Learn more about how our home lifts are designed to keep you safe at all times with this comprehensive guide.
Moving around your home shouldn’t be a challenge, but as you age, the stairs can become an obstacle that holds you back from the spaces you’re familiar with. In fact, we discovered that 1 in 6 older adults avoid part of their home due to mobility issues. A home lift is a simple way to regain access to your whole house, letting you travel between floors comfortably. But if you’ve never had a lift at home before, you might be wondering — how safe are they?
The good news is there are a range of home lift safety features designed to protect you at all times, from sensors that detect obstructions to battery backups that ensure you’re never left stranded.
We’ll walk you through each feature included in our Stiltz Home Lifts, breaking down exactly how they work to keep you safe.
It’s natural to have questions about safety when installing a home lift, especially if you’ve never used one before. After all, having a moving platform inside your home can sound daunting at first.
But rest assured, domestic home lifts are carefully designed with your safety in mind, making them a reliable and secure way to travel between floors.
In fact, they can be far safer than continuing to struggle with the stairs. Every year, over 100,000 older adults in the UK are treated for injuries caused by stair-related falls — installing a home lift removes this risk, giving you a safer and more comfortable way to navigate your home.
Home lifts are created with user safety as the top priority, meaning you can feel secure every time you use them and continue ageing in place without stress. At Stiltz, we’ve created our lifts with a range of built-in protections to ensure you enjoy smooth travel throughout your home.
Here are five key elevator safety features that make Stiltz Home Lifts a safe and reliable choice:
Stiltz Home Lifts are equipped with multiple sensors that help prevent accidents and keep them running smoothly. These sensors do everything from detecting potential blockages to stopping the lift when necessary, keeping you safe at all times.
Here is a rundown on the different types of sensors in our lifts:
| Sensor type: | What they do: |
| Weight sensors | Every domestic lift has a maximum weight capacity, and our lifts are no exception. With a limit of 170kg (27 stone or 375 pounds), our Home Lifts can carry a lot — from wheelchairs to washing. However, if this weight limit is exceeded, the lift is designed to stop operating. This ensures the system is never overloaded, avoiding strain on the mechanism and keeping the lift in good working order. |
| Movement sensors | Many home lifts, including our Stiltz range, are fitted with movement sensors at both the base and top lid of the lift car. These sensors detect obstructions above or below the lift car.
If an object is detected while the lift is moving, the car will automatically stop until the obstruction is cleared. This means there’s no chance of anything becoming trapped — which is especially important in multi-generational homes where toys and other obstacles can easily pass through the lift’s route while it’s in motion. |
| Light curtain sensors | For added safety, Stiltz Home Lifts include a light curtain sensor at the entrance to the lift car. This can be found on either side of the entrance to the lift car, and if you have a half-height door, the sensor also includes the gap between the door and the top of the car.
This acts as an invisible barrier, meaning it will automatically stop if anything crosses the threshold while the lift is in motion. This feature is especially useful if you have pets or young children in the home, ensuring the entrance stays clear before the lift moves. |
| Balance sensors | Most home lifts also have balance sensors that detect how weight is distributed throughout the car. If the weight inside the lift isn’t evenly spread out, the system automatically detects the imbalance and prevents the car from moving until the load has been adjusted. This means there’s no need to worry about the car tipping or swaying as it moves. |
| Speed sensors | Stiltz home lifts travel at a steady speed of approximately 0.34 miles per hour, allowing you to move between floors in as little as 20 seconds without jarring stops or starts. To ensure every journey is as safe as possible, our lifts are fitted with overspeed sensors. While we doubt they’ll ever be necessary, these sensors will stop the lift if it ever moves faster than its intended speed. |
Fire safety is an important consideration when you’re making any home modifications, and our home lifts are specially designed with this in mind. The Trio+ Fire Seal is an optional feature that helps prevent fire from spreading between floors.
When the lift is parked on either level, the lid or underpan of the car acts as a fire-resistant barrier, stopping flames and smoke from using the lift aperture to spread more quickly. This added protection provides extra peace of mind in the event of a fire, ensuring your home remains as safe as possible.
The fire seal is available exclusively on Stiltz Trio+ models. See our buying guide to find out which home lift is right for you.
Unlike some other domestic lifts on the market, Stiltz Home Lifts don’t rely on load-bearing walls for support. Instead, they are suspended using two strong steel cables, which help to provide a stable ride between floors.
In the unlikely event that these cables lose tension or break, our patented Fall Arrest Mechanism automatically activates, bringing the lift to a safe stop. This built-in safety feature means that the lift can’t drop suddenly or fall between floors, giving you extra security with every use.
The majority of home lifts use hold-to-run controls, with the lift car only moving when the button is being consistently pressed and held down. This means you’re always in control, so there are no surprise starts when you’re not ready to travel.
If you ever want to pause or stop the lift mid-journey, simply release the button, and the lift will gently come to a stop. This feature allows you to travel between floors at your own pace.
