I have been hired to perform an inspection for a client and they have a elevator in there townhouse. Has anyone have any suggestions or comments on how to go about inspecting the elevator. What to look for other than the inspection sticker placed by the elevator company.
I am really excited to do this inspection and I am sure there will be more to come.
Elevators need to be inspected and certified by a State Licensed, Elevator Repair company. Other than cosmetics and basic damage to finishes, don’t even attempt to inspect them. Make certain you disclaim everything related to their operation in your report, and make certain you specify in your Contract/Inspection Agreement that you DO NOT perform any inspection to the elevator other than visual cosmetic to exposed finishes.
Do as Jeffery says,except commenting on anything at all! Make your client VERY CLEARLY understand you DO NOT inspect elevators.
You should complete your profile so we know where you come from.
Hope this helps
Cheers
Commercial elevators in California must be inspected and certified annually by a licensed elevator company. The fire recall needs to be tested and documented monthly. That being said, I don’t know what’s required for residential.
Eric …
As others have said … Your protocol for elevator inspection is SIMPLE … YOU don’t do them, talk about them or operate them…
Nobody has said it yet BUT about 3-4 years ago some dumb butt inspector on the west coast was in an inspection AND told clients he did NOT do elevators. Either client or realtor bugged him to just make sure it worked.
SO to be a nice dumb FOOL, he operated it and basically said I don’t do these but it works. If memory serves me correctly AFTER clients move in they have a party for friends AND friends bring rug rats along. Kids playing in elevator gets arm caught between door and shaft cause something thats supposed to prevent elevator moving with doors open DID NOT work.
Seems like kid had arm ripped off. BIG lawsuit for DUMB inspector.
DON’t do them AND don’t even talk about cosmetics … DEFER to the elevator inspection company.
Not that I disagree… but there are so many things HI can get sued for even when staying 100% within SOP. House is a living breathing beast. Many things can go wrong with what we inspect within SOP; from fires to getting electrocuted to deck collapses. If elevator was part of SOP, and we had some 10 page course on it, it would be not much different than many other components such as DHW. A run away DHW with failed TPR can easily kill and at best cause property damage. We look at chimneys, fireplaces, beams that carry dead and live loads, etc, etc… most of these can cause serious bodily harm or death. Then you can say well how often do these things happen, I bet a lot more often than elevators ripping arms off in residential dwelling because they are so rare. Decks alone cause much more harm than random elevators. The point I’m trying to make is HI should know and understand any and all components he or she may inspect within or outside of SOP. I don’t see any more protection granted under SOP with something like a deck or a balcony than outside of SOP with something like an elevator or a pool. Feel free to correct me 