When choosing a lift company in Mallorca, three things should be checked before the price: that it is registered as an authorised maintenance company, that it has its own technicians on the island and not subcontracted, and that the contract specifies in writing the response time for breakdowns and the maintenance plan required by Royal Decree 355/2024. A maintenance contract is signed for years, and the difference between a reputable company and a cheap one is always paid out at the first major breakdown.
Almost all communities choose a lift company based on the lowest price tag. It's understandable, but it's a costly mistake. In Mallorca, there are dozens of companies offering maintenance, from multinationals to self-employed individuals with a van, and the difference between 65 and 95 euros a month seems significant until Saturday night when someone gets trapped and no one answers the phone. Furthermore, since July 2024, the Royal Decree 355/2024 tightened what a maintenance company is required to do, and that gives communities a lever they almost never use. This guide explains what to look at, in what order and how to check it.
What legal requirements must a lift company in Mallorca meet?
A lift company must be registered as a maintenance company in the industrial establishments registry of the autonomous community, have qualified technical personnel, hold valid liability insurance, and designate a responsible technician. Without this registration, it cannot legally sign off on the maintenance of your lift, no matter how inexpensive the service may be.
The ITC AEM 1 approved by Royal Decree 355/2024 went further and added specific obligations that previously remained undefined. Now, the maintenance company is required to prepare a a maintenance plan specific to the type of lift —not a generic template—, to notify the owner three months in advance of the date of the next periodic inspection, and to leave the equipment operational when the contract ends, including access codes to the control system.
That last point is the most important and the least known. For years, switching companies meant finding the control system locked and having to pay to unlock it. That is no longer legal. If a company hints that its control system is “proprietary” and that nobody else will be able to maintain it, it is describing a practice the regulation expressly prohibits.
How can you check that a maintenance company is authorised in the Balearic Islands?
You check it by asking the company for its registration number as a lift maintenance company and cross-checking it with the Directorate General of Industry of the Balearic Government (CAIB), which keeps the register of industrial establishments in the Balearic Islands. It is free and takes one email to industria@dgindust.caib.es or a call to 971 17 65 70.
Always request these four documents before signing. A reputable company will send them the same day:
- Registration number as a company that maintains lifting equipment.
- Civil liability insurance policy in force, with the insured capital available.
- Name and qualifications of the technician responsible for maintenance.
- Certificate of being up to date with Tax and Social Security.
If anyone is slow to respond or evasive, you already have enough information. There's no need to look any further. If you want to see how we answer those four questions, you can read it here. who we are and how we work.
The 8 criteria that separate a good lift company from a cheap one
These are, in order of actual importance, the criteria that determine whether a maintenance contract will work within three years:
- Response time committed in writing, and broken down: a breakdown is not the same as releasing trapped passengers.
- In-house technicians in Mallorca, not subcontracted to third parties who rotate each season.
- Real 24-hour on-call service, with a person on the phone and not just an answering machine that logs a ticket.
- Spare parts stock on the island for the brands it supports, which is what avoids waiting fifteen days for a shipment.
- Effective geographic coverage in your area: a company based in Palma takes as long as it takes to reach Pollença or Santanyí.
- A clear contract on what is covered and what is not, with the list of excluded components in the document itself.
- Track record and portfolio of lifts maintained in the Balearic Islands, which is the proof that they know how to work with the kind of building we have here.
- Transparency in price review, with the written update formula and not simply "according to CPI".
Price comes ninth. It matters, but after the other eight, because cheap maintenance with an eight-hour response time ends up costing more in phone calls, in frustration and in wear on the lift.
What should the maintenance contract for a lift include?
The contract must include, at a minimum, the frequency of inspections, the exact scope of coverage, the maximum response time for breakdowns and rescue, the price and its calculation, the duration, and the notice period for termination. Anything not in writing is meaningless when a problem arises.
There are three clauses that you should look at very closely before signing anything.
The duration with automatic renewal is the most common: five-year contracts that roll over on their own unless six months' notice is given. It is not illegal, but it is worth knowing that is what you are signing and noting the date in the community calendar.