Power cuts can be unpredictable, and it’s natural to be concerned about what these outages mean for using your home lift. With a Stiltz Home Lift, you’ll never have to worry about getting stuck between floors if you’re using the lift during a power cut. Every model has a battery backup system that automatically activates during a power outage.
If the lift is in motion when the power goes out, the backup system helps it lower to the ground floor, allowing you to exit safely and wait for the power supply to return. This means you’ll never be stranded mid-journey and can still leave your home without interruption.
If you have pets or young children at home, you might be worried about the risk of falling out while the lift is moving.
The good news is that Stiltz Home Lifts are fitted with light curtain sensors at the entrance, stopping the lift immediately if anything crosses the threshold while in motion. This means that if a pet, child, or any object moves into the doorway while the lift car is in motion, the lift will halt automatically, preventing any risk of falling.
All Stiltz Home Lifts are manufactured and installed in compliance with BS EN ISO 9001:2015 standards. This is an internationally recognised quality management certification that guarantees strict safety, reliability, and performance measures are met at every stage — from design and production to installation and customer support.
This certification means that every Stiltz Home Lift has been rigorously tested to ensure:
Stiltz lifts are equipped with a patented Fall Arrest Mechanism, meaning they cannot drop suddenly between floors. In the rare event that the steel support cables lose tension, the lift will automatically come to a gentle stop, so you’re safe at all times.
While stairlifts have long been a common choice for those who are unable to use the stairs, this doesn’t necessarily mean they’re the safest way to travel between floors. In fact, research from the UK Trauma Audit and Research Network found that falls from stairlifts often result in limb injuries — with the most severe injuries affecting the head. The same study reported an overall mortality rate of 15.7% for stairlift-related accidents.
In contrast, home lifts provide a fully enclosed, secure space that removes the risk of falls altogether. With features like obstruction sensors, a fall arrest mechanism, and a battery backup supply, these lifts ensure a safe journey every time.
Plus, unlike stairlifts, home lifts don’t require the user to transfer in and out of a seat — making them an ideal option for those with limited mobility, balance concerns, or wheelchair users. Still not convinced? Learn more about why home lifts are better than stairlifts here.
All Stiltz lifts have movement sensors that stop the car immediately if anything is detected beneath it. The lift will not move toward the blockage until the obstruction has been removed, providing complete safety for everyone in the home.
Every Stiltz Home Lift is fitted with an integrated phone, so in the rare event of a breakdown, help is just a call away. Stiltz also offers a 24/7 customer support line at 0330 053 5749, meaning that you’ll always be able to access assistance when you need it.
When it comes to staying at home as you age, safety is everything — and with a Stiltz home lift, you can travel confidently, knowing you’ll be safe throughout. Whether you’re looking to future-proof your home or need an immediate alternative to using the stairs, a Stiltz Home Lift offers a practical and stylish solution to keep you moving safely.
Discover our range today, including the Duo+ for smaller spaces and the wheelchair-friendly Trio+ model. Our friendly team is always on hand to answer any questions you may have — get in touch to learn more about which lift is right for you.
Or, for more advice on ageing in place, head over to our blog.
Easy to arrange lots of information, No problems with fitting, payment taken in stages, last payment when job was completed. Everyone was friendly from start to finish.
My experience with Stiltz Homelifts. Just over a month ago, I had my Stiltz lift installed and I am so pleased with it. The workmen that came and fitted it were very professional and knew what they were doing. They were so professional I would not hesitate to recommend Stiltz lifts to anybody.
Great looking product, knowledgeable sales people, fitters work clean quickly and polite. Definitely recommend.
Great stylist lift, had for six months without a hitch. Installed by company staff not subcontractors. Cannot fault the lift, buying experience, installation, service. Good company ethos and made in UK.
From the very beginning with the initial construction to the finished product. I have never seen such polite men with an equal work ethic. They cleaned as they went each day. The pets were never in harm. The finished product is awesome. Couldn’t be more pleased
Excellent from beginning to end – and beyond.
Everybody we dealt with at Stiltz was very helpful and efficient, from the initial meeting with Nick Sale, the sales rep, thorough technical inspection, the builders, installers, plumber, electrician, and excellent follow up service and attention. My husband’s life is transformed and mine is much easier. Thank you Stiltz.
Elegant lift, promptly installed by careful and tidy fitters who removed their rubbish the following day. A fair price and an envied addition to our home.
I have been astounded and gratified by the levels of service we have received from every member of the Stiltz teams we have dealt with. A superb lift with exceptional service!
An excellent company from the first contact to the completed project. All personnel were friendly and very polite but stayed extremely professional throughout. Having been in the construction industry for over 40 years I was aware the preparation work was carried out to a high standard by the best of trades people. The lift itself can not be faulted both the operation and aesthetics.
The service was better than 1st class. It was excellent in every way. We could not be more pleased with everything Stiltz applied it’s self to in any way. We would award 6 stars at the very least.
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