For most Australians who want to grow older at home, the stairs are the single biggest obstacle, and a home lift is the most effective way to remove it. A residential elevator lets you move safely between floors without climbing, so a two-storey home you love stays fully liveable for decades, not just until your knees give out. It’s quieter, cheaper and far less disruptive than moving house or into aged care, and it can be installed into most existing homes in a matter of days.
Ageing in place, which means staying in your own home and community as you get older rather than relocating to residential care, is what the overwhelming majority of older Australians say they want. The barrier is rarely the house itself. It’s the staircase. This guide explains how a home lift solves that, what it costs, how you might fund it, and why installing one sooner is smarter than waiting.
Why Stairs Are the Deciding Factor
Ask anyone who has helped a parent decide whether to stay put or move, and the conversation almost always comes down to the stairs. A staircase that was invisible for thirty years becomes a daily risk after a hip replacement, a stroke, or simply as balance and strength change with age.
Falls are the leading cause of injury-related hospitalisation for older Australians, and stairs are one of the most common places they happen. Beyond the safety risk, stairs quietly shrink a home. When the bedroom, main bathroom or laundry is upstairs and climbing becomes difficult, people start living on one level: sleeping in a study, sponge-bathing downstairs, avoiding half of their own house. The home stops working long before anyone admits it’s time to leave.
A home lift reverses that. It reconnects both storeys, so the whole house stays usable and every room stays in reach.
What “Ageing in Place” Really Costs: Home Lift vs the Alternatives
The honest way to think about a home lift is to compare it against what you’d otherwise spend.
Residential aged care in Australia typically involves a substantial refundable accommodation deposit, often several hundred thousand dollars, plus ongoing daily care and accommodation fees. Selling and moving to a single-storey home means agent commission, stamp duty, legal fees and removalists, which together commonly run to tens of thousands of dollars before you’ve accounted for the emotional cost of leaving a home and neighbourhood you know.
Against that, a home lift is a one-off, capital-adding investment. A residential lift in Australia generally costs between $25,000 and $110,000, with most two-storey homes landing in the $35,000–$65,000 range all in. For a home you intend to stay in, it is very often the lowest-cost option on the table, and unlike moving fees or aged-care deposits, much of that spend comes back through added property value.
How a Home Lift Supports Independent Living
A well-chosen home lift does more than carry you upstairs. It removes the small daily obstacles that wear people down and, over time, chip away at independence.
Carrying laundry to an upstairs machine, bringing groceries up from the garage, moving a suitcase, or simply going to bed without gripping a handrail all become effortless again. For couples ageing together, it means one partner isn’t quietly taking on every trip up and down. And for anyone using a walker or wheelchair, a lift is the difference between a home that works and one that doesn’t.
Crucially, it also protects dignity. There’s a world of difference between relying on family to help you up the stairs and stepping into your own lift whenever you like.
Choosing the Right Lift for Ageing in Place
Not every home lift suits every older homeowner. A few features matter more than others when the goal is independence and safety.
Level, step-free entry. Look for a lift the cabin of which arrives flush with the floor, so there’s nothing to trip on and a walker or wheelchair rolls straight in.
A cabin sized for a walker or wheelchair, plus a seat. Even if you’re steady on your feet today, sizing for future mobility aids now saves a costly change later. A fold-down seat makes the trip comfortable.
Simple, tactile controls. Large buttons, clear markings and an intuitive layout matter far more than a touchscreen for many older users.
Battery back-up and an emergency phone or alarm. The lift should lower safely to the nearest floor and open in a power outage, and let the user call for help from inside the cabin.
A quiet, smooth ride. Hydraulic and traction lifts are known for particularly smooth travel, while compact battery-driven lifts offer low-disruption retrofits. Any of these can be specified for accessible use.
Every home lift Easy Living installs is built to the Australian Standard for lifts, AS1735, which governs the safety features, load ratings and controls that make a lift safe for residential use.
