Expert Stairlift Installation in North Miami Beach, FL

A straight stairlift installs in about three hours. A curved rail takes longer — typically five to six hours — because the custom-fabricated rail sections must be assembled on site and every bracket checked against the laser-measurement data. An outdoor unit takes about four hours, including sealing connections against South Florida humidity. The team arrives with all tools and hardware, cleans up, and does a full test run with your family member before leaving.

No. The rail bolts directly to the stair treads, not the wall. There is no drywall cutting, no wall mounting, and no structural modification to your home. On hardwood treads (common in Skylake-era homes), the bolts go through pre-drilled holes smaller than a dime. If you ever remove the lift, the holes can be filled with wood putty. On terrazzo or tile treads in older Windward and Fulford-area homes, we use a carbide bit and damp rag to control dust.

Most condo and HOA communities in North Miami Beach — Allen Park, the buildings along NE 163rd Street, Eastern Shores guard-gated communities — require architectural review for any modification. We handle the submission for you. Under the Fair Housing Act (42 USC 3604(f)(3)(A)), a stairlift is a reasonable accommodation for a disability, and HOAs cannot unreasonably deny it. Typical approval takes one to two weeks. We have done hundreds of these across Miami-Dade County condo buildings.

Yes. The narrowest staircase we install on is 28 inches between walls. Most older North Miami Beach homes — Fulford-by-the-Sea bungalows from the 1920s, 1950s Skylake ranches, Sunray East post-war builds — have stairs between 30 and 34 inches across. We use a slim-rail unit that mounts tight to the wall or balustrade, leaving a 20-inch walkway when the seat is folded up. The seat itself is 14 inches wide when folded. Your family can still use the stairs normally.

Yes. The VA Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA) grant covers stairlifts for qualifying veterans. Service-connected veterans can receive up to $6,800; non-service-connected veterans with a 50% or higher disability rating can receive up to $2,000. The grant is one-time, tax-free, and never needs to be repaid. Your VA primary care provider at the Bruce W. Carter VA Medical Center (1201 NW 16th Street, Miami, FL 33125) or the William 'Bill' Kling VA Outpatient Clinic (9800 W Commercial Blvd, Sunrise, FL 33351) must write a prescription stating the stairlift is medically necessary.

Yes, through Florida's Statewide Medicaid Managed Care Long-Term Care (SMMC-LTC) program. If your family member is enrolled in SMMC-LTC and qualifies for a nursing-home level of care, home accessibility adaptations — including stairlifts — are a covered benefit through their managed care plan. There is a waitlist for the program, and eligibility is determined through a Complete Assessment Review and Evaluation (CARES) assessment. We can recommend a Medicaid planning attorney in Miami-Dade if you need help with enrollment.

Florida's Community Care for the Elderly (CCE) program provides home modifications for seniors 60 and older who are functionally impaired and at risk of nursing home placement. It is not Medicaid-based — income limits are higher — and serves seniors who do not qualify for SMMC-LTC. The Alliance for Aging of Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties administers CCE locally. Additionally, Florida's Assistive Technology program (FAAST) offers low-interest loans for home accessibility equipment, including stairlifts.

Miami-Dade County runs a Home Care Assistance program for elderly residents with disabilities that can sometimes cover home modifications. Contact the county's Social Services department at (786) 469-4707. Separately, the Alliance for Aging — the Area Agency on Aging for Miami-Dade and Monroe — maintains a current list of local grants and assistance programs. We also keep a list of Miami-Dade-based nonprofits that periodically fund stairlifts for low-income seniors — call our office and we will share what is currently available.