Stairlift or move? How to decide for yourself or a parent

"Install stairlift or move to a bungalow for elderly parents?" The question gets asked, in almost exactly those words, on forums every month — and most of the advice that comes back from a search is written by companies that sell stairlifts. This guide has no stairlift to sell you and no bungalow to list. Sometimes the stairlift is the right answer. Sometimes it quietly delays a move that would have been easier made sooner. Here is how to tell which situation is yours.

Start with the whole-house test: one problem or five?

A stairlift solves exactly one problem: getting between floors. Before pricing one up, audit the whole house honestly:

• The entrance — are there steps up to the front door? Is there space for a ramp at a safe gradient (about 1:12, so a single 15cm step needs roughly 1.8 metres of ramp)?
• The bathroom — could it take a walk-in shower or wet room? Is there a WC on the ground floor?
• Door widths — a wheelchair needs clear openings of roughly 775–900mm; many older homes are narrower
• Turning space — a wheelchair needs about a 1500mm circle to turn, which narrow hallways rule out
• Outside — kerbs, path surfaces, parking, and the route to the shops and the GP

If the stairs are genuinely the only barrier, a stairlift can keep a much-loved home working for years. If the house fails on three or more counts, spending £3,000–£5,000 on the stairs alone risks what one Mumsnet poster described from family experience: "the stairlift just allowed them to cling on in a totally unsuitable house for longer, which was actively bad for them in many ways."

How much does a stairlift cost?

These figures come from a Which? member survey of people who actually bought one:

If the person using the lift is registered disabled or has a chronic health condition, VAT relief usually applies — reputable suppliers handle the paperwork. Always get at least three quotes, because prices vary widely: one family on the same Mumsnet thread rented theirs at "£350ish a year which includes repairs, maintenance and removal".

Two more cost notes:

1. A Disabled Facilities Grant can fund a stairlift — up to £30,000 in England, £36,000 in Wales and £25,000 in Northern Ireland (Scotland runs a separate scheme of assistance). It is means-tested and work must not start before approval, or the grant is lost. Our Disabled Facilities Grant guide covers who qualifies and how long it takes.
2. Budget for the risk it goes unused. From the same Mumsnet thread: "one cost £4K and was used precisely once." If the condition is progressive, ask an occupational therapist whether a stairlift will still be safe in two years — getting on and off one takes balance and trunk strength, not just the ability to sit.

What moving to a bungalow really costs

Moving is the more expensive one-off: estate agent fees, conveyancing, removals and, depending on the price, stamp duty. And if the move is to a bungalow, expect to pay more for less floor space — posters on one 288-reply Gransnet downsizing thread reported nice bungalows in their area selling at almost a £100k premium over a similar house. Treat that as a market observation from one thread rather than a national statistic, but the pattern behind it — two growing groups of buyers chasing a housing type nobody builds any more — is real. We unpack it in why bungalows are so expensive.

The comparison that reframes the numbers, though, is not stairlift versus move. It is either of them versus the house failing entirely. One carer on the Alzheimer's Society forum weighed an £8,000 through-floor lift against residential care at around £3,000 a month and concluded the lift might make economic sense. Whichever option keeps someone safely independent at home for longest usually wins the arithmetic.

When a stairlift is the right answer

• The house passes the whole-house test — the stairs are the only real barrier
• The condition is stable or changing slowly, and an OT confirms transfers on and off the lift are safe
• Local ties matter: friends, neighbours, a familiar GP and routines that a move would break
• The need may be short-term — after surgery, for example — in which case rent rather than buy
• Suitable bungalows or ground-floor flats near family are scarce or unaffordable where you are

When moving sooner beats adapting later

• The house fails the whole-house test — the stairs are one problem of five
• The condition is progressive, so today's fix has a shelf life
• The recurring regret on downsizing threads is not "we moved too early" — it is "I wish we had done it sooner", which appears again and again on Gransnet
• Moving while you (or your parent) can still manage the process means you choose the next home, rather than a crisis choosing it

If moving is the answer, the next house has to actually be better — plenty of bungalows have steps at the door, narrow hallways and a tiny bathroom. Before booking viewings, paste the Rightmove link into Senso (it's free): it checks the listing photos and floorplan and produces an EPC-style accessibility certificate, including an honest "insufficient evidence" where the photos don't show enough. And see future-proofing your home for what to look for in a home that will still work in ten years. If you are deciding on behalf of a parent, Senso for families covers checking a home for someone else, before anyone travels.

The dementia question

For someone living with dementia, a stairlift is often the wrong tool even when the stairs are the only problem. Using one safely means remembering a sequence — sit, fasten the belt, fold the footrest, wait for the stop — every single time, and that reliability is precisely what dementia erodes. Councils and occupational therapists know this: posters on the same Mumsnet thread report social services declining to install a stairlift precisely because of memory problems.

If you are weighing this decision for a parent with a dementia diagnosis, ask their council for a free OT home assessment before spending anything, and consider ground-floor living arrangements instead — our guide to what home adaptations cost covers the realistic options and prices.