Used, Refurbished, or Rented Stair Lift: How to Save

Why the used question comes up

A new straight stair lift installed runs about $4,000 to $5,000 and up, and curved lifts cost far more.³ For a person on a fixed income who needs the lift for a six-week recovery, or who is not sure how long they will stay in the house, that is a hard check to write. Meanwhile one in four adults 65 and older falls each year, and the stairs are where a fall does the most damage, so waiting is not free either.⁵

The answer is usually not “find a cheap one.” It is to match the way you pay to how long you need it. Our stair lift cost guide covers new prices in detail; this guide covers the three ways to pay less.

Renting: for a need measured in months

Dealers rent straight-rail stair lifts, and the terms are shorter than most people expect. Lifeway Mobility’s standard rental package includes “professional installation & removal of the stair lift,” a “2-month minimum,” and service and maintenance for the first 12 months; after the first two months, “payments are billed monthly on your credit card.”¹ 101 Mobility rents straight stairlifts on terms “as short as three months,” typically at “$175-$450 per month” depending on model and location.³

Rentals are straight-rail only. Lifeway says straight-rail lifts are “typically the only types of lifts that we offer for rental,” and 101 Mobility excludes curved models because they are customized to a specific staircase.¹³

Who it fits, in the dealers’ own framing: someone recovering from surgery or an injury, and a household with a visiting relative who needs the stairs for a season.³ Add one more from us: the person who is not sure a stair lift is the answer and wants to live with one for a few months before committing. Most dealers let you buy the rental unit at any point if a temporary need becomes permanent.¹

Dealer-refurbished: for a permanent need on a straight stair

A refurbished stair lift is a used lift that a dealer or manufacturer has taken back, inspected, cleaned, repaired, tested, and re-fitted to a new home. Lifeway puts the typical price “between” roughly $2,900 and $4,500 and up, with the exact figure depending on seller, make, model, year, and condition, and notes that “a used lift will offer many of the features found on new lifts at a lower cost.”²

So the saving is real, often $1,000 to $2,000 against new, but it is not half price, and the warranty is where you pay for it. Used units “are often no longer covered by the manufacturer’s original warranty,” and a dealer’s limited warranty on a refurbished lift will not match the material and labor warranty that comes with a brand-new one.² Manufacturer-run refurbishment programs tend to carry the strongest terms; dealer programs vary. Either way, the terms go in writing before you pay.

The questions to ask

Lifeway’s own checklist for a refurbished purchase is a good one.² Ask:

• What was done to it? The unit should have been thoroughly inspected, cleaned, and confirmed in working condition before it goes in your home.
• Who installs it? A reputable company that provides professional installation, not a drop-off.
• What is the warranty, exactly? Parts, labor, how long, and whether the dealer is “prepared to honor it with prompt service.”
• Is service available after? A lift with no one to call is a lift that becomes a very expensive banister.
• Is the rail cut for my stairs? A refurbished straight rail is re-cut to your run; confirm that is included.

For the straight staircase with a permanent need, this is the sweet spot: most of the saving, a real warranty, a dealer who answers the phone. Our stair lift guide covers which models hold up, and the maintenance guide covers keeping one running.

Curved staircases: why used does not work

A curved rail is built to one staircase. Dealers say staircases with “curves, turns, or landings” require “a custom built rail in most cases,” which is why rental programs exclude them and why a used curved rail from another house will not fit yours.²³

What a manufacturer can do is recondition the chair and drive unit from a curved lift and mount them on a new rail made for your stairs. That is a legitimate way to save a little, but the rail is the expensive part, so the saving is modest. If your stairs turn, plan for new, get three quotes, and read our curved stair lift guide and the measuring guide so you know what the quotes should contain.

The Marketplace bargain

Every week someone lists a stair lift for a few hundred dollars after a parent passes or moves. It looks like the deal of the year. The dealers who refurbish lifts for a living are blunt about it: “it is not wise to purchase second hand directly from another stairlift owner as it will come without warranty,” and “you’ll want to make sure that service will be available should you have an issue with the used lift.”²

If you still want to pursue one, do it the dealer’s way: pay a dealer to inspect the unit before money changes hands, get their written agreement to install and service it, and have them check the rail length against your stairs. If the dealer declines, that is your answer.

Who pays

For the person paying out of pocket, the honest ranking is: rent for months, refurbished for a straight staircase and years, new for a curved staircase or when you want the full warranty. Our guide to paying for home modifications lists the local programs that sometimes close the gap.

If the stairs are the problem, not the lift

A stair lift solves the stairs. Sometimes the cheaper and better answer is to stop needing them: a bedroom and full bath on the main floor turns a two-story house into a one-story life, and our aging in place versus assisted living comparison puts the lift in that larger frame. If the stairs are still in daily use while you decide, how to climb stairs safely and a second handrail from the railing guide are the bridge.

Key takeaways

• Rent for months: straight-rail lifts, 2- to 3-month minimums, roughly $175 to $450 a month, installation and removal included, buy it later if the need sticks.
• Refurbished for years on a straight stair: about $2,900 to $4,500 versus $4,000 to $5,000 and up new, with a shorter warranty you get in writing.
• Curved means new: the rail is custom to your staircase; only the chair can be reconditioned.
• Skip the private sale unless a dealer inspects it, agrees to install it, and the funding you are counting on allows it.
• Medicare won’t pay; Medicaid waivers, Advantage benefits, and VA grants pay dealers, not Marketplace sellers.

What’s next

• Know what new costs before you compare: stair lift cost guide.
• Find the money first: Medicare and Medicaid stair lift guide.
• If your stairs turn: curved stair lifts.
• Keep whatever you buy running: stair lift maintenance.

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Reviewed by John Smith, CAPS, Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist and residential remodeling contractor. This guide is general consumer information. Rental terms, refurbished pricing, and warranties vary by dealer and region and change over time; get every figure in writing from the dealer who will install and service the lift.