25 Questions to Ask Before You Buy a Stairlift

These questions establish whether the company quoting you is a legitimate, licensed, insured business or a fly-by-night operation. Ask them first.

1. What is your state contractor license number?

Good answer: a specific number you can verify on your state's contractor licensing board website in 30 seconds. Most states require a general contractor, specialty contractor, or home improvement contractor license for stairlift installation.

Red flag: "We don't need a license for this" (false in most states), or "I'll get you that number later" (they will not).

2. Are you bonded, and what is the bond amount?

Good answer: "Yes, we carry a $15,000 [or $25,000] surety bond through [bonding company name]." A surety bond is collateral held by a third party that pays you if the installer fails to complete the work, damages your property, or violates the contract.

Red flag: "We're not bonded but we're insured." Bonding and insurance are different protections. You want both.

3. Do you carry general liability insurance, and what is the limit?

Good answer: "Yes, $2 million general liability." Two million is the floor for any contractor working inside a residential home. Ask for a Certificate of Insurance (COI) naming you as a certificate holder for the job. A real contractor produces this document in 24 hours. It costs them nothing.

Red flag: "We have insurance" with no specifics, or any hesitation to produce a COI.

4. How long has this specific company been installing stairlifts?

Good answer: A specific number of years and a specific number of installations. "We've been installing stairlifts for 12 years, about 200 installs per year" is a credible answer. "We've been in business a long time" is not an answer.

Red flag: The company is a general home improvement contractor that "also does stairlifts." Stairlift installation is a specialty. You want a company that does it regularly, not occasionally.

5. Will the person who does my assessment also do the installation?

Good answer: "Yes, the same trained technician measures and installs." Or: "The assessor is our senior installer; the install may be done by a different technician from our team, but they all have the same training."

Red flag: The assessor is a salesperson who has never installed a stairlift. This is common at large national chains — the sales rep closes the deal, and a subcontracted crew shows up on install day. The salesperson who measured your stairs is not the person who bolts the rail to them.

These questions verify that the installer is recommending the right product for your staircase and your rider, not the product with the highest margin.

6. What specific make and model are you quoting?

Good answer: A manufacturer name, a model number, and a brief explanation of why this model fits your staircase and your rider. Example: "Bruno Elan SRE-3000, straight rail, 300 lb capacity, manual swivel seat. It's our mid-range pick for your stair geometry and your husband's weight."

Red flag: Vague brand references ("It's a Bruno" without a model number), or relabeled/white-label units ("It's our proprietary model" — which usually means it is a rebadged unit from an unknown factory).

7. What is the weight capacity, and is it enough for our rider?

Good answer: A specific number (300 lb, 400 lb, 600 lb), and a comparison to the rider's weight with headroom. The installer should know the rider's approximate weight from the assessment conversation and should have recommended a model with at least 25 lb of headroom.

Red flag: "It handles up to 300 pounds" when the rider weighs 280 — that is 93% of rated capacity, with no headroom. Push for the 400 lb upgrade.

8. Does this unit have battery backup with DC drive?

Good answer: "Yes, two 12V sealed lead-acid batteries, trickle-charged from a standard outlet, DC drive. The lift works during a power outage for 8-20 round trips on a full charge."

Red flag: Any hesitation, any AC-drive unit, or any model without battery backup. In 2026, there is no excuse for selling an AC-drive residential stairlift.

9. What seat type are you recommending, and why?

Good answer: A specific seat type (standard with manual swivel, power swivel, perch) with a specific reason tied to the rider's condition. "Power swivel because your wife has arthritis in her hands and the manual lever would be painful."

Red flag: Pushing the most expensive seat type without a medical or physical justification. If the rider has full grip strength and mobility, a power swivel is a nice-to-have, not a necessity.

10. Where is this unit manufactured?

Good answer: A specific country and ideally a specific factory. Bruno = Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Harmar = Sarasota, Florida. Handicare/Savaria = UK/Canada. Stannah = London, UK. Acorn = UK.

Red flag: "I'm not sure" or "It's assembled domestically" (which often means components are manufactured overseas and final assembly happens in a US warehouse).

11. How long will the installation take?

Good answer: "2-4 hours for a straight rail, 1 full day for a curved rail after 1-2 weeks of factory fabrication." These are the industry standard timelines.

Red flag: A straight-rail install that will take "all day" or "2 days." A competent installer does a straight rail in a half day. If they are quoting a full day, they are either inexperienced or padding the timeline.

12. Do you pull any needed permits, or do I?

Good answer: "We handle the electrical permit if your home needs a new outlet. Most jurisdictions don't require a separate permit for the stairlift itself." The installer should know the permit requirements for your county.

Red flag: "Permits? No, this doesn't need any permits." In some jurisdictions, the electrical outlet does require a permit, and the installer should know whether yours is one of them.

13. What happens to my staircase after the rail is installed?

Good answer: "The rail bolts into the stair treads with lag bolts. The wall and banister are not touched. When the lift is eventually removed, the tread holes fill with wood putty and stain. The stairs look normal."

Red flag: Any mention of drilling into the wall, cutting the banister, or making structural modifications to the staircase. These are not standard stairlift installation practices.

14. Do you use drop cloths and shoe covers?

Good answer: "Yes, always. Drop cloths on every tread and on the floor at the bottom. Shoe covers or shoes off at the door." This is a professionalism signal, not a technical one — but installers who protect your home during the work tend to be the same installers who do quality work on the lift.

Red flag: Dismissive attitude about home protection.

15. Do you do a hands-on walkthrough with the rider after the install?

Good answer: "Yes, 10-15 minutes. We walk the rider through boarding, riding, swiveling, exiting, using the seatbelt, the emergency stop, and what the warning beep means. We don't leave until the rider has done at least three unassisted rides up and down."

