The elevator has not been installed yet! Why hasn't the installation of elevators in this community been completed after two years of delay?, The shell has been erected and an elevator has been added to the community

"I hope to take the elevator up and down every day! But after waiting for 2 years, the elevator we have installed is still just a 'facade'. What's going on?"

Since the beginning of this year, residents of Building 52, Lane 81, Zhayin Road, Yangpu District have sought help multiple times, stating that two years ago, their building signed a contract with an elevator company to start the construction and installation of elevators. Two years have passed, and to this day, only a shell can be seen in the elevator, without actually installing an elevator inside.

Mr. Peng, a resident on the 6th floor of Building 52, is already 84 years old and has poor knees. He rarely goes downstairs and takes the elevator to take a look is his greatest wish. In the process of seeking help, the old man asked, "How long will our elevator project continue to drag on?"

There's only a shell inside, it's empty

The Yinxing community, where Lane 81 of Zhayin Road is located, is the vanguard of installing elevators in old houses in Shanghai. Many effective methods for installing elevators, such as drawing "elevator maps" and compiling "elevator autonomy guidelines," all come from the innovation of the Yinxing community. So, what obstacles were encountered in the process of installing elevators in Building 52, Lane 81, Zhayin Road?

On the afternoon of August 23rd, the reporter came to the residential area of Lane 81, Zhayin Road to understand the situation. The three north-south residential areas of Lane 75, Lane 81, and Lane 91 on Zhayin Road are connected and managed by a property management company, all of which are 6-story husband's houses. Entering the community through the entrance of Lane 81 in the middle, not far from the passage is Building 52. The gray elevator shaft standing on the outside of the building is very prominent, and each floor of the elevator has a passage connecting to the staircase inside the building. The glass installed on the passage is transparent and shiny, forming a sharp contrast with the old building. The common scaffolding used in elevator installation projects cannot be seen, and the protective film on the gray exterior of the elevator shaft has also been torn off. From a distance, it seems that the elevator installation project has been completed.

Entering the community through the entrance of Lane 81 on Zhayin Road, not far in front of the passage is Building 52. The gray elevator shaft standing on the outside of the building is very prominent.

Upon closer inspection, I finally understood what the residents were referring to as "appearance goods": stepping up four steps into the hallway, the first floor of the elevator shaft is directly ahead. There is no opposite elevator door in front of me, and I can directly see the dark elevator shaft behind me. A wooden board is blocking the elevator shaft to prevent residents from accidentally falling into it. Not only on the ground floor, but also on each floor of the corridor, simple protective barriers are laid out like this. Looking inside the elevator shaft with a probe, the sand and gravel at the bottom of the pit are exposed, and there is a lot of household waste thrown inside. It seems that the elevator shaft has been so exposed for some time. Looking up, the steel structure framework of the elevator shaft is clearly visible from bottom to top. That is to say, there is no elevator installed inside.

In Building 52, each floor is equipped with simple protective barriers made of wooden boards in front of the elevator shaft to prevent residents from accidentally falling into the empty elevator shaft.

The steel structure frame of the elevator shaft is visible from bottom to top.

Mr. Wang, a resident on the 4th floor, happened to be leaving. The reporter asked him why there was no progress in installing an elevator, and his voice suddenly rose. "Construction started on October 12, 2021, and I remember very well, it will be almost two years!" He learned from him that as early as mid-2021, Building 52 had started installing an elevator. Due to the fact that there are 6 households on each floor, the cost sharing for each household is not high. For example, Mr. Wang's family only needs to pay 16000 yuan, so everyone has a strong willingness to add elevators, and all procedures are progressing smoothly. In terms of funding, except for a few households who did not pay the fees on time, all other households paid the fees early and the community property committee signed a contract with the elevator construction agency in July 2021. Unexpectedly, the construction process has been dragging on since then. We finally completed the construction of the elevator shaft in August last year, and then there was no more follow-up. "What's the use of having a shell without a core?"

The sand and gravel at the bottom of the elevator shaft are exposed, and there is a lot of household waste thrown inside. It seems that the elevator shaft has been so exposed for some time.

Residents speculate that the construction party has misappropriated funds

The construction contract for installing elevators provided by the residents shows that the elevator construction agent is "Shanghai Ruiyi Construction Engineering Co., Ltd." and the selected elevator is "Shanghai Mitsubishi 630kg machine room free elevator", with a total project price of 780000 yuan. The contract states that the construction period for this project is 5 and a half months. From 5 and a half months to more than 2 years, what is the reason for this delay?

Resident Peng told reporters that during the construction process of the elevator shaft, the construction agent had been explaining the delay in the construction period under the pretext of the epidemic. Since the beginning of this year, seeing that elevators have not been installed for a long time and the impact of the epidemic no longer exists, residents have repeatedly contacted the construction agency to inquire about the reasons and have also filed complaints for help. Mr. Peng said, "Sometimes I say I went on a trip, sometimes I say I'm sick and hospitalized." The person in charge of the construction agency can always find an excuse. In May this year, the construction party promised to install the elevator by July. Until the end of July, residents were still unable to wait for the elevator. After another complaint, on August 4th, Yinxing Street took the lead in organizing a coordination meeting with the neighborhood committee, residents, and construction agents. At the coordination meeting, the construction agent once again promised that the elevator would arrive on August 22nd and is expected to be available for residents to use on September 15th. "Today is the 23rd, obviously not fulfilled again," Mr. Wang said.

