Would you rent a holiday cottage with a stair lift?

[Lettucelet]

Just that.

Would you rent it if you didn’t need it?

Would it put you off?

Would it be a plus if you were elderly or wanted a family holiday with elderly parents/grandparents?

Some interesting ideas, thank you. The property definitely doesn’t have “care home” vibes! But yes, the stairs are narrow so I can see why a stairlift would put people off. But there are more positive comments than negative comments and as far as we know, no one has died there.

Nothing unpleasant about not wanting to book somewhere that has features you don’t need or want.

I think it would be really important that the owners had the stairlift properly tested between lets. I think if someone needed a holiday let for mobility issues it would be more sensible to look for ground floor accommodation .

Wow at some of these responses. Once again ageism and ableism rear their ugly heads MN.

Last time we visited the U.K. we stayed in a fabulous place in Knaresborough that had originally been redesigned for a less able
bodied woman. It had an elevator. Didn’t put us off at all.

I'd worry too but full grown adults have to put their faith in these things to keep them alive, so If a child could break it then it's probably doing someone a favour that it's not safe enough

I’d be put off only because I have young DC who’d want to play on it. I want to relax on holiday, not have to watch my DC the entire time to make sure they don’t play on it and break it or get hurt. If there was a choice of 2 and one didn’t have it I’d pick that one.

So all disabled people are in care homes are they????

I've lived in a house with a stair lift and there were two problems. One was that the stairs were narrow and however well the chair folded up, it was still awkward to get past. The second was that although the stairlift made it possible for the disabled person to get upstairs, it didn't in itself solve all their mobility issues. For example, how easy is it for them to stand and balance when getting off? Are there accessible supports in place and/or is there space for them to manoeuvre a walker? Are there doorway thresholds or a landing step still to be negotiated? Are there accessible toilets on both floors? Is there somewhere they can bath/shower safely?

So if all my party were able bodied I'd expect it to be a nuisance, and if one of my party wasn't, I'd need a lot more information about the overall suitability of the property.

You’ve made some excellent points @MontyDonsBlueScarf thank you.

The stairs are very steep and narrow so I expect the house isn’t suitable for feral kids as they’re likely to fall down the stairs. The stairlift would actually act as a preventative safety measure, ironically.

It wouldn't bother me at all. Why would it? I'd probably have a go in it, my gran had one and it was useful for carrying suitcases upstairs. It's just something that is in the house that I wouldn't need, like a coffee machine or something. Not something to reject a property over.

I think Monty Dons wins the thread.
It may be my bias I’m afraid but truthfully it might put me off but depends a bit on the appearance .

We use holiday cottages a lot. If the rest of the house had what I wanted it wouldn't bother me.

Some very unpleasant, depressing views on here...

I absolutely would.

Having a severely disabled dd we are limited to places we can stay. We always have to have accommodation on one level when staying places.

We have a stair lift here at home and would be lost without it.

This is a huge issue for everyone I know who has children with mobility issues and are too big and heavy to carry upstairs.

It would open more options for us if more places had one.

Wouldn't put me off at all

I admit I'd peer at the photos to check the decor wasn't terribly old fashioned

But then again - it's location, price , lcleaineee that matter to me

This is MN, where ableism is rife.

Ableism... dearie me. How is it "ableist" to say that you wouldn't actively choose to stay somewhere with a stairlift? I have looked at thousands probably of self-catering places in the UK and overseas over the years and have never seen one with a stairlift. There are other things which would put me off too - very dated decor, the wrong configuration of numbers of beds/bedrooms for our needs, no washing machine, something like an Aga which I'm not used to cooking on, in the middle of nowhere with the nearest shop 10 miles away etc. For other people, a cottage in the middle of nowhere with an aga is just what they're after.

If you are a holiday home owner should you consider the expense of installing and maintaining a stairlift? Probably not - the fact there are so few properties with one says there is little demand. Should you rip one out in a property to let it as a holiday rental? Well that's up to you, depending again on maintenance costs, how many visitors who need a stairlift you are expecting to book with you, and whether there is a downstairs bathroom/bedroom. I wouldn't think it would be worth the expense.

Most probably not but I have occasionally seen stair lifts that didn't quite leave enough room for people. So, I'd want a couple of clear pictures.

I have mobility issues.

I generally choose to stay in places where there is a ground floor bedroom and bathroom.

I've never used a stair lift and would worry about using it.

In addition, how do you get the wheelchair upstairs? Surely the point of it is that if the person can't walk/has limited mobility they need the wheelchair everywhere and getting wheelchairs up and down stairs is really hard as my ExH will tell you.

I'm fucking disgusted at some of the comments on here. 'Care home vibes' fuck me.

I'm 33 and it would benefit me greatly having a stair lift in a property with stairs.

This place sometimes. Jesus. Real 'inclusive'

Ableism... dearie me. How is it "ableist" to say that you wouldn't actively choose to stay somewhere with a stairlift?

It isn't. Talking about "care home vibes" etc. is and is insulting to disabled people who have adjustments to their homes.

Typical mumsnet. HQ don't give a fuck.

I wouldn't care less.

In fact I'd book it so I could bring my grandparents.