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?

It wouldnt "put me off" as in ew a stair lift, thats for older people.

However, I probably wouldnt pick that choice because I would naturally assume its for people with disabilities or elderly people with mobility issues and therefore I would leave it free for those people. I don't need a stair lift so I would just choose one without. So yes, I guess it would put me off but not for an unpleasant reason, more for reasons of "I don't need it so leave it free for someone who does"

Exactly, @curiousasacat . Who actively books an accessible room/property they don't need?

Why would a tiny chair on a wall put you off renting a holiday cottage? Talk about first world problems.

It would put me off because it would be another thing for the kids to break! Seriously, though, I would avoid that accommodation because I don't want another thing to have to watch what the children do around.

Wouldn't bother me. I have no need for it but I could imagine DH and I trying it out for the novelty.

Wouldn't bother me but I wouldn't have booked it when DC were young.
They may "play" on stairlift and come to grief.

You are assuming that people's motives are unkind- actually it's quite the opposite, I wouldn't want to rent an adapted property when someone who really needs it could use it. It's no different to me not using the disabled toilet because why would I take it when someone who really needs it could be using it?

Its not about feeling disgusted by it, its about guilt that you could be in a non adapted property when someone who NEEDS an adapted property cant get one and lets face it, adapted properties arent that common so I wouldnt want to feel like my actions were preventing someone else having a holiday.

You know that elderly and disabled people go on holiday too?

Our family used to go on holiday together once a year but as my dad's mobility decreased, it became harder and harder to find accessible cottages without going to a specialist holiday home/hotel.

Simple things like a wet room and a chair lift make the biggest difference in the world to someone with a disability and have zero impact on the comfort of someone who is able-bodied.

If I were a holiday home owner and it was within my means, I would absolutely think about accessibility. I think it's a bit strange not to.

Stairlifts are just for people who are wheelchair users. They can be helpful for people with chronic pain, arthritis or cardiac issues/COPD, where walking upstairs can be difficult for breathing. Loads of reasons a person might use one.

**aren't just for...

Yes, but there are SO many holiday cottages around that the choice is never "house with a stairlift" or "not going on holiday".

All of the large sites let you filter for accessibility - this doesn't mean adapted with stair lifts or grab rails, it could also be all on one level, extra wide doors or whatever. It may well be that someone with mobility issues would think it better to rent a bungalow or flat accessed by a lift rather than a house where the only bathrooms are upstairs, and risk not being to access them if the stairlift breaks down.

I don't think I've ever seen a stairlift in an advertised UK self-catering property. I have seen plenty marketed as accessible.

Same here. I would hate to deprive someone with mobility issues the chance of having a holiday.

kids would have loved it 😁

It would put me off in the sense that if there were other suitable properties, I'd leave the one with a stairlift for somebody who needed it

I'd assume you had bought the house with the stairlift in place but didn't want to pay to remove it and redecorate. So it would make me wonder what other corners you'd cut. I wouldn't rent the house.

Or maybe they chose to leave it in place in order to make the property accessible to disabled people?

If I ran the world, all holiday properties would have to be fully accessible. It is a nightmare trying to find holiday accomodation if you have a disability.

I'd assume they'd left it - or even installed it - to make the accommodation more inclusive, usable by some people with disabilities of various sorts (heart problems can make stairs problematic for some people, for instance).

No, it wouldn't put me off.

I’m disabled and have a stairlift at home. It’s very hard for me to find suitable holiday accommodation unless it’s a big chain hotel with lifts when I fancy a charming cottage!
so yes, a stairlift would be a huge plus for me

I holiday with a disabled adult quite often.

They have some mobility issues, but would be unable to use a stairlift independently - whereas they can usually walk up and down standard stairs. (We usually check photos, as open tread stairs those without handrails or spiral staircase and things are harder.

However the stairlift being there might well make it harder for them to use the stairs because it would likely be narrower, might be harder to squeeze past at the top or bottom, or might just be distracting and make them anxious. So they would probably be less independent, ironically.

So we would probably avoid, unless there was a lot of info, pictures, dimensions etc, and we were sure it would be ok. Just not worth the risk.

In the same way we avoid wet rooms. Great for some people with disabilities, but personally I hate getting soaked myself while helping, so a proper enclosed shower, or even better, a bath, is a must for us.

There isn’t a one size fits all solution for disability and access problems.
Some people need certain things, those same things put some others off, or make it harder for them, that’s just how it goes.

Sure why not? As long as I can use the stairs don't see a problem.

Ok so if a holiday apartment has a stairlift then it’s aiming at a specific market. If no one in my party needs a property with a stairlift I’d only book one if I came across it as a last minute deal - ie those with a need hadn’t taken the property up already.

I imagine there are places/agencies/websites where accessible apartments are advertised and that’s the market place for an apartment with a stairlift. Certainly in the first instance.

Do I expect an existing stairlift to be removed if I property is being renovated as a regular not an accessible apartment? Probably yes as it’s not a plus point unless it’s part of a wider strategy to be an accessible apartment.

Would it put me off? Well, that’s not the right question really. I wouldn’t book an accessible apartment if I thought I was stopping someone who needed one from doing so. I wouldn’t leave an existing stairlift in an apartment that’s not aiming to be an accessible apartment. I wouldn’t put one in as a standalone accessible feature.

Wouldn’t put me off at all. We would all have a go, multiple times, and I can well imagine mucking about on it too- trying to do it standing up or coming down in a silly costume or sending it up and down with funny things on. So probably best we don’t 😭

You assume entirely incorrectly.

People with disabilities like holidays too. Why on earth would you make that assumption?

Wouldn't put me off booking it at all, I think if there isn't a ground floor toilet and bedroom then it's probably something all holiday let's should have to make them inclusive e for people with disabilities.