Several residents of Building 52 speculate that the construction agent may have misappropriated the funds for the elevator installation project, resulting in the elevator manufacturer not delivering and installing the elevator. However, "Ruiyi" has shown residents two bank transfer records from March and May this year, stating that they have transferred a total of more than 120000 yuan to "Jiangsu Hailing Electromechanical Equipment Engineering Co., Ltd. Shanghai Branch" as proof of purchasing elevators. The reason for the delay is that the elevator manufacturer has not yet shipped the goods. However, Mr. Wang, a resident, pointed out that on the transfer record with a larger amount, the transferring enterprise was actually "Shanghai Linniu Construction Engineering Technology Co., Ltd.", and it is questionable whether the purchased elevator was for Building 52.

The picture shows a bank transfer record that Ruiyi once showed to residents, claiming to be a voucher for purchasing the elevator in Building 52. However, Mr. Wang, a resident, pointed out that the transferred enterprise on the record is actually "Shanghai Linniu Construction Engineering Technology Co., Ltd.", and it is questionable whether the purchased elevator is for Building 52.

According to the contact information provided in the contract, the reporter found a person in charge of "Ruiyi". He insisted that the construction agent had indeed paid for the elevator costs, but due to the use of small elevators in Building 52, Shanghai Mitsubishi produced less and had no inventory, resulting in delays in the elevator installation project; The reporter then contacted "Jiangsu Hailing Electromechanical Equipment Engineering Co., Ltd. Shanghai Branch", and the head of its elevator department denied "Ruiyi"'s claim, stating that Shanghai Mitsubishi is selling 100000 elevators per year, and there is no saying that they are out of stock. According to its disclosure, the real reason for the delay is that "Ruiyi" had only paid the advance payment for the elevator before, and had not paid the delivery fee, so the manufacturer naturally did not schedule the shipment.

Third party supervision should be applied to the funds for ladder addition

Before publishing, the reporter learned from the Shanghai branch of Jiangsu Hailing Electromechanical Equipment Engineering Co., Ltd. that the construction agent finally paid for the elevator delivery last week. At present, the system of Shanghai Mitsubishi shows that the elevator at Building 52, Lane 81, Zhayin Road will be shipped on the 29th and installation will begin soon after it is delivered to the community.

But various signs indicate that residents' speculation of "misappropriating funds" is not unfounded. One evidence provided by residents is that "Ruiyi" was listed as a "dishonest debtor" in July last year. In addition, there are currently signs of suspension for the elevator project at Building 18, Lane 91, Zhayin Road, which was also constructed by Ruiyi as the agent. The reporter saw at Building 18, Lane 91 that the newly installed elevator has been installed and is currently not in use. Aunt Zhou, a resident on the 5th floor, told reporters that the elevator installation project in Building 18 of Lane 91 started earlier than Building 52 of Lane 81, but the elevator was only just installed last month. The residents also used Mitsubishi elevators. The reporter verified with "Jiangsu Hailing Electromechanical Equipment Engineering Co., Ltd. Shanghai Branch" that the other party claimed that "Ruiyi" still has not paid the elevator installation fee for Building 18, Lane 91, which has prevented the elevator from entering the acceptance process normally

The picture shows the elevator installed in Building 18, Lane 91, Zhayin Road. At present, the elevator has been installed but has not been put into use.

Aunt Zhou, a resident on the 5th floor of Lane 91, Zhayin Road, has difficulty getting up and down due to her inconvenient legs. She said that the installation of an elevator project has been dragging on for over two years, and it is still difficult to take the elevator. The long wait is unbearable.

Further verification by relevant departments is needed to determine whether Ruiyi has misappropriated the funds for elevator installation. However, the reporter learned from industry insiders involved in the installation of elevators for construction that there have indeed been some instances of tight funding for elevator companies in the market. It is said that some elevator companies have blindly expanded, and due to some of the elevator installation costs involving applying for subsidies after installation, they need to advance funds in advance. In actual operation, there is a phenomenon of multiple elevator installation buildings misappropriating funds. Some elevator installation companies even signed contracts with residents to collect full payment before starting construction, which poses significant financial security risks.

Industry insiders suggest that the annual target for installing elevators in Shanghai this year is set at 3000 units, which is a huge quantity. In terms of financial safety, stricter regulatory measures should be implemented. It is understood that in terms of fund account management, the Shanghai Housing Management Bureau has been actively exploring new models of fund supervision to maximize the security of funds for elevator management. The Pudong New Area pioneered the neighborhood committee's special account supervision model, which pays the elevator construction unit according to the project progress, adding a lock to the safety of funds. The similar approach of "third-party fund supervision" should be promoted throughout the city as soon as possible to ensure the smooth progress of this popular project.

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