The Vertical Transportation Section of a PCR (E2018-24 9.4.8): Elevators, Certificates, Modernization and the No-Elevator Case

E2018-24 gives each building system an observations paragraph (what the field observer identifies and reports) and an out-of-scope paragraph. This page paraphrases both for the vertical transportation section, lists the deficiencies that recur in published reports, gives the expected useful lives the HUD CNA e-Tool table assigns to the common components (with the Fannie Mae 4099.F value where it differs), and says what lands in Table 1 versus Table 2. It is written for the person writing section 3.5 of the report.

What the guide asks the observer to identify

Elevators, escalators and lifts by count, type (hydraulic, traction, machine-room-less), capacity and speed; controller and machinery vintage; cab finishes; the current inspection certificate and its date; the maintenance contractor and contract; and reported modernizations or recurring problems. Out of scope: riding or testing beyond ordinary use, entering hoistways or pits, and opinions on code compliance.

What recurs in published reports

• Certificates expired or not posted; ask the escort for the current one.
• Hydraulic units of an age where the jack and controller are the modernization drivers.
• Cab interiors dated relative to the lobby; a cosmetic reserve line.
• No elevator in a two-storey building, which is an existing condition to disclose under accessibility, not a deficiency.

Useful lives the reserve table uses

Component	HUD EUL (yrs)	Fannie 4099.F (yrs)	HUD table row
Hydraulic elevator, machinery	20	25	3.5.1.6
Elevator cab interior finish	10	15	3.5.1.4

Expected useful life is the table value; remaining useful life is the observer's opinion and the report says which basis each line uses. See the reserve table explained and the HUD table.

Table 1 or Table 2

Table 1 rarely has elevator items; a failed certificate is an administrative matter for the owner, and a mechanical problem the contractor has diagnosed is priced from the contractor's proposal as a short-term item. Table 2 carries modernization (controller, machine, doors) when the equipment's age reaches the useful life within the period, usually as an allowance per car from published or contractor figures, and cab refinishing on its own cycle. Where there is no conveyance, the section says so in a sentence, rates the system not observed, and refers to the accessibility screen for the second-floor question without carrying a cost for vertical access. See cost categories.

Writing the section

Description first (what the system consists of and the basis for its stated age, with the source), then observations and analysis (what was seen and why it matters), what the point of contact reported, what was not observed and why, then recommendations that point at the table lines. Every statement carries its source. Baseline PCR drafts the section in that order from the field notes, photographs and documents, computes the lines, and leaves the rating, the RUL opinions and the categories for the reviewer to confirm; the sample report shows section 3.5 for a 1985 office building. The walkthrough checklist covers the field side.