TÜV: Elevator failures affect thousands — sensors and predictive maintenance seek to cut downtime and costs
TÜV report finds 11% of inspected elevators had serious defects in 2025; sensor-based predictive maintenance and digital monitoring aim to reduce outages, costs and trapped passengers.
A TÜV safety report and industry data show elevator failures remain a significant problem across Germany, with mobility-impaired residents among the hardest hit. The issue of elevator failures has prompted landlords and major housing companies to adopt sensor-driven monitoring and predictive maintenance to detect faults early and cut repair times. Industry providers and property owners say the newer digital services can lower downtime and reduce the number of people trapped, but they also warn of spare-parts bottlenecks, added costs and cybersecurity risks.
TÜV inspection finds widespread defects
The TÜV-Verbands “Anlagensicherheitsreport 2026” concluded that nearly 11 percent of about 723,000 inspected lifts showed serious deficiencies during 2025. In roughly 3,000 cases the defects were severe enough to force immediate shutdowns because of dangers to life and limb. Typical failures cited by the association include worn load-bearing ropes, broken emergency-call systems and malfunctioning door locks.
Residents and tenants bear the brunt of outages
When elevators stop working, everyday activities such as grocery shopping or doctor visits become difficult or impossible for people living in upper floors. Tenant advocacy groups note that long outages can justify rent reductions if the stoppage substantially impairs use of the home. Courts have in individual cases approved double-digit rent cuts after prolonged failures, underscoring the financial and human cost of persistent elevator problems.
Predictive maintenance and sensors promise earlier fixes
Several companies now market sensor-based systems to continuously monitor elevator components and detect deviations from normal operation. Hundt Consult, which manages thousands of lifts for building owners, says its sensors on cabin doors and roofs can identify emerging faults and allow technicians to intervene before a breakdown. Elevator manufacturers and servicers such as Kone offer cloud-based remote services that analyze real-time data to resolve many problems without an on-site visit.
Operational results and cost claims from housing companies
Large property managers report measurable gains after introducing digital monitoring. Vonovia, which retrofitted several thousand elevators with independent sensor boxes starting in 2023, says average outage duration fell from about 5.1 days to roughly three days per incident. Manufacturers and consultants claim predictive maintenance can also cut service costs; Hundt Consult projects potential cost reductions as high as 30 percent, though exact savings vary with the age and makeup of each lift portfolio.
Supply chains and cybersecurity complicate the picture
Faster diagnosis does not always translate into rapid repair when replacement parts are scarce or non-standard. Industry representatives point to difficulties securing specific components as a key reason some elevators remain non-operational for extended periods. At the same time, experts warn that adding sensors, gateways and cloud links increases the cyber-attack surface. TÜV staff and company managers alike advise rigorous IT security for connected elevators to guard against manipulation of operational data, door functions or speed controls.
Owners, managers and tenants now face trade-offs between better availability and new costs or risks. Landlords are responsible for repair expenses and may need to invest in standardization of parts and secure remote-monitoring platforms, while tenants should be alert to changes in service and billing practices. Clear contractual terms, transparent cost allocation and prompt communication during outages can limit disputes and help prioritize accessibility for mobility-impaired residents.
The current shift toward digital elevator monitoring is reducing the frequency of people being trapped and shortening average repair times, but industry players say full benefits depend on standardized parts supply, robust cyber protections and balanced cost-sharing between landlords and tenants.
