Bengaluru Lift Audit Failures: What It Means for Buyers in New Apartment Projects

What happened?

The Times of India, in a report by Vindhya Pabolu, described an independent safety review covering twelve recently completed residential projects in Bengaluru. Across 3,543 lift-safety and functional checks, 1,283 were failed (36.2%), and 347 of those failures were graded high priority.

According to the paper, emergency systems were one weak area. Rescue devices, intercoms and similar equipment produced 129 findings across nine projects, and 69 of them (53%) were high priority. Intercoms failed 28 of 68 checks and public-address systems failed 26 of 66. Earthing and electrical compliance produced 272 findings across ten projects, 90 of them (33%) high priority. Alignment, clearances and vibration produced 174 findings across all twelve projects, 73 of them (42%) high priority, and lighting produced 108 findings, 15 of them (14%) high priority.

The report also said operating-certificate checks failed 69 times out of 115 (60%). It clarified that this measures whether certificates exist and are displayed, and does not mean 60% of lifts ran without a licence. The article closed with a ten-point list of checks that resident welfare associations can demand, including a live rescue-device demonstration with mains power off, a real intercom call, and written maintenance records.

Which sectors are affected?

• Bengaluru residential apartments
• Newly completed projects
• Resident welfare associations
• Lift maintenance and compliance

Potential impact

This is a safety and handover-quality story, not a price story. The review covered only twelve projects, and the report does not name them, so it cannot be read as a verdict on Bengaluru's whole housing stock. Any effect on prices or demand is likely to be small and uneven. At most, buyers may push harder on snagging and compliance paperwork before accepting possession.

The practical cost falls on builders and, later, on owners' associations. Fixing earthing, emergency lighting or rescue devices after handover can mean repair bills, disputes over who pays, and delays in getting certificates in order. With the city average near ₹12,800 per sq ft in our data, even a modest delay or dispute on a large purchase can be costly for a buyer who has already started paying EMIs.