Your elevator contract was written by the company you pay.
We are independent elevator consultants for building owners in Buffalo, Niagara Falls and Rochester. We rewrite your maintenance terms in your favor, then make sure the work actually gets done.
No contractor affiliations. No commissions. No equipment to sell.
We don't sell elevator work. We check it.
Elevator companies sell maintenance, repairs and modernizations. We sell none of those. That is what lets us tell you what your equipment really needs and what you should really be paying.
Rewrite your maintenance contract
We replace the contractor's standard form with an agreement written for you: guaranteed response times, minimum hours on site, capped increases and no automatic renewal. Then we bid it among licensed contractors.
Maintenance contractsCheck the work, every quarter
Unannounced audits, callback and log reviews, and a second look at every repair quote before you approve it. Missed visits become credits on your invoice.
Contractor oversightPlan the big spends
Condition surveys, 5- and 10-year capital plans, and modernization projects run from specification through competitive tender to final acceptance.
ModernizationThe fine print, rewritten.
These terms appear in contractor forms all the time. Here is what replaces them in a Lakeshore agreement.
Contractor paper
Renews automatically for another multi-year term unless you cancel in a narrow window months in advance.
Lakeshore paper
No automatic renewal. After year one, you can leave for any reason on 90 days' notice.
Contractor paper
Price rises each year with the contractor's labor rates. No ceiling.
Lakeshore paper
Increases follow inflation and are capped at 3% a year.
Contractor paper
"Average" response times, with callbacks outside business hours billed at overtime rates.
Lakeshore paper
On site within 60 minutes for an entrapment and 90 minutes otherwise, at any hour, with a credit when they're late.
Contractor paper
Visit frequency and time on site left to the contractor's discretion.
Lakeshore paper
Monthly visits with minimum hours per unit, and a 35% credit for every visit missed.
How it works
Free contract review
Send your current contract. We find the renewal date, the cancellation window and what you're paying extra for.
FreeBaseline audit
We inspect every unit with your contractor and record its condition, so there is a standard to hold them to.
New agreement and bid
We write a consultant-paper agreement and bid it among licensed New York contractors, including your current one.
Ongoing oversight
Unannounced audits, invoice review and an annual report with a capital plan, for as long as you need us.
Western New York, end to end.
Close enough to be on site the same day. We work with property managers, condominium boards, facility teams and owners across the region.
- Buffalo
- Niagara Falls
- Rochester
- Amherst
- Cheektowaga
- Tonawanda
- Lockport
- Batavia
- Jamestown
- Lackawanna
Buildings we work in
- Condominiums and co-ops
- Apartment portfolios
- Office buildings
- Hotels
- Hospitals and clinics
- Colleges and universities
- Municipal buildings
- Industrial and freight
Questions owners ask
We already have a maintenance contractor. Why add a consultant?
Your contractor decides how much time to spend on your equipment, what needs repair and what it costs. A consultant checks those decisions for you. Most owners recover our fee through credits for missed work, rejected extra charges and better contract pricing.
Can we switch contractors in the middle of our contract?
Usually only at the renewal date, and only if you give notice inside the cancellation window. That window can be 90 to 120 days before renewal, sometimes years away. Our free review tells you exactly when yours is, and you can estimate it now with the renewal date checker.
Will you push us to replace our current contractor?
No. Your current contractor is invited to bid on the new agreement like everyone else. Many owners keep the same company, on better terms and with someone checking the work.
Who regulates elevators in New York State?
Article 33 of the New York State Labor Law requires elevator contractors, mechanics and inspectors to be licensed by the NYS Department of Labor. The State's Uniform Code adopts the ASME A17.1 safety code, and local code enforcement handles permits and periodic inspections. Every contractor we bid your work to must hold a current NYS license.
What does modernization cost?
It depends on the equipment and what is replaced. A controller and door upgrade on one elevator is often in the tens of thousands of dollars; a full modernization of a traction elevator can pass $150,000. We define exactly what you need first, then run a competitive tender so you pay a fair price for it.
Do you work with all elevator brands?
Yes. We are not tied to any manufacturer or service company and work with Otis, KONE, Schindler, TK Elevator, Mitsubishi, Fujitec, Dover, Montgomery and independent equipment.
Find out what your contract really says.
Send us your current elevator maintenance contract. Within a week you get the renewal date, the cancellation window and a plain list of what you are paying extra for. Free, no obligation.