Renting vs. Buying: When a Temporary Accessibility Solution Makes Sense.

Most people come to us assuming the answer is a purchase, because that is how accessibility equipment is usually sold. But a good number of the situations we are called about have an end date — a recovery, a visit, a season, a building permit still working its way through. When the need has a finish line, renting is often the more sensible answer, and occasionally the only practical one.

The clearest sign is that you can name roughly when the need ends. Four situations come up again and again:

Someone is recovering. After surgery or a hospital stay, the stairs are the problem for a few months, not forever.
A relative is staying. A parent visiting for the season needs the same access a resident would, just not permanently.
A venue has something on. A hall with a run of performances, a polling place, a community space hosting an event.
A permanent installation is still being planned. When a building is waiting on a permit for the lift it will eventually install, a rental covers the gap instead of leaving people without access.

Able Care rents across 14 counties in New Jersey and 6 in New York.

Not everything can sensibly be rented, so it is worth being specific. We rent vertical platform lifts, portable wheelchair lifts and curved stair lifts.

One honest caveat on that last one: a curved staircase needs a rail built to its exact shape, which is why curved stair lifts are rarely offered for rent by anyone. It is worth asking rather than assuming — sometimes there is something that fits — but do not plan around it.

Ramps are the easier case. Modular aluminium ramps are assembled on site and come apart again, which makes them well suited to a fixed period.

When the building itself cannot be altered — a listed property, a leased space, a venue that cannot take a permanent fixture — the Mobilift CX is usually the answer.

It is a fully manual, attendant-operated lift that rolls to where it is needed. It gives vertical access of up to 60 inches (1.5 m), reaches full height in about 20 seconds, and needs no pit, no shaft, no electricity and no construction. Built from aluminum and stainless steel, it is rated to work from -50°C to +50°C, so it handles a NJ winter and a NY summer without complaint.

There is a third option between renting and buying new, and it is the one people rarely ask about. We keep pre-owned equipment in lightly used condition.

Stairlifts are cleaned and sanitized before they go out, the chair is in good condition and the battery holds a charge. Aluminum and steel ramps are generally available. Vertical platform lifts are usually custom builds, but a gently used one that suits the opening does turn up.

If the need is long-term but the budget is not, this is often the better question to ask than “can I rent it?”

This is the part that changes how the buy-versus-rent maths looks. If you own equipment you no longer need, we can make an offer to buy it back — and we will uninstall it for free.

That matters, because the usual argument for renting is not wanting to be left with a stairlift on a wall after it has served its purpose. If there is a route back out, buying stops being a one-way decision.

Tell us what you are trying to reach, where it is and roughly how long you need it, and we will come back with the options and the terms. Call 800-310-1196 Monday to Friday, or send the enquiry form and we will call you back.