras, modify finishes, or switch operating systems. Even well-intentioned upgrades may not meet safety standards.
You can prevent failed inspections by keeping an organized system and standardizing documentation procedures. Use a centralized calendar that notifies your team of upcoming maintenance or inspection deadlines. Pre-inspection assessments can also help you stay on top of compliance. Don't ever assume that modifications are too small and can't affect elevator safety.
During an elevator inspection, inspectors often look for violations against applicable elevator codes and regulations. They often follow a standard checklist based on ASME A17.2, which is the Guide for Inspection of Elevators, Escalators, and Moving Walks. Their checklist typically includes inspection of all elevator components, such as those of the elevator car, machine room, hoistway, and pit. Hydraulic and electric elevators also have distinct requirements.
Each checklist category reviews failure modes that can cause injury or death. For instance, in an elevator car, they may inspect the door reopening device, door closing force, and emergency signals. In the machine room, inspectors may review wiring and switches, machine brakes, and controller conditions.
Keeping a condition assessment checklist can help you prepare your elevators before inspection. Working with ATIS can streamline the process.
You can prepare your elevators for their annual safety test through an elevator condition and maintenance assessment. For instance, working with ATIS can help you catch any issues states may flag before the mandated test. Generally, you need to have the required documentation or proof of compliance for inspectors to review. ASME A17.1 requires:
- MCP records.
- Repair and replacement records.
- Quarterly oil level logs for hydraulic units.
- Quarterly firefighters' emergency operation checks.
- Prior annual and five-year test reports.
You should keep these records on-site and retain them for five years. Opting for a maintenance program review can help you avoid noncompliance repercussions, such as penalties and elevator shutdowns.

Get Expert Analysis of Your Escalators and Elevators

Being proactive about the safety and reliability of your building’s elevators and escalators is crucial. ATIS is your trusted partner for clear, unbiased equipment analysis and maintenance advisory, and you can count on us to meet your elevator or escalator maintenance assessment needs. Contact us today to learn more or to bundle your next assessment with additional ATIS services for maximum value.

Additional Assessments Available

Contact us for multiple service discounts.

This due diligence service is ideal for investors seeking to learn more about the operational lifespan of elevator assets within a property and the projected capital investment.
Maintaining clean oil is essential for hydraulic elevators, so schedule an oil test to maximize proper functionality.
Many states now mandate safety features on door lock monitoring. Our door lock monitoring assessment verifies your equipment's compliance with these requirements.

From Our Clients

"Currently, the ATIS team have consulted on four (4) elevator modernizations for me and my organization with total costs in excess of $4M. Through these experiences, I’ve grown to realize that Dave Hardin (and his team) embodies the very definition of the word expert. His knowledge of elevator code and equipment surpasses anyone’s I’ve spoken to on the topic. This fact, along with the knowledge that ATIS has no fiscal interest in the equipment or vendors we use, gives me confidence that the recommendations and specifications they provides are always in my organization’s best interests. The expertise, attention to details, accessibility, budget mindfulness, and gregarious personality assures ATIS will be our go to consultants for the foreseeable future."

– Robb Woodruff Assistant Director-Engineering CoxHealth
"I would like to provide my account feedback using ATIS as your elevator inspection company over the last several years. The account team is amazing! The response time to any emails as well as their follow up with my account team and elevator provider’s is second to none. Managing the elevator program for the client would be impossible without ATIS. Their industry knowledge is impressive. We have been able to provide the client large savings on vender quotes for repairs several times utilizing ATIS as a 3rd part in the quote process. The savings have paid for the service the last two years. I highly recommend ATIS to any company needing to manage elevators."

– Tom Cayia, JLL
"The level of customer service that we have experience from ATIS’s field inspector’s, management staff, and back office support team, has been above reproach. They are friendly, helpful, and always professional. It is my opinion that no other company in the elevator inspection industry offers the level of innovation and expertise as does ATIS and I highly recommend them to any company, government entity or AHJ looking for a quality solution for their conveyance inspection program."

– Nicholas A. Kavanagh, Fairfax County VA
"As a partner to Liberty, now ATIS, their team of expert consultants have visited many of our Hotels to assist with due diligence, asset management, modernization and new construction. We have been very pleased with their exceptional level of knowledge, project management and professionalism. In addition, ATIS teams across the portfolio handle hundreds of elevator company improper scope proposals or billing for work that is covered under our service agreements. The engagement & resolution has been swift, spot on and already saved our properties well into the $6 figures for the corrections. We look forward to the team taking over our portfolio of elevators to continue improving the reliability and maintenance of our devices."

– Scot Cameron, Concord Hospitality Enterprises
"Brevard County School Board has used ATIS as our Preferred 3rd Party elevator inspection Vendor since 2015... ATIS has worked with us and our elevator maintenance company to complete the Florida State required elevator inspections at our 31 schools and over 50 elevators and chair lifts. The Safety and compliance of our elevators is a top priority. We feel the Inspection service rendered by ATIS Elevator Inspections, LLC keeps the elevators not only compliant with the Florida State Jurisdiction but, in safe working condition. The Customer Service we receive from the back office staff and Inspectors Onsite with ATIS Elevator Inspec- tions, LLC is friendly, Helpful and informative. We recommend their professional services."

– Robert J. Wiebel, Brevard County School Board
"For the past several years, ATIS has been completing elevator inspections at 140 of our sites with 170 in-service elevators. The services they provide are essential in keeping the elevators safe and up to code for our students and staff. Their team continues to deliver timely service and excellent customer maintenance. Communicating with the District and our elevator maintenance vendors is crucial; ATIS provides this service on all levels. In advance, elevators due for inspection are identified and required testing is coordinated with the District’s timetables and constraints in check. Required State of Florida inspection reports are completed and submitted to ensure compliance. We appreciate their level of attention to our needs and gladly recommend ATIS Elevator Inspections, LLC for the inspection and compliance of your elevators."

– Sue A. Welland, Hillsborough County Public School