The Legal Regime for Elevator Safety and its complementary regulations officially came into effect on April 1, 2024. These rules establish the responsibilities and obligations of elevator owners, licensing requirements for maintenance and inspection entities, conditions for conducting commercial activities, and measures to ensure the independence of inspection entities—all with the goal of ensuring the effective and safe operation of elevators.
According to data released by the Land and Urban Construction Services Bureau (DSSCU) in October last year, there are approximately 10,500 registered and operational elevators in Macau. Industry estimates suggest that around 70 percent of elevators currently pass annual inspections, leaving approximately 3,000 units without inspection. At present, there are nine elevator inspection companies in Macau, with additional companies still in the process of approval. Furthermore, under the new law, elevators that were already in operation before the legislation came into effect have a three-year transition period to complete the necessary upgrades. If these upgrades are not completed within three years, inspection intervals will be reduced to every eight months. However, elevators with valid inspection certificates and maintenance contracts during this period may continue to operate normally. As a result, the new regulations are not expected to cause significant disruptions to the normal operation of existing elevators in Macau.
However, since elevators must undergo at least one annual inspection—and non-inspected or non-compliant units require inspections every eight months—this presents an additional financial burden for residents. For example, with an inspection cost of 3,000 to 4,000 patacas per elevator, condominiums with more than ten elevators could face annual inspection costs amounting to tens of thousands of patacas. Additionally, some older elevators in use may no longer meet current safety standards, requiring upgrades or repairs that cost anywhere between tens of thousands to 100,000 patacas per unit. One condominium, despite choosing the lowest-cost maintenance company, spent around 30,000 patacas per repair for each of its 20 elevators, totaling 600,000 patacas—which directly increases the residents’ cost of living.
To address these challenges, I propose that the authorities review the practical issues related to implementation. In the short term, they should accelerate the approval process for licensing inspection companies where conditions allow, ensuring safety while also allowing more qualified companies to enter the market. This would speed up inspections, promote healthy competition, and help adjust service fees to ease the financial burden on residents.
Moreover, although the existing Building Repair Fund provides financial support for routine inspections and repairs of shared facilities, including elevators, the ongoing mandatory inspections and upgrades require dedicated financing programs. The relevant departments should explore specialized subsidy schemes to accelerate and support residents in improving elevator safety facilities.
Institutional People´s Alliance of Macau
