Stairlift FAQs

No, at Stannah we offer a free home survey and will provide you with a no-obligation written quotation that's clear and easy to understand.

Absolutely not, our advice is free and we'll give you a written quotation with no obligation to purchase. During the visit, our trained consultant will assess your staircase and discuss the best stairlift options with you. They'll also explain the installation process, and help with any questions or concerns you may have.

In the unlikely event that you're not completely satisfied with your stairlift, we offer a 14 day money back guarantee from the date of installation on all new and reconditioned Stannah stairlifts, purchased direct from us. Unfortunately, this offer is not available in Northern Ireland. See our full terms and conditions here.

All of our products are tailored to your specific needs and therefore, prices can vary. The cost of your Stannah stairlift may depend on your staircase dimensions, chosen model and any additional extras that you choose. 

As standard, all our stairlifts come with a two year warranty and includes one free service during that year.

Our fast 2 day installations are subject to availability on our Siena 600 stairlifts for straight staircases.  With a choice of either walnut, ivory, cranberry or grey upholstery, our powered footrest and powered easy-turn options are included as standard. To take up this offer, please call our contact centre and speak to one of our Stairlift Experts.

Throughout our manufacturing process, we have a range of quality and safety checks which involves testing every single stairlift carriage before it leaves our factory to ensure our stairlifts meet our stringent quality criteria.

Our current installation timescales are:

Siena stairlift with no turns - 10 working days from order date

Starla stairlift with no turns - 10 working days from order date on the following upholstery options:

Red, stone and green woven. Beige and brown faux leather. Fully upholstered cocoa and oatmeal.

Estimated installation time from order date on all other Starla upholstery options - 10 - 14 working days

Siena and Starla stairlifts with 1 or 2 turns

Due to the individual nature of a staircase with one or two turns, our curved rails are individually designed and handmade by our skilled craftsmen to ensure the best possible fit on your stairs.  It takes around 4 weeks to manufacture our curved rails, and just a few hours for our engineers to install it at your home.

Our surveyor will be able to give you an estimated installation time when he visits during the survey appointment.

We have a wide range of accreditations, awards and memberships. We ensure that all our products meet the highest standards and regulations. For further information please see our accreditations, awards and memberships.

Sometimes stairlifts are referred to as chairlifts. For most people, a chairlift would be something associated with a ski resort or possibly an amusement park. Sometimes lifts designed to carry wheelchairs are also referred to as chair lifts. However, because a stairlift is essentially a motorised chair that travels up and down the stairs on a rail, you could be forgiven for using this terminology when talking about a stairlift.

Like all domestic stairlifts, ours are attached to the tread of the stairs and not the wall.

Our stairlifts come with a slim rail and a compact carriage. They all have folding arms, seat and footrest, so they fold away neatly when they are not in use. This means they are practical for you and for the other members of your family. If you would like to see a Stannah stairlift in action, or check whether or not our stairlift range fits your needs, arrange a visit and come along to one of our showrooms. Our Sadler stairlift has been specifically designed to help out in cases where the stairs are narrow so we can fit a stairlift to the vast majority of staircases, it is only in a small number of cases where dimensions will prevent us from installing.

Like all domestic stairlifts, ours are attached to the tread of the stairs and not the wall. Our bespoke rails are designed to cope with staircases with turns. They allow the stairlift to travel round bends on either side of the staircase and negotiate intermediate landings and corridors with ease. Your rail will be manufactured to fit your staircase perfectly.

Stannah stairlifts are installed in just a matter of hours and with the minimum of fuss. Our engineers will make sure your home is left in exactly the same condition as they found it – with the exception of a lovely new stairlift of course! All in all, we do everything we can to ensure that the installation is as quick and convenient as possible.

Our stairlifts are battery powered, but we will require an outlet either at the top or bottom of the stairs to keep it charged. We can arrange installation of a powerpoint if required as part of our installation service.

During a power cut, the stairlift batteries will continue to work. Fully charged batteries are good for at least 8 return journeys (in an average household) though if you have a powered swivel, you will need to use the manual swivel lever. 

