Home Lift Deposit and Cancellation Terms Compared (2026)

Short answer

Home lift sellers ask for far more money up front than stairlift sellers, and their terms leave less room to change your mind. Savaria's terms ask for 75% of the price before installation. Morgan Ellis's terms ask for 50%, with a full refund only in the first 7 days.

Two of the best-known brands, Stiltz and Terry Lifts, publish no terms of sale on their websites. Ask for the terms in writing before you pay anything.

Prices and specs last checked by Look Into on 9 November 2026 · how we picked

What we found

Savaria (formerly Handicare, also sold through Age UK Mobility) takes 25% when you order and a further 50% after the survey, so 75% is paid before the lift goes in.
If you cancel a Savaria home lift after it is fitted, deductions can reach the full price, and putting your home back is generally your cost. Savaria's liability for that is limited to its own negligence, with a £500 contribution if no subcontractor can be agreed.
Savaria's homelift cancellation document says the period ends 14 days after "installation of the stairlift", a wording carried over from its stairlift terms.
Morgan Ellis's terms say in one sentence that you can cancel free of charge within 14 days of the order, and in the next that a full refund is only available for 7 days after the deposit.
Stiltz's and Terry Lifts' UK websites link to no terms of sale or cancellation terms.

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Why this matters more for a home lift

A home lift typically costs £15,000 to £30,000 installed (see home lift costs), several times the price of a stairlift, and it involves cutting an opening in your floor and ceiling. Most are sold after a home visit, which normally gives you a cancellation period under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. For goods it runs until 14 days after they come into your possession. What you get back depends on the seller's own terms.

What the terms say

Published terms, read on 9 November 2026. Paraphrased with clause numbers so you can check them; your own order form takes priority.
Seller	Deposit	Cancelling	Charges
Savaria Lifts (UK) (formerly Handicare; also sold via Age UK Mobility)	75% before installation: 25% at order, the balance to 75% after the technical survey (terms of sale, clause 4)	From the contract until 14 days after installation (cancellation terms 3.1). Full refund if you reject changes proposed after the survey (terms of sale, clause 5)	Deductions for made-to-measure parts; after installation up to the full price (5.2). Preparation may start on order unless you ask otherwise (5.2). Making good after removal is your cost unless caused by Savaria's negligence; then a contribution of up to £500 if no subcontractor is agreed (6.3, 6.4)
Morgan Ellis Lifts	50% (clause 2.1)	Clause 2.1 says you can cancel free of charge within 14 days of the order. It then says a full refund applies within 7 days of paying the deposit	After 7 days and before lift drawings are approved: you can reclaim 25% of the deposit. After drawings are approved: 100% of the contract value. Notice by registered post
Stiltz	Not published	No terms of sale on its UK website; its policy documents page lists certificates and policy statements	Not published
Terry Lifts	Not published	No terms of sale linked from its website	Not published

Where a written term gives you less than the regulations do, the regulations still apply.

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What it could mean on a £20,000 lift

Savaria: £5,000 when you order and a further £10,000 after the survey, so £15,000 paid before installation. Cancel after the lift is fitted and the deductions can reach the full price, and you would generally pay to have your floor and ceiling made good.
Morgan Ellis: a £10,000 deposit. Cancel within 7 days and the terms promise it back in full. After that and before drawings are approved, 25% of the deposit comes back, which is £2,500, so £7,500 is kept. After drawings are approved, the terms make the whole £20,000 payable.

These are worked readings of the written terms, not predictions of what any seller would actually charge. The 14-day sentence in Morgan Ellis's own clause, and the regulations, may give you more.

Before you pay a deposit

Ask for the full terms of sale and the cancellation terms in writing before you sign, and keep the cancellation form.
Ask how much is due at each stage and when each payment stops being refundable.
Ask in writing for manufacture not to start until your cancellation period has passed.
Ask who pays to make good the floor and ceiling if the lift is removed, and how much they would contribute.
If you are applying for a Disabled Facilities Grant, check the council's process before you commit to a private order. See home lift grants and funding.

This page explains published terms in general. It is not legal advice. For a dispute, Citizens Advice can advise and refer cases to Trading Standards.

How we did this

Method.
Item	What we did
Sellers	Savaria, Morgan Ellis, Stiltz and Terry Lifts: home lift makers or installers we could find terms for, or whose sites we checked for terms.
Documents	Savaria's homelift terms of sale and homelift cancellation terms (version 1.1, hosted by Age UK Mobility), read on the documents themselves; Morgan Ellis's terms page, dated May 2023; the Stiltz and Terry Lifts websites, checked for terms on 9 November 2026.
Companion review	The same approach for stairlifts: can you cancel a stairlift order?

What this page could not check

The terms Stiltz and Terry Lifts actually put in front of customers, which they do not publish.
Whether Morgan Ellis applies its 7-day or its 14-day wording in practice.
Whether a court would find any of these terms fair.
Smaller and local home lift installers.

Common questions

How much deposit do you pay for a home lift?

It varies a lot. Savaria's homelift terms ask for 75% of the price before installation: 25% when you order and the rest after the technical survey. Morgan Ellis's terms ask for a 50% deposit. Stiltz and Terry Lifts do not publish their terms of sale online.

Can I cancel a home lift order?

If you agreed the order at home or straight after a home visit, the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 normally give you a cancellation period, ending 14 days after the goods come into your possession. Sellers' own terms then decide what they deduct, which for a home lift can be most of the price.

What happens to my floor and ceiling if a home lift is removed?

Under Savaria's homelift cancellation terms, putting the location back to how it was is generally your cost. Savaria is liable only if the damage was caused by its or its subcontractor's negligence, and if no subcontractor can be agreed it contributes up to £500.

Can I get my deposit back from Morgan Ellis?

Its terms (May 2023) give a full refund if you cancel within 7 days of paying the 50% deposit, then 25% of the deposit before lift drawings are approved, and 100% of the contract value payable after approval. The same clause also says you can cancel free of charge within 14 days of the order.