Stairlift quote checklist: 25 questions before you sign

Bring the same brief to both surveys

Write a paragraph describing the journey you want to make: where it starts, where it finishes, any intermediate stop, and whether the route is indoors or outdoors. Add your address, preferred timing and who will use the lift. Ask the provider what information it needs about the person and home rather than sending an entire medical history.

Keep a separate note of preferences, such as a particular upholstery color, and requirements that need assessment, such as reaching the seat or operating a control. That distinction helps you understand why an installer proposes an option. A professional assessment must establish suitability; this checklist organizes the commercial decision.

For example, 101 Mobility describes a free in-home consultation involving measurements and a discussion of needs. [1] Before booking any provider, confirm the survey fee, if any, and whether you receive a written proposal afterward. Arrange for the intended user to participate when possible, and invite anyone who needs to understand the eventual handover.

Questions 1–5: the equipment you are buying

1. What is the exact manufacturer and model? Record the model designation and obtain its product document. “Premium stairlift” is too broad to compare with another offer.
2. Is each supplied component new or reconditioned? If pre-owned, ask what was inspected or replaced, who did that work, and which condition and warranty documents you receive.
3. Why is this configuration proposed for this person and staircase? Ask the assessor to explain the seat, controls and route. Separate a product specification from confirmation that the whole proposed setup is suitable.
4. Which features are included, required additions or optional choices? List them individually. Ask for both the price and the reason for any proposed upgrade.
5. What may be substituted after I order? Request approval before any change to the model, rail, condition or options, together with any resulting price or warranty difference.

Model details matter: Bruno’s Elan page lists a folding rail, powered swivel and powered footrest as options. [2] Do not assume that a photograph showing one of those features means it is in your package. Make the proposal name the supplied feature and its operation.

Questions 6–10: the route through your home

6. Can you show the complete rail route and parking positions? Ask for a drawing or annotated photographs with the side of the stairs, start, finish and any intermediate stop identified.
7. How will doors, corridors and landings work around it? Have the surveyor explain the planned clearance and the position of the chair and rail when parked. Include household traffic in that discussion.
8. What power supply and charging arrangement does this model need? Ask who checks the existing provision and who quotes any required electrical work. Do not undertake electrical changes from a generic checklist.
9. What preparation or approval is required before fitting? Record who checks applicable requirements, who arranges any approval, and who completes and pays for separate work.
10. If any section is outdoors, what site conditions were assessed? Ask the installer to identify the outdoor model, operating limits and care instructions that apply to that entrance.

Bruno’s Elite Curved includes alternative parking-position options, so two proposals can finish in different places even when they use the same model. [3] Its Elite Straight Outdoor has a separate published product specification with outdoor materials and a cover. [4] Neither listing replaces the survey of your home.

Photograph the proposed route after the survey if useful, without moving equipment or taking measurements on stairs you cannot safely access. Keep the agreed plan beside the quote so a later change can be identified.

Questions 11–15: the full price and payment terms

11. What is the complete total for the agreed installation? Ask whether the figure includes the lift, rail, selected options, delivery, fitting, demonstration, applicable taxes and any required inspection.
12. What is excluded, and who will price it? An excluded electrician, site adjustment or approval fee should remain visible. Get an estimate or fixed price from the responsible party.
13. How long is this quote valid, and what can change it? Ask which survey assumptions remain open and how changes are approved. Request an updated written total when the scope changes.
14. What deposit and later payments are due, and at which milestones? Record the recipient, payment method, amount and trigger. Ask what document confirms each payment.
15. If financing is offered, what are the full repayment terms? Request the cash price, financed amount, fees, repayment schedule, total payable and any conditions attached to an advertised rate.

Use the stairlift cost guide for dated examples and budgeting. A monthly payment belongs beside its term and total obligation. Keep the provider’s equipment proposal and any separate finance agreement together so you can see what each document covers.

It is reasonable to ask for a revised itemized proposal when a salesperson answers an exclusion verbally. Record the answer as pending until the written version reflects it.

Questions 16–20: scheduling, fitting and handover

16. What date is confirmed, and what is still an estimate? Separate survey completion, equipment readiness and the installation appointment. Ask which dependencies could change the date.
17. Who will install the lift and who is responsible for the job? Get the installing business’s name and contact details, including how subcontracted work, if any, is coordinated.
18. What must be ready when the installers arrive? Ask about access, clear working space, power and any separately commissioned work. Agree who will be present.
19. What checks and demonstration happen before handover? Ask how the intended user will be shown normal operation and where to find the model-specific instructions.
20. What documents and contacts will I receive? Request the model and serial details, operating manual, warranty, installation record, invoice and service contact, including the out-of-hours process.

Acorn describes post-installation testing and an operating demonstration on its installation page. Its next-day availability statement is limited to some areas. [5] Treat advertising about speed as an invitation to ask for an address-specific appointment, not an appointment itself.

Read the installation planning guide before agreeing the day. If the equipment is essential to your planned access, discuss what happens if the appointment moves or the installation cannot be completed as expected.

Questions 21–25: service, changes and the end of the agreement

21. What exactly does each warranty cover? Separate manufacturer components, other parts, installer labor, travel and batteries. Ask when each period starts and what differs for reconditioned equipment.
22. What servicing is required and what will it cost? Ask who performs it, how appointments are arranged, and whether a service plan or maintenance record is needed for particular coverage.
23. If I rent, what are the minimum term, extension and purchase-conversion rules? Get initial charges, later rent, removal, payment credits and the purchase balance in writing.
24. What happens if I cancel, postpone or change the order? Obtain the applicable contract, deadlines, notice method, refund terms and treatment of custom work. Ask for clarification before signing if anything is unclear.
25. When the lift is no longer needed, what happens? Ask who owns it, who may remove it, any removal or home-repair charges, and whether an advertised buy-back applies to this unit and date.

Stannah publishes separate warranty, cancellation and removal provisions. [6] Those are company-specific provisions; do not apply one supplier’s deadlines to another contract.

Its rental page also explains that monthly payments after its initial period do not reduce the purchase price. [7] Ask every rental provider the same question, even if the salesperson uses the phrase “rent to own.” Our rental guide develops that comparison.

Compare two proposals without guessing the missing items

The following specimen uses invented figures and invented providers. It assumes the same agreed equipment and route. Its purpose is to show how an incomplete headline can reverse a comparison, not to suggest typical charges.

A begins $500 lower, but its known subtotal is $350 higher after matching this assumed scope. Neither column is yet a final lifetime cost. If the $400 labor charge had not been supplied, A would remain incomplete; it would be wrong to enter zero.

Use four states in your own worksheet: included, separately priced, not required after assessment, or unknown. A separate number is only needed when the charge is additional; otherwise you risk counting the same item twice. Keep proposed alternatives on separate sheets if their model, condition or route differs.

Price is one decision field. Put the confirmed appointment, local service arrangement and written aftercare beside it. A cheaper proposal with an unsuitable route is not a usable alternative; ask the assessor to resolve that before deciding.

Keep a decision record you can use later

Before accepting, save the latest dated proposal, route drawing, itemized total, exclusions, warranty and payment schedule in one folder. Mark older versions as superseded. Add any written answers that change the agreement and ask for them to be incorporated into the final order.

Record who confirmed each open item and when. Where another contractor is responsible, keep that quote alongside the lift order. If someone promises a rebate, rental credit or buy-back, record the conditions rather than only the amount.

After fitting, add the invoice, model and serial details, manuals and service contact. This turns the comparison worksheet into an ownership record. It also gives another family member a clear place to find information if the person who arranged the installation is unavailable.