Last reviewed: 2 May 2026.
A through-floor lift is a small enclosed lift that travels vertically through a hole cut in your ceiling, taking you from your downstairs hallway up to a landing or bedroom on the floor above. It does the same job as a stairlift in the sense that it gets you between floors, but it does it in a fundamentally different way and the right choice depends on your stairs, your mobility now, and your mobility in five years’ time.
This page covers when a through-floor lift is a better answer than a stairlift, what they cost in the UK in 2026, and where to start if you think you might want one. If you already know you want a stairlift, see straight stairlifts, curved stairlifts, or stairlift grants.
How a through-floor lift differs from a stairlift
A stairlift attaches a chair (or in some cases a perch or a small platform) to a rail that runs along your existing staircase. A through-floor lift, by contrast, is a self-contained vertical capsule that runs on its own column, usually in a corner of a room. Installing one means cutting an opening through the ceiling above the lift’s downstairs position. Most domestic models carry one person seated or one wheelchair user; some carry a wheelchair user plus a standing companion.
The other practical difference is that a through-floor lift takes a chunk of floor space at both ends. You typically need around 1.1m by 1.0m of floor in both rooms, plus a clear path for the lift’s travel. A stairlift takes almost no extra floor space – the rail attaches to the stair treads or wall.
When a stairlift is the better choice
For most people facing a mobility change, a stairlift is the right answer. Choose a stairlift when:
- You can transfer in and out of a chair without help (or with light support).
- Your staircase has reasonable width, no severe winders, and is structurally sound.
- You expect your needs to be stable rather than progressive over the next few years.
- Your budget is in the £1,500 to £5,500 range for a straight stairlift or roughly £3,500 to £12,000 for a curved one.
- You want minimal disruption: a typical stairlift install takes half a day with no building work.
When a through-floor lift is the better choice
A through-floor lift starts to win on the value comparison when one or more of these is true:
- You use a wheelchair full-time and need to travel between floors with the chair, not just yourself. Stairlifts can carry a folded chair on a perch model, but they cannot carry an occupied wheelchair.
- Your condition is progressive (multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease, advanced Parkinson’s) and you expect to lose the ability to transfer to a stairlift seat in the medium term. A through-floor lift you sit in or roll into still works at that point; a stairlift does not.
- Your stairs cannot take a stairlift safely – for example because they are too narrow for the rail and a person to share, or because they are an open-tread design where a curved rail cannot be supported.
- You and your partner share a property and one of you cannot use a stairlift but the other can use the stairs; a through-floor lift in the corner of a living room is less disruptive than a permanently rail-occupied staircase.
Cost: what to expect in 2026
Through-floor lifts are a substantially bigger investment than stairlifts. Typical UK pricing in 2026:
- Compact single-person through-floor lift, supplied and installed: £11,000 to £16,000.
- Wheelchair-capable through-floor lift, supplied and installed: £16,000 to £24,000.
- Annual service contract: £180 to £320.
- Add structural work (cutting the floor, joist work, finishing the ceiling) where not included: £1,500 to £4,000.
Compare those numbers to the £1,500 to £5,500 range for a straight stairlift or £3,500 to £12,000 for a curved one. The price gap is real, but so is the difference in what each does. If a stairlift will not safely carry the person who needs it, the cheaper option is not the right option.
Funding: can a Disabled Facilities Grant cover it?
Yes. The Disabled Facilities Grant covers through-floor lifts on the same terms it covers stairlifts, where the council’s Occupational Therapist agrees the lift is necessary and appropriate. The grant ceiling is the same:
- England: up to £30,000 (means-tested for adults; non-means-tested for children).
- Scotland: Scheme of Assistance, percentage-based depending on local authority.
- Wales: up to £36,000 (means-tested).
- Northern Ireland: NIHE DFG.
Because the assessment is led by an OT rather than the supplier, the OT will recommend whichever solution genuinely fits the person. If they say through-floor, the council can fund through-floor.
Practical considerations before you choose
- Planning permission: not normally required for an internal through-floor lift in an existing house. Listed buildings and flats with leasehold restrictions are exceptions.
- Building regulations: yes – the structural opening must be approved. The supplier’s installer normally handles this.
- Ceiling height: standard models need around 2.3m of total travel; check the floor-to-ceiling height plus joist depth.
- Power: a dedicated 13A spur from the consumer unit, plus a battery backup so the lift still works in a power cut.
- Time off the floor: typical install is 2 to 4 days including building work, longer than a stairlift’s half-day fit.
How to decide
The single most useful step is a referral to your council’s OT service – free in every UK nation, with no obligation to apply for funding. The OT visits, looks at your stairs, your mobility, and your home, and tells you what would actually work. If they recommend a stairlift, our stairlift grants page covers funding. If they recommend a through-floor lift, the same DFG funding rules apply.
If you want to start with stairlifts and only fall back to through-floor if a stairlift cannot work for you, that is a reasonable plan and the order most households take. If your needs are clearly beyond what a stairlift can carry, skip straight to through-floor lift suppliers and OT advice.
Related reading on this site
- Straight stairlifts overview
- Curved stairlifts overview
- Stairlift rental (sometimes used as a short-term bridge while DFG is processed)
- Stairlift grants and DFG
- Heavy-duty stairlifts (the alternative when weight, not mobility type, is the constraint)
This page is not a substitute for an OT assessment. Always confirm the right product with a qualified Occupational Therapist before committing.