Refurbished stairlift: a reconditioned lift installed for your stairs

Straight stairlifts are the usual candidates. The rail can be cut to the length of the new staircase and the chair and carriage refurbished. Which? notes that reconditioned models of popular brands are widely available through manufacturers or specialist suppliers, and that made-to-measure curved stairlifts are not usually available second-hand.

Some installers can reuse a curved carriage with a new rail made for your stairs. That saves less, because the rail is a large part of the cost of a curved lift. If your staircase turns, ask whether a straight lift with a bridging platform, or two straight lifts, would work instead.

A reconditioned lift should have been stripped, cleaned and checked, with worn parts replaced. Batteries are an obvious item: they wear out over a few years, and a used lift with old batteries will soon need new ones. Ask what was replaced and ask for it in writing.

Which? reports that manufacturers Handicare and Stannah say only approved or authorised dealers should be selling their reconditioned stairlifts, and that buying from an unauthorised seller can mean missing out on assurances such as a warranty and a full service history. It is worth asking the manufacturer to confirm that a dealer is authorised.

• make, model and year of manufacture
• service history and who serviced it
• parts replaced, including batteries
• whether the rail is new, cut from stock or reused
• warranty length and what it covers
• servicing cost after the warranty and breakdown response
• whether the dealer is authorised by the manufacturer

Stairlifts offered privately, for example after a relative has moved, can look cheap. The rail rarely suits another staircase, removal and reinstallation have to be done by a competent installer, and many installers will not fit or service a lift they did not supply. Your rights are also weaker when you buy from a private individual than from a business. In most cases a reconditioned lift from an installer who fits and services it is the safer route.

If you already own a lift that is no longer needed, ask the original company about buy-back. Which? found that some companies buy back lifts under conditions such as age and regular servicing, usually for a small sum, while others do not buy back at all.

The VAT reliefs in Notice 701/7 depend on the customer, not on whether the lift is new. A stairlift supplied to a chronically sick or disabled person for their own use can be zero-rated, including its installation, with a signed declaration. For customers aged 60 or over who do not qualify on those grounds, the reduced rate applies when the lift is supplied and installed in their home.

Councils can fund stairlifts through a Disabled Facilities Grant in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and some keep their own stock of reconditioned lifts to lend or lease. Ask the council before buying if a grant is possible.

Tell us about the staircase, whether you want a reconditioned lift only or would consider new, and whether a grant is being applied for, then confirm your phone number and email. Installers in your area see the request without your details, and one installer can buy it; it then disappears from the list. We email you the installer's name, address and phone number before it receives your details. The service is free for you, no installer is obliged to take it, and it is withdrawn after 21 days if unsold. Offrano does not inspect lifts or installers, only their registration as a business.