Stannah stairlifts are very quiet as they have a battery powered motor, which also ensures a smooth and comfortable ride on your staircase.

Your Stannah stairlift is fitted with various warning sounds and will emit a beep as you start your journey to warn others around you that the lift is about to move. As it is battery powered it makes very little noise whilst in use, a noise that is equivalent to the hum of a microwave. Modern stairlifts are battery-powered and recharged when sitting at their charging points. Some older models are mains powered and have no batteries. 

All Stannah stairlifts are manufactured and tested to conform to the latest European and British safety standards. They go through rigorous testing and analysis to ensure critical factors of safety are achieved throughout the design and manufacture process.

Yes. Each one of our stairlifts comes with a variety of extra features including upholstery options to allow you to choose a stairlift to suit your home. You can choose between selected ranges (depending on stairlift) or create custom made upholsteries.

Many of our stairlifts can have the additional feature of a powered one or two-way swivel. This allows those with limited strength in their hands to move safely in and out of the stairlift by turning to face the landing or hall.

Each Stannah stairlift has a range of features and extras to ensure that use is seamlessly and effortless for all users.

All our stairlifts move at 0.1 meter per second. The average straight staircase in the UK is 4.14 metres, which would take 41.1 seconds one way. The average stairlift for stairs with turns in the UK is 5.52 metres, which would take 55.2 seconds one way.

On average* a Stannah stairlift costs around £20 in electricity per year to run, approximately 40p per week and less than a kettle. 
*Based on average running costs and electricity prices – October 2024.

Yes. We have designed the Sadler stairlift specifically for people with limited flexibility. The Sadler offers a new alternative to traditional and perch style stairlifts, helping users maintain a more upright posture at the same time as taking much of the user’s weight through the seat. It’s also ideal for narrower staircases.

Every new stairlift comes with a 2 year comprehensive warranty and the first 2 services are free. We regret this offer is not available on products purchased through third party dealers or companies, or products purchased with the aid of a grant and is only applicable to residents of England, Scotland and Wales. Each stairlift purchased as reconditioned comes with a 12 month warranty and one free service. Rented stairlifts come with servicing and call-outs for the duration of the rental agreement.

Before your warranty expires, we will write to you detailing the different stair lift maintenance packages. We offer two types of service contracts. The Stannah 5-Star stairlift maintenance contract or the Stannah 3-Star stairlift maintenance contract. See our servicing page for more details.

Yes, one of our engineers will respond to a breakdown, even if you don’t have a service contract. In this event, charges will be advised on site and payable to the engineer.

At Stannah, our end to end service means that when you no longer require the use of your stairlift, we can remove and dispose of it in accordance with national environmental standards in our removal scheme.

Yes. Modern stairlifts are battery-powered and recharged when sitting at their charging points. Some older models are mains powered and have no batteries. 

During a power cut, the stairlift batteries will continue to work. Fully charged batteries are good for at least 15 to 20 rides up and down your stairs, though if you have a powered swivel, you will need to use the manual swivel lever.

For most brands, stairlift batteries don’t need special checks but make sure your stairlift is never left too long off its charging point. Simply park the stairlift at its correct position and the system will recognise and deliver only the charge necessary to top up the batteries to full capacity. 

Do not turn off power at the socket or spur this will cause battery to deplete more than necessary and shorten the life of the battery.

Stairlift batteries generally last around 2 to 5 years; of course, this depends on the usage. For example, if the stairlift is often left off its charge point, it reduces battery life.

Batteries do not last indefinitely. Regular servicing by a Stannah engineer will ensure batteries are checked and condition monitored. When it is time to replace them, you will be notified by our service engineer.

All Stannah straight rail stairlifts have a continual charge, the curved rail stairlifts have charge points on the rail.

No, however, all batteries store electrical power and must be treated with care. Stannah stairlifts use UL (Underwriters Laboratories) certified batteries that meet the requirements of stairlift standards. All batteries have flame retardant cases and are compliant with UL94 V0 flame classifications.