Retrofitting a Lift Into the Home You Already Have
The most common worry we hear is that adding a lift means tearing the house apart. In practice, modern residential lifts are designed for exactly this situation.
Many compact and battery-driven models need only a shallow pit, or none at all, and no separate machine room, so they can be installed into an existing home with far less building work than people expect. A pneumatic (vacuum) lift, which uses air pressure rather than cables or a shaft, can often be installed in just one to two days and slots neatly into a stairwell void or corner.
The right position is usually easier to find than homeowners assume: over a staircase, in a corner of adjoining rooms, or even outside the home. The result is a lift that looks like it was always meant to be there, not a clinical add-on.
Future-Proofing: Why Installing Now Beats Waiting
The best time to install a home lift is before you urgently need it.
Fitting a lift while you’re still active means you plan calmly, choose the position and finish you want, and avoid making a rushed decision during a health crisis. It’s also cheaper: retrofitting later, under pressure, rarely costs less. And a lift installed early simply becomes part of how the household lives, handy for luggage, prams and furniture long before mobility is ever a concern.
Think of it the way you’d think of a single-storey design or a downstairs bathroom: a sensible piece of future-proofing that quietly pays off for decades.
Can You Get Funding for a Home Lift in Australia?
Depending on your circumstances, you may not have to cover the full cost yourself.
NDIS. If you’re under 65 and an NDIS participant, a home lift may be fundable as a home modification under Capital Supports. It requires an occupational therapist assessment and a plan review, and the modification must meet AS1735 and building code requirements.
Aged care support at home. Older Australians receiving support through My Aged Care may be able to put funding toward home modifications that support safety and independence. Amounts and eligibility vary, so it’s worth speaking with My Aged Care and your assessor about what your package can contribute.
Occupational therapist input. Whichever pathway applies, an OT assessment is the usual starting point, and their report strengthens any funding request.
Because funding rules change and depend on individual circumstances, treat the above as a starting point and confirm current eligibility with the relevant scheme before you budget.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is ageing in place?
Ageing in place means staying in your own home and community as you grow older, rather than moving into residential aged care. It’s what most older Australians say they prefer, and modifications like a home lift, grab rails and step-free access make it possible for longer.
Is a home lift safe for elderly users?
Yes. Residential lifts built to Australian Standard AS1735 include battery back-up, emergency lowering, an in-cabin alarm or phone, and controls designed for easy use. Step-free entry and a cabin sized for a walker or wheelchair make them well suited to older users and those with limited mobility.
Can a home lift fit a wheelchair or walker?
Yes. Many residential lift cabins are sized to take a wheelchair or walker, with level, step-free entry so mobility aids roll straight in. If you may need a wheelchair in future, size the cabin for it now to avoid a costly change later.
How much does a home lift for ageing in place cost in Australia?
A residential home lift in Australia generally costs between $25,000 and $110,000, with most two-storey homes falling in the $35,000–$65,000 range including installation. Compared with the cost of moving house or residential aged care, it’s often the most economical way to stay in the home you love.
Can I get NDIS or aged care funding for a home lift?
Possibly. Eligible NDIS participants may fund a lift as a home modification under Capital Supports, and some older Australians can direct My Aged Care support toward home modifications. Both usually require an occupational therapist assessment. Confirm current eligibility with the relevant scheme.
Can a lift be added to an existing home?
Yes. Most modern residential lifts are designed for retrofit. Compact and battery-driven models often need only a shallow pit and no machine room, and a pneumatic vacuum lift can typically be installed in one to two days.
Thinking about staying in the home you love? A home lift is the surest way to keep every floor within reach for the years ahead. Talk to Easy Living Elevators for a free, no-obligation assessment. We’ll help you choose the right lift for your home and walk you through any funding you may be eligible for.
Easy Living Elevators is Australia’s number one home elevator company, with more than 12,500 lifts installed. We supply and install residential lifts across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and beyond.
