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Residents of an Auckland apartment building have been forced to climb 15 storeys of stairs to get home while their single lift has been broken for five days.
Those unable to climb or descend the stairs have been stranded in their apartments, one resident claims.
The lift in the Rutland St building broke down on Saturday, and it remains unclear when it will be fixed with the body corporate chairman saying they are waiting on parts from overseas.
Resident Rochelle Toetoe said “there’s an elderly lady here who can barely open her own door, let alone get down the stairs - she’s on level 10″.
Toetoe, who is also on an upper level, said it takes her 15 minutes to climb to her floor.
“I’ve had to cancel a delivery that I’m expecting because it’s over 40kg and I can’t lift that all the way up there,” she said.
The lift in this building on Rutland St, Central Auckland, is broken and residents have to climb 15 storeys to get to their homes. Photo / Google
Toetoe was frustrated she had not been adequately informed of the fault or when it would be fixed.
“I have to argue with them [building management] to get an answer about any situation that’s happening with the building. It feels like they don’t really care about the people that live in these buildings.”
Body corporate chairman Roger Bradshaw told the Herald that lift company Otis was working to fix it, but the necessary part needed to be shipped from overseas.
Bradshaw acknowledged the disruption residents were facing and said building management had been proactive in dealing with the issue.
“I understand the lift failed on Saturday night. Our body corp managers were called out on Saturday night and went and did the inspection,” he said.
“Then it was determined that they needed to come on-site again first thing Sunday morning.
“They were undertaking a weld of the part, and we’re just waiting for an ETA [estimated time of arrival] so they can put it in.”
Bradshaw said a mechanical link had broken. The part has a 30-year service life, and he said management took “a very proactive approach to maintenance” but would put in a new preventative maintenance programme for the lift.
He praised Otis and other lift companies for being quick and responsive when issues arose.
He said it was “a great building” in a prime location, near a soon-to-be-opened underground train station, the Auckland University of Technology, the library and the Art Gallery.
Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.
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