How to switch your LOLER inspection company without a gap in cover
You can switch your LOLER inspection company at any time. LOLER puts the duty on you, not on any particular examiner, and your current reports stay valid until their next due date. The only rule that matters is booking your new examiner before the earliest of those dates, so nothing goes overdue.
People put this off because it feels like it might leave them uncovered. It won’t, as long as you do it in the right order. Here’s how...
Signs it’s time to switch
You don’t need a dramatic reason. These are the ones I hear most often when someone rings us:
The price goes up every renewal, and nobody can tell you why
A different surveyor every visit, so nobody knows your site or your equipment
Your maintenance company examines its own work. HSE says the examiner should be “sufficiently independent and impartial”, and someone checking their own servicing isn’t
Reports turn up late, or they’re really basic (I've seen a lot of these!) so you can’t tell what needs doing
You’re the one chasing the dates. You shouldn’t have to remember when an examination is due
Things get missed. The main lift gets done, but the slings, the stairlift or the second site don’t
You’re juggling several providers, one for lifts, another for forklifts and someone else for PUWER
If two or more of those sound familiar, it’s worth getting a second quote! Give us a call today for a friendly chat!
Your three main options
Insurer’s surveyor | Your maintenance company | Independent examiner (PULO) | |
Independent of whoever maintains the equipment | Yes | No. They’re checking their own work | Yes. We don’t maintain or repair anything |
Same engineer every visit | Not guaranteed | Not guaranteed | Yes. Ryan carries out and signs every examination |
Price | Can change at each renewal | Often bundled into the maintenance contract | Fixed for all your ongoing examinations once agreed |
If you change insurer | Your examiner, schedule and report format all change | No change | No change |
Reminders before each examination is due | Varies | Varies | Yes, we contact you before every one |
LOLER and PUWER under one provider | Usually | Usually only their own equipment | Yes, every type of equipment |
Can you switch partway through the year?
Yes. Nothing resets when you change examiner.
Every LOLER report has to state the latest date for the next thorough examination. That date stays the same whoever does the next one. So if your goods lift was examined in March, it’s due by the following March, whether your old provider or your new one turns up.
The one thing you can’t do is let a date slip while you’re between providers. You can always have an examination done early. You can never have it done late.
How to switch, step by step
Gather your last reports. You need the most recent report for every item, and you’re required to keep them anyway (LOLER Regulation 11). If your current provider keeps them on an online portal, download the lot now. You may lose access when the contract ends.
Make a simple list. For each item: what it is, where it is, when it was last examined and when the next one is due. The due date is on each report.
Check your current contract. Look for the notice period and the renewal date, and whether the inspection is part of an insurance policy (more on that below).
Get a quote. Choose a reputable LOLER inspection company and send them your list or the reports. With us, you’ll get a fixed price for everything on it.
Book the first examination before your earliest due date. Don’t cancel anything until this is booked.
Give notice to your old provider. Now you can, and there’s no gap.
Tell your insurer or broker, and send them a copy of each new report.
Bringing everything onto one date
Switching is a good chance to tidy up a schedule that’s grown messy, with lifts due in March, slings in June and a forklift in October!
Because you can always examine early, a new examiner can bring items forward so more of them fall due together. Fewer visits means less disruption, and fewer dates for anyone to forget. Anything that needs examining every 6 months will still need its 6-monthly visit, but the rest can usually be lined up with it.
If your examinations come with your engineering insurance
This is the part to check before you cancel anything - Many engineering insurance policies include LOLER examinations by the insurer’s own surveyor, sometimes bundled with breakdown cover. Ask your insurer or broker 3 questions:
Is the inspection a separate part of the policy or contract that can be dropped on its own?
If you keep the insurance, do they need copies of reports from your new examiner?
What’s the notice period for the inspection part?
Often you can keep the insurance and simply send them your new reports. Either way, once you’ve got your examinations with an independent examiner, they stay put. Change insurer next year and nothing about your examinations has to change.
What about your examination scheme?
Most equipment is examined at LOLER’s fixed intervals: every 6 months for anything that lifts people or is a lifting accessory, and every 12 months for other lifting equipment (Regulation 9(3)(a)). If your old examiner drew up a written examination scheme with different intervals, ask them for a copy. Your new examiner will review it and either keep it or draw up their own.
What happens on your first visit with PULO Compliance
We examine everything on your list and give you a separate written report for each item. If we find equipment that should have been on your old schedule and wasn’t, we’ll tell you. It happens more often than you’d think, especially with lifting accessories and smaller lifts. Then we set up your reminders, so the next date never depends on someone remembering it.
You can see what one of our reports looks like on our sample report page.
Switching to PULO
We’re based in Nottingham and examine equipment across the Midlands, from Newark and Mansfield to Derby, Leicester, Lincoln and Grantham. We travel anywhere in the UK too, so if you’ve got sites spread around the country, one examiner can cover the lot.
Every examination is carried out and signed by me, Ryan Leavesley MSOE MBES, an engineer surveyor with over 14 years’ experience. PULO Compliance is ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 certified, CHAS Advanced accredited and an INITA member. We don’t maintain, repair or sell equipment, so we’ve got nothing to gain from what we find.
Send us your last reports, or just a list of what you’ve got and when it’s due. We’ll come back with a fixed quote that stays the same for all your ongoing examinations.
Want to know more first? Read why independent examination matters or what a LOLER inspection costs.
FAQs
Can I change my LOLER inspection company before my contract ends?
Legally, yes, at any time. LOLER doesn’t tie you to an examiner. Your contract might have a notice period, so check it, and book your new examiner before your earliest due date so nothing goes overdue in between.
Do I need a new LOLER inspection as soon as I switch?
No. Your current reports stay valid until the next due date on each one. Your new examiner just needs to carry out each examination before that date.
Are my old LOLER reports still valid after I switch?
Yes. A report doesn’t stop counting because you’ve changed examiner. Keep them, because LOLER Regulation 11 requires you to hold on to each report until the next one is made, or for 2 years, whichever is later.
Can all my equipment be examined on the same date?
Usually most of it can. Examinations can always be done early, so a new examiner can bring items forward to line them up. Anything on a 6-month interval still needs its 6-monthly visit.
Do I need to tell my insurer if I switch LOLER examiner?
If your examinations come with your engineering policy, yes. Ask whether the inspection part can be dropped on its own and whether they want copies of your new reports. Often you can keep the insurance and send them the new reports.
Can our maintenance company keep doing our LOLER examinations?
HSE says the examiner should be sufficiently independent and impartial, and shouldn’t be assessing their own maintenance work. If the same firm services and examines your equipment, switching the examinations to an independent examiner fixes that.
What does a new LOLER examiner need from me?
Your most recent report for each item, or a list of what you have, where it is and when it’s next due. If you have a written examination scheme, send that too. On the day, make sure we can get to everything.
Comments