Red flag: "We'll leave the manual" or "It's pretty self-explanatory." A 30-second explanation and a paper manual is not sufficient handoff for a mobility device used by a senior.

16. What is the total installed price, all-in, no surprises?

Good answer: A single number that includes the equipment, the rail, the installation labor, the electrical work (if needed), the safety testing, the walkthrough, and the standard warranty. No separate line items for "travel," "site assessment," "training," or "first-year service plan."

Red flag: A quote with more than two or three line items. The more line items, the more room for hidden markups. A stairlift install is one job with one price.

17. Is the assessment visit free?

Good answer: "Yes, always. No charge, no obligation."

Red flag: A $150-$300 "site evaluation fee" or "measurement charge." Free assessments are the industry standard. Installers who charge for assessments are pre-filtering for captive customers.

18. How long is the quote valid?

Good answer: "30 days." Thirty days gives you time to get a second quote, discuss with family, check funding, and decide without pressure.

Red flag: "The quote expires in 48 hours" or "This price is only good today." That is pressure selling. A legitimate price does not evaporate in two days. Equipment costs and labor rates do not change weekly.

19. Is there a separate financing APR, and what is it?

Good answer: The cash price and the financed price presented separately, with the APR and term clearly disclosed. "Cash price is $4,200. Financed over 48 months at 7.9% APR, total payments are $4,870, monthly payment is $101." Full transparency.

Red flag: Only the monthly payment is quoted ("Just $89 a month!") without disclosing the total cost, the APR, or the term length. You cannot evaluate a finance offer without all three numbers.

20. Are there any fees you haven't mentioned yet?

Good answer: "No. The number on the quote is the number you pay. No travel fees, no assessment fees, no service-plan enrollment, no training fees, no disposal fees."

Red flag: Hesitation, or discovery of a fee you were not told about ("Oh, there's a $200 disposal fee for the packaging" or "The first-year service plan is separate").

21. What are the warranty terms — broken down by component?

Good answer: The installer breaks the warranty into its components: motor warranty (years), rail warranty (lifetime or years), electronics warranty (years), labor warranty from the dealer (years). They can tell you which warranty comes from the manufacturer and which comes from the dealer.

Red flag: "It has a 5-year warranty" with no breakdown. As we explained in our warranty guide, a "5-year warranty" can mean very different things depending on which components are covered for how long.

22. Is the rail warranty lifetime, and whose lifetime?

Good answer: "Lifetime of the original purchaser. Bruno, Handicare, Stannah, and Harmar all offer lifetime rail warranties on their name-brand models." If the model is Acorn, the answer is "2 years."

Red flag: "Lifetime" without clarifying whose lifetime, or inability to confirm that the rail warranty is included. If the rail is not warrantied for life, the product is either a budget brand (Acorn) or a no-name import — and you should know which one you are buying.

23. Who answers the phone if this lift breaks at 2am on a Sunday?

Good answer: A real person, a real 24/7 dispatch number, and a real response-time commitment. "We have a 24/7 answering service that dispatches an on-call technician. Emergency response (rider stuck on the lift) within 4 hours. Non-emergency (lift not running but rider is safe) same-day or next-morning."

Red flag: "Call the manufacturer's 800 number" or "Leave a voicemail and we'll get back to you Monday." If the rider is stuck on the lift at 2am, a Monday callback is not acceptable.

24. Do you help with Medicaid, VA, or insurance paperwork?

Good answer: "Yes, at no charge. We help file HCBS waiver applications, VA HISA grant paperwork, Medicare Advantage pre-authorization requests, and IRS documentation. It's part of the assessment."

Red flag: "That's between you and your insurance company." A dealer who does stairlift installs regularly should know the funding landscape and should be willing to help navigate it. If they are not, they either do not handle enough volume to have learned the process or they do not care about your total cost.

25. Will you provide a written, itemized invoice suitable for VA/Medicaid/IRS submission?

Good answer: "Yes. The invoice will include the equipment make and model, the serial number, the installation date, the installer's license number, the total cost broken down by equipment and labor, and any prescriptions or letters of medical necessity." This is the documentation package that VA, Medicaid, and the IRS require.

Red flag: "We just give you a receipt." A handwritten receipt or a generic payment confirmation does not meet the documentation requirements for any funding program. You need a professional, itemized invoice on company letterhead.

1. "Sign today and we'll knock off $500." A quote that changes based on when you sign it is not a real quote. The equipment costs the same today as it costs next week. The "discount" was baked into the original price to create artificial urgency.
2. "We don't need a license / bond / insurance for this kind of work." In most states, they do. And even in states with lighter requirements, any contractor who does not carry GL insurance is not a contractor you want inside your house.
3. "Medicare covers this." Traditional Medicare Part B does not cover residential stairlifts. It has never covered them. If a salesperson tells you otherwise, they are either ignorant or lying. Ask them to put it in writing on company letterhead.
4. "The quote expires tonight." No legitimate stairlift price expires in 24 hours. Manufacturer pricing to dealers does not change daily. A same-day expiration is pure pressure.
5. "You need to put down a deposit to hold the price." A 30-day price hold requires no deposit. A deposit before signing a contract is a commitment device, not a price protection.
6. "We don't do assessments — we can install from photos." A stairlift cannot be properly installed without an in-person measurement of the staircase. Any company that skips the assessment is cutting the most important step in the process.
7. "Our technician will call you after the install to set up your service plan." This means a mandatory upsell call is built into their process. Decline the service plan. As we explain in our warranty guide, no annual fee is acceptable for a residential stairlift.