AN old elevator that has been used in a residential building in Luohu District for 21 years needs to be repaired with parts of it needing to be replaced. The government will cover 40 percent of the cost and each homeowner will have to pay 1,100 yuan (US$167), the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported Saturday.

    Homeowners posted articles online Friday, saying that the property management office “blackmailed” them into paying to fix the elevator by shutting it down. The property management office’s director, surnamed Yang, said the elevator was shut down a few days ago because of a malfunction. He said the elevator has been use in the 26-story building for 21 years, and, based on a professional institution’s evaluation of the elevator, the office and the property owner committee agreed to replace certain parts of the elevator.

    As no homeowner objected to or approved of the reconstruction plan during the public consultation period, the office and the committee applied to the urban renewal bureau in Luohu District to replace parts of the elevator. According to the bureau’s reply, the government will cover 40 percent of the cost, while the rest will be shared by homeowners.

    “The replacement plan is the most cost-effective and appropriate approach,” Yang said, adding that installing a new elevator will cost more and the government will only cover 30 percent of the cost, meaning homeowners will have to pay more.

    He said the building’s property developer, which has gone bankrupt, didn’t pay the housing maintenance fee to the government in the 1990s, so each homeowner has to pay 1,100 yuan. The Dongxiao Subdistrict Office is reconciling disputes between the property management office and homeowners, in a bid to fix the elevator as soon as possible.

    (Zhang Yang)