Last checked 12 November 2026. Written by the Stairlift Guru Editorial Team.
A surveyor’s visit usually ends with a price, and it is easy to forget what you meant to ask. Choose the options that match your situation and this page makes a list of questions you can print and keep beside you during the visit. Ask every company the same questions, so the answers can be compared.
Your answers stay in this browser. Nothing is sent or stored.
Before the surveyor arrives
Have someone with you if you can, and keep a pen with the list. A survey for a quote should be free and should leave you with a written price. A price that is only available if you sign today is a sales tactic, not a discount, so it is fine to say you will decide after a second quote.
If you already have a quote in your hand, the stairlift quote checker compares it with published prices and explains the 14 days you have to cancel an agreement made at home, including the limits on that for a made-to-measure rail. The fit guide covers stair width, landings and headroom, and the company table shows which companies publish their warranty length and call-out times.
Every question, by topic
This is the full list the tool above draws from, so you can read it without making a list first.
The price and what it covers
- Is this price before or after VAT relief has been applied?
- Which model is this, and what would the same model cost without the optional extras?
- Does the price include the home survey, fitting, the handover and the first service?
- Will you send the quote in writing, with each item priced separately?
- How long does this price stand if I want to get a second quote?
- Is a deposit needed, and when is the balance due?
The stairs and the person using the lift
- Where will the lift park at the top and bottom, and will it block a doorway or the hallway?
- How much of the stair width is left for other people when the seat is folded?
- Can the person who will use it try the seat, the seatbelt and the controls before we decide?
- Where does the charging point go, and does it need a socket nearby?
- The person who will use the lift cannot be here today. What do you need to know about them, and will you check the fit with them before the order is final?
- On a curved staircase with a flat landing, could two straight lifts do the same job?
- How long is it from order to fitting for a made-to-measure rail?
- Is this model built for outdoor use, and what protects the seat and controls from the weather?
- Is a cover included, and can the lift be locked when nobody is using it?
Warranty, servicing and breakdowns
- How long is the warranty, and does it cover parts, labour and call-outs?
- Does the warranty stay valid only if I pay for a service each year?
- What will an annual service cost once the warranty ends?
- How soon does an engineer come after a breakdown call, and does that include evenings, weekends and bank holidays?
- Who do I phone if it stops, and is that line answered outside office hours?
If the lift is reconditioned
- Is the rail new or reconditioned?
- How old is the lift, and can I see its service history?
- What was inspected, tested and replaced before it was offered for sale?
- Were new batteries fitted?
- Is the warranty the same as on a new lift? Please put its length in writing.
If you are renting
- What is the monthly rental, and what does it include?
- What is the one-off installation fee?
- Is there a deposit, is it refundable, and on what conditions?
- What is the minimum rental period?
- What notice do I have to give to end the rental?
- What happens if I need the lift for longer than planned?
- Are servicing, repairs, call-outs and batteries included?
- Is removal free, and how much notice do you need?
- Is the lift new or reconditioned, and how old is it?
- Can I switch to buying later, and would any rent be credited?
Changing your mind, and when the lift is no longer needed
- What are the cancellation terms, and how many days do I have to change my mind after signing at home?
- Does a made-to-measure rail change my right to cancel?
- If I ask for the work to start straight away, what would I owe if I then cancel?
- Is removal and making good included if we no longer need the lift?
- Do you buy lifts back, and roughly what would you pay for this one in a few years?
If a grant may pay for it
- Have you fitted lifts paid for by a Disabled Facilities Grant in this council area before?
- Can you set the quote out the way the council asks for it?
- One for the council or occupational therapist, not the supplier: would fitting or renting a lift before the grant is approved affect my application?
Where these questions come from
They are collected from guides already on this site: the quote checker, the rental guide, the buy, rent or reconditioned guide, the warranty and aftercare comparison and the grant checker. To weigh up companies, types and buying routes side by side, use the stairlift comparison tool. The list is a prompt for your own conversation with a supplier. It is not legal advice, and it does not replace a home survey.
We don’t sell or fit stairlifts. Quotes go to UK suppliers.
Quotes are free. We’re only paid if you buy: the supplier we introduced you to pays us a fee. How we are funded
We don’t sell or fit stairlifts. Quotes go to UK suppliers. Quotes are free. We’re only paid if you buy: the supplier we introduced you to pays us a fee.