Home lift safety for children, pets and visitors

Why the layout of the lift matters

Our page on whether home lifts are safe for elderly users looks at the main user. This page covers everyone else, and the risks to them depend on how open the lift is.

Stiltz describes the Duo as having a “Half Height Light Curtain” at the entrance, with a full-height door as an option. Stannah’s Uplift brochure mentions “a light beam on the half-height door.” Wessex’s VM is an open-car design and the VE is enclosed. Companion’s Stratus is “an open car through-the-floor lift” and its Aurora is “fully enclosed”. See our through-floor lifts guide.

Children

Stop the lift being used without you

• Stiltz lists “Key Switch Operation” on the Duo: “This feature allows the owner to isolate the lift if the need arises.”
• Aritco says “it is possible to lock the control panel to prevent the lift from being used”, with a key symbol showing whether it is locked. Its SmartApp adds a child lock, so the lift “cannot be operated from the platform”, and a floor lock, both of which can run on “a weekly recurring schedule.”
• SWIFT lists a “Child lock” as a feature of the SWIFT Pro only, not the cheaper Lite.
• Terry lists an “Isolation fob” among the options for the Harmony.
• Wessex’s VM manual describes a key switch on the wall stations that disables the controls, with “the key removed to prevent unauthorised use.”

We found no key switch or child lock on the Lifton, Cibes or Companion pages we read on 26 September 2026. That does not mean none is available.

A lock is only as good as where the key lives. Keep it on the main user’s key ring, not in the lift. Handheld remotes need the same care: Stiltz supplies two wireless remotes with the Trio, and Companion two with the Luma, and to a four-year-old they are toys.

Hold-to-run or one-touch controls

With hold-to-run controls the lift moves only while a button is held. Stiltz says “operating a Stiltz Lift requires constant pressure to the controls”, and Lifton, Cibes, Aritco and Stannah’s Uplift describe the same principle. Let go and the lift stops.

Some lifts use one-touch controls instead. Terry sells the Harmony on “one touch wireless controls with no need for constant pressure.” A child can send a one-touch lift with a single press, so the lock matters more.

Under the car and on the lid

A through-floor lift leaves a space under the car when it is upstairs and a lid in the ceiling when it is downstairs. Makers