The exclusion list is where the real price is decided. An “all-inclusive” contract that excludes cabin, doors, control system and traction unit is not all-inclusive: it is a basic contract under another name. Ask for the list and compare it across quotes, which is exactly what we explain in our guide to comparing lift maintenance quotes.
And the penalty for early termination. Some companies set it based on the remaining monthly payments, which effectively binds the community. It's negotiable before signing and almost impossible to negotiate afterwards.
How much should lift maintenance cost in Mallorca?
In Mallorca, a basic maintenance contract for a building lift ranges from €60 to €95 per month, while a comprehensive contract ranges from €95 to €140. The difference lies not in the number of visits, but in which components the policy covers when they break down.
An offer well below that range usually means one of three things: that the inspections are less frequent than the regulation requires for that lift, that the list of exclusions is very long, or that the company is buying market share to raise the price at the first annual review. All three are spotted by reading the contract, not the quote. We have the full breakdown in the article on how much lift maintenance costs per year.
What questions should you ask before signing a contract with a lift company?
Take these six questions to the meeting. The answers, and the tone in which they are given, speak louder than any catalogue:
- How many technicians do you have on the payroll in Mallorca and where is the nearest base to our building?
- What response time do you commit to meeting in a breakdown and rescue, and what happens if it is not met?
- Which components are excluded from the contract? Can you provide this information in writing?
- Who notifies us of the periodic inspection and how far in advance?
- How is the price reviewed each year and what exact formula is used?
- If we ever change company, will you hand over the control system codes at no cost?
The sixth question is the most unsettling and the most revealing. The correct answer, according to Royal Decree 355/2024, is yes, without exception.
When it's NOT a good idea to change lift companies
Changing for the sake of changing is expensive, and there are three situations in which staying put is the sensible thing to do:
- If the lift has an open fault or defects pending repair from the last inspection. Closing that first and changing it later prevents each company from blaming the other.
- If you are in the middle of a modernisation contracted with the current company. Splitting a project between two suppliers is a recipe for no one to take responsibility for the warranty.
- If the only reason is to save ten or fifteen euros a month. That difference doesn't buy you better service; it only changes the person you're dealing with. If the reason is something else—lack of response, surprise bills, undone inspections—then yes, and we explain the procedure in can I change the maintenance company for my lift.
Frequently asked questions about choosing a lift company in Mallorca
Can the community change lift companies whenever it wants?
This can be done respecting the duration and notice period stipulated in the signed contract, which in this sector is usually six months before expiration. It is agreed upon in a meeting by simple majority vote, reliably communicated to the outgoing company, and the incoming company must submit the documentation within the timeframe established by regulations. The outgoing company is obligated to leave the operational equipment and hand over the operating codes.
Is it better to hire a large lift company or a local one in Mallorca?
It depends on what the community values. A multinational company offers global infrastructure and inventory, but the technician who handles the breakdown is the same type of professional in both cases, and on an island, the service is determined by how many technicians are physically present and where the spare parts are located. A local company with its own technicians in Mallorca usually responds faster and is more flexible; it's worth checking that it's large enough to cover 24-hour on-call shifts.
Can the maintenance company also perform the periodic inspection of the lift?
No. Royal Decree 355/2024 expressly prohibits this: the periodic inspection must be contracted by the lift owner to an authorised and independent inspection body, never to the company that performs the maintenance. If your lift company offers to "take care of everything," they can arrange the appointment with an inspection body, but the inspection is carried out and signed off by a third party.
What happens if the lift company does not meet the response time?
It depends on what the contract says, and that's why it's important that it does. If there's a penalty clause, it applies. If there isn't, the community can document the breaches in writing and use them as grounds for early termination without penalty, in addition to claiming damages. In the case of breaches that affect safety, the matter can also be reported to the General Directorate of Industry of the Balearic Islands Government (CAIB).
Let's talk about your lift
If you're reviewing your maintenance contract or looking for a company for a new installation, we can give you a second opinion with no obligation: we'll review your current contract, tell you what's actually covered, and send you a comparable quote line by line. We are lift specialists in the Balearic Islands with our own technicians on the island, a real 24-hour on-call service and over one hundred lifts installed. Call us on 971 17 81 51 or write to quierosercliente@elevabalear.com. You can see what is included in our lift maintenance in Palma de Mallorca before deciding.
