In 2025, more than 100 thousand elevators will need to be replaced throughout Russia

In a year, more than 100 thousand of the 550 thousand operating elevators will need to be replaced throughout Russia, but there is virtually no funding for updating 45 thousand pieces of equipment now, the industry association has calculated. Over the ten years of the existence of special accounts, homeowners have not had time to save up funds to replace old elevators due to low rates for major repairs. Experts believe that in order to increase the pace of program implementation, it is necessary to involve the federal budget and state banks in co-financing.

The replacement of about 45 thousand out of 81.5 thousand elevators in apartment buildings throughout Russia, the service life of which will expire in February 2025, is not included in the overhaul plan for such buildings and is not provided with financing, the Russian Elevator Association calculated for Kommersant (SART). The total need for replacement of equipment, including hospitals, clinics and other social institutions, is about 100 thousand, the RLO clarified. In total, there are approximately 550 thousand operating elevators in the country.

As a rule, owners of apartments in buildings not included in the overhaul program accumulate funds for these purposes in special accounts, explains RLO General Director Petr Kharlamov. This mechanism, he continues, has been working since 2014, but during this time not a single house “has been able to save up for even one elevator,” given that, as a rule, there are several of them in each house. Funds in special accounts are accumulated for the needs of a particular home. But when it requires urgent major repairs, local authorities force homeowners in such houses to switch to the so-called boiler savings method, where money is collected for the repair of all houses, explains Mr. Kharlamov. Now many homeowners are trying to switch to the boiler savings method in order to get the missing funds, but this significantly complicates the implementation of capital repair programs in the regions for everyone else, notes Nikita Chulochnikov, president of the Association of Real Estate Service Companies.

According to RLO estimates, in 2023, regional authorities almost doubled the purchase of equipment, but only to 18.9 thousand units. This year, Petr Kharlamov expects that about 20 thousand more elevators will be purchased. The capabilities of regional budgets and capital repair funds ensure the annual replacement of no more than 20 thousand elevators, agrees General Director of Infoline-Analytics Mikhail Burmistrov. Every year, another 10 thousand elevators expire, notes Mr. Kharlamov.

The current amount of fees from homeowners under the capital repair program is significantly less than the real cost of repairs, even without taking into account the high deterioration and underfunding of housing stock, says Mikhail Burmistrov. Thus, in Moscow the minimum rate for major repairs is one of the highest in the Russian Federation and amounts to 25.58 rubles. for 1 sq. m per month. The national average is 10.12 rubles.

The problem is compounded by rising prices for elevators. The estimates for the overhaul programs initially included cheaper equipment, although over the past couple of years it has risen in price by one and a half times, which led to a reduction in its purchases, notes Nikita Chulochnikov. And the massive transition to cheaper analogues has led to their shortage, the expert adds.

According to Rosstat, in January-November 2023, 24.9 thousand elevators were produced in Russia, which is 24.5% more year-on-year. But in order to meet the requirements of technical regulations for replacing elevators in 2024, it is necessary to actually double the amount of elevator equipment put into operation, taking into account the needs of new buildings, explains Mr. Chulochnikov.

At the moment, the utilization of Russian elevator factories is incomplete – most of the enterprises operate at half their capacity, as noted at the Shcherbinsky Elevator Plant (ShchLZ; part of the state company Dom.RF). This, in particular, was facilitated by the fact that developers have not yet switched to fully providing new buildings with Russian products; many give preference to Asian brands, says Denis Konovalenko, managing partner of Prime Life Development. Nevertheless, in ShchLZ the workload is 80%, and in Meteor Lift – 100%, the companies told Kommersant.

To reach a higher rate of replacement of elevators for major repairs, it is necessary to involve the federal budget and state banks in financing, since the current capacity of elevator manufacturers, taking into account the arrival of new investors in the industry, provides the opportunity for advanced renovation of elevators, says Mikhail Burmistrov. The RLO also proposed zeroing out VAT for purchases to replace elevators (see Kommersant on November 11).

Daria Andrianova