Months of lift failures, missed deadlines and a complete lack of urgency
Hadrian Property Management’s handling of the ongoing lift failures at Millennium Tower in Salford Quays has been appalling.
Since June 2026, both passenger lifts have suffered repeated failures, with residents enduring prolonged periods when neither lift has been operational. This is a high-rise residential building, not a three-storey block where taking the stairs is a minor inconvenience. Residents live up to 20 floors above ground level, and the loss of both lifts has had a significant impact on their daily lives.
Residents have had to cancel plans, struggle with deliveries, reconsider visits from family members with mobility difficulties and worry about accessing food and medication when unwell. These are real consequences of a problem that has been allowed to drag on for months.
What makes the situation particularly frustrating is Hadrian’s repeated failure to take ownership of the problem or communicate effectively.
We have been given repeated assurances and estimated return-to-service dates, only for those dates to pass without the lifts being restored. When further faults are discovered and repair plans change, residents are frequently left without any update. Instead, we end up relying on other residents who have spoken directly to the lift engineers to find out what is happening. On one occasion, Hadrian had promised that a lift would return to service that day, yet when the repair failed and further parts were required, no update was issued. We discovered the setback through another resident.
When challenged about this, Hadrian explained that the property manager had been unexpectedly absent and that the colleagues providing cover were only responsible for immediate emergencies. Apparently, having both lifts out of service in a 20-storey building for an extended period does not warrant a proactive update when another repair fails. That explanation says a great deal about the company’s priorities and its approach to managing ongoing problems.
The handling of offers of assistance from leaseholders has been similarly frustrating. Residents offered practical help, including arranging specialist scaffolding to enable engineers to access the lift shaft. Those offers were initially declined, with assistance only accepted later. It is difficult not to question whether a more proactive approach could have helped accelerate the repairs.
Hadrian has now confirmed that an independent survey by TÜV SÜD found that the lifts have reached the end of their anticipated design life, with frequent failures driven by obsolete components in the legacy control systems. This raises serious questions about the long-term condition of the equipment, the adequacy of the maintenance arrangements and why residents have had to endure such prolonged disruption without a clear, credible plan for restoring reliable service.
Hadrian’s emails are full of claims of understanding residents’ concerns, prioritising repairs and improving communication. Yet the actual experience tells a very different story. Acknowledging a problem repeatedly is not the same as taking ownership of it. Promising better communication is meaningless when residents continue to be left in the dark. And describing repairs as a priority does not inspire confidence when deadlines repeatedly pass without results or timely explanations.
The latest information about the independent survey and the prospect of longer-term replacement is welcome, but residents still need a credible timetable, meaningful progress and transparent communication. They should not have to chase their managing agent for basic information about whether they can access their own homes using the building’s lifts.
This situation has also affected landlords, with tenants understandably questioning why they should continue paying full rent while such a fundamental building facility remains unreliable.
The fundamental problem is not simply that lifts have broken down. Equipment can fail. It is how Hadrian has handled the situation: the lack of urgency, the repeated missed expectations, the poor communication, the failure to take clear ownership and the apparent inability to recognise the seriousness of the impact on residents.
Hadrian needs to stop issuing reassuring statements about how seriously it takes these concerns and demonstrate that commitment through action. Residents deserve reliable lifts, honest and timely updates, a credible long-term solution and a managing agent that actually manages problems rather than merely reporting on them.