Modernisation of existing lifts

Lifts must fulfil technical requirements in order to ensure the safety of users and third parties (fitters, maintenance and modernisation agents, inspectors or controllers).

Regulations

The Royal Decree of 10 December 2012 contains several small amendments to provide clarification and one fundamental change, i.e. the comprehensive introduction of staggered modernisations, depending on the age of the lift concerned.

Table of terms for modernisation of lifts

The Royal Decree of 9 March 2003 on lift safety imposes requirements for the use of lifts. The decree provides instructions for maintenance and inspection on the one hand, and risk analyses and modernisation of lifts on the other. This Royal Decree provides owners and managers with a number of concrete procedures and timings so that the lift can be operated safely, maintained and inspected throughout its lifetime.

Guide to applying the Royal Decree of 9 March 2003 concerning the safety of lifts

These decrees apply to all lifts for professional and private use.

Obligations for the owner/manager

The following actions must be carried out in order to demonstrate the safety of existing lifts:

• regular preventative maintenance, carried out by a maintenance company;
• regular preventative inspections, carried out by an EDTC (External Service for Technical Inspections);
• a risk analysis must be carried out by an EDTC every 15 years;
• modernisation work must be carried out by a specialised firm, when required;
• a file must be created and maintained and made available to all of the interested parties and must contain all documents about maintenance, inspections and modernisation.

In the event of serious risks, the lift must be immediately taken out of service and maintained or repaired. The lift shall not be used until the necessary work has been carried out.

The manager will notify the Central Contact Point for Products immediately of any serious incidents or accidents that a user experiences when using a lift, using the accident or serious incident notification form (DOCX, 44.98 KB) (in French)

Every lift shall bear the following information, displayed at a clearly visible place in the cage:

• the identification number and construction year, if known;
• the nominal load;
• the maximum number of persons that may be transported;
• the address details of the manager or the person to be contacted in case of problems;
• the name of the EDTC service;
• the name of the maintenance company.

Lifts of historical value

Due to the historical value of some lifts, it may be difficult, or even impossible, to implement standard technical safety measures. If the lift has a certificate of historical value certificate, the deadline for modernisation is postponed to 31 December 2027. This will give owners more time to find alternative solutions to preserve the integrity of the historical value of the lift.

Just because a lift is old does not mean it is classified or that it is of historical value. For old unclassified lifts, the historical value should not be taken into account.

If the manager still reckons that the lift has historical value and wishes for it to be taken into account, he can ask the competent regional authority for input:

• Wallonia: http://lampspw.wallonie.be/dgo4/site_amenagement/
• Brussels: http://www.monument.irisnet.be/nl/index.htm
• Flanders: https://www.onroerenderfgoed.be

What does it cost to modernise a lift?

The price of modernising a lift depends on many installation-related factors and can widely differ from one lift to another.

To get an idea of the possible cost, you can consult the document of average prices  (PDF, 454.42 KB). This document is the result of a survey conducted in 2020.

Consult the list of certified lift-maintenance companies (PDF, 391.9 KB)