How to make the new elevator testing procedures work for you

"Cooperate as a team from the start, communicate often and plan carefully and thoroughly with all your key partners." That was the advice offered by a panel of experts at the recent BOMA/NY seminar "How will NYC's New Elevator Inspection Requirements Affect You?" which prepared building managers and their teams for the regulations that went into effect January 1. With owners facing civil penalties of up to $5,000 per elevator for failing to comply with the new requirements, known as Rule 103-02, panelists reviewed the rule's parameters—from the definition of approved inspection agency, to deadlines, filing penalties, all requirements for inspections and testing, reports and filing, correction of defects and overall civil penalties. Panelists represented more than 135-plus years of collective experience in property management and elevator services and featured: Robert Cuzzi, executive vice president/principal of VDA; Bob Delaney, district manager of Schindler Elevator; MarkGregorio, president of Transel Elevator, Inc.; Nicholas Montesano, president of DTM Elevator Consulting and Draft Services; Steven Spampinato, a partner at BOCA Group and Ronald Zeccardi, director of property management at Cogswell Realty LLC. To meet these requirements, or make them "a non-event," building teams would be well advised to: * Plan carefully prior to the test, to obtain the best results; but, remember that managing the deficiencies is equally important. In particular, advised Mark Gregorio, 1) obtain a copy of the test report within five business days of the physical test; 2) obtain any required proposals from your contractor within five days of the report being distributed and 3) after receiving your contractor's proposal, authorize work that may be outside the contract within five days. * Delaney advised on the full range of steps to take before, during and after performing the mandated test, and recommended strongly that the building team should "communicate often with all parties involved." That means communication prior to, during, and at the completion of the test. "Working in concert will result in deadlines being met and the risk of fines being mitigated," he said. Using a typical scenario of teams working together to rectify deficiencies, he demonstrated how such teamwork could defer fines and save 21 days of labor and $150 per month per elevator unit. Above all, the panel recommended that teams work in cooperation with all interested parties - from consultants to service companies. Cooperation and partnership should be the watchwords of this regulation compliance, just as they lie at the heart of all professional property management.