How do I buy a stairlift, and can I get help paying for one?

Step 1: get a free home assessment before you buy

Before talking to any stairlift company, ask your council's social services for a home assessment. It's free. An occupational therapist visits, watches how you manage the stairs and around the house, and recommends what would help. Sometimes that's a stairlift; sometimes it's a second banister, grab rails or moving a bedroom downstairs. The assessment is also the gateway to council funding, so doing it first can save you money.

The NHS says the council should pay for each adaptation costing less than £1,000, which covers things like grab rails. A stairlift usually costs more, so the main help is a grant (see below).

Step 2: choose the right type

• Straight stairlifts run on a straight track and are significantly cheaper than curved ones. They can usually be installed in a day and removed later.
• Curved stairlifts follow bends and landings on a track made for your stairs. If your stairs are two straight flights with a landing between, two straight stairlifts may be cheaper, as long as you can safely move from one to the other.
• Perching and standing stairlifts suit narrow stairs or people who find it hard to bend their knees. You need enough headroom along the whole staircase, and good balance.
• Outdoor stairlifts work in all weathers for garden or front steps, and need a safe electricity supply.

A stairlift may not be safe if you have severe uncontrolled movements, dizziness, or confusion that could make you try to get off mid-journey. Try this test from the Disabled Living Foundation: put a chair at the bottom of the stairs with its back to the wall, sit well back, and see how much room your knees and feet have.

Features worth checking

• Swivel seat, manual or powered, so you get off facing away from the stairs.
• Controls: joystick, rocker or paddle, on the side that suits your stronger hand.
• Folding or hinged track if the bottom of the rail would block a doorway.
• Weight limit and the type of seatbelt; try both before you buy.

Step 3: new, reconditioned or rented?

Nottinghamshire County Council's guide gives rough prices of around £2,000 for a straight stairlift, £6,000 for a curved one and around £1,500 second-hand. Get your own quotes, because prices vary with your stairs and the features you need.

Reconditioned lifts are mostly straight ones, because a straight track can usually be re-sited, while a used curved track can't be reused in another house. Buy only from a manufacturer or an authorised reconditioning company that checks safety and gives a warranty, and never wire one up yourself. Renting usually means an installation fee plus a monthly charge, often with a minimum hire period. It can make sense if you're recovering from an operation and expect to need it only for a while.

Step 4: help with the cost

Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG). Councils can give a grant to improve access to rooms, explicitly including a stairlift. The maximum is £30,000 in England, £36,000 in Wales and £25,000 in Northern Ireland; Scotland has a different scheme. It's means-tested on household income and savings over £6,000, although disabled children under 18 are assessed without their parents' income. The council must decide within 6 months. Don't start the work before approval, or you may get nothing.

VAT relief. If you're disabled or have a long-term illness, you shouldn't be charged VAT on a stairlift for your own personal or domestic use, including installation, repairs and maintenance. You'll need to confirm this in writing, usually on the supplier's form. Being elderly but not disabled doesn't qualify.

Step 5: buy safely

• Get at least two quotes, in writing, with the warranty terms, servicing costs and out-of-hours call-out cover.
• Ask for a servicing contract. The DLF recommends inspection every six months and a service every year.
• If you sign up at home, you normally have 14 days to cancel. Items custom-made for you, such as a curved rail built for your stairs, may not have a cooling-off period, so don't be rushed.
• Ask a relative or friend to be there when salespeople visit.

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