Got a lift in your apartment? Survey says 46% residents were trapped at least once last year

Around 46% of lift users or their family members reported that they got stuck in a residential lift at least once in the last year, while 33% say they have no confidence in the safety of the lifts in their building. 21%, on the other hand, said their residential lift does not have a proper Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC), according to a LocalCircles survey.

The findings come days after a landmark July 29, 2026, judgment by the Supreme Court in the case of Otis Elevator Company (India) Ltd. vs. Rashmi Handa, which declared elevators as "common carriers."

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Nearly half of residents trapped in lifts last year

LocalCircles found that 46% of respondents or their family members had been trapped in a residential lift during the last 12 months. Of the 10,975 respondents who answered a question on frequency, 23% experienced the incident 1–2 times, 8% reported being stuck 3–5 times, and 15% said it happened 6–9 times in a year—a pattern the Supreme Court has indicated could point to negligence if recurring faults are ignored.

AMC gaps and low confidence in lift safety

The survey also highlighted maintenance shortcomings. Among 11,229 respondents, 21% said their building has no proper AMC for lifts. While 49% said the manufacturer maintains the lift under an AMC and 30% rely on third-party maintenance contractors, 11% depend on society staff and 10% only call technicians when repairs are needed.

Confidence in lift safety also remains low. Of 10,910 respondents, 50% said they were "very confident" and 17% "somewhat confident" about lift safety, but 33% said they were "not confident" at all, indicating that one in three residents lack trust in the lifts they use daily.

Patchy regulations across states

India's lift safety regulations continue to vary across states. Around 17 states have enacted lift laws, although enforcement remains inconsistent. While Uttar Pradesh's Lift and Escalator Act, 2024, mandates lift registration, automatic rescue devices, and penalties for violations, several states continue to rely on older regulations. The Bureau of Indian Standards' IS 17900, which came into effect on December 22, 2025, aligns Indian standards with global safety norms but is not yet mandatory nationwide.

Supreme Court's ruling on liability

In its July 29 judgment, a bench of Justice P. S. Narasimha and Justice Alok Aradhe held that lift passengers surrender control of their safety once they enter an elevator and therefore deserve a higher standard of protection. The court held that manufacturers, maintenance agencies, and building owners can be held jointly and severally liable for lift safety, making it easier for accident victims to seek compensation without first proving which stakeholder was negligent.

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The court upheld a 2014 National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) order awarding around ₹3.01 crore plus interest to the family of a RAW officer who died in a lift accident in 2003 at the R&AW complex in New Delhi. Liability was apportioned 70% to Otis Elevator Company (India) Ltd, 25% to the maintenance agency, Military Engineering Services, and 5% to the government department managing the building. The judgment also clarified that victims need not first establish which party was negligent before claiming compensation.

Implications for housing societies

The ruling effectively creates a nationwide standard of accountability by treating elevators as common carriers. It places a heightened duty of care on manufacturers, maintenance agencies, and building owners or managers, making documented AMCs, periodic inspections, lift registration, and emergency rescue preparedness increasingly important for housing societies, RWAs, builders, and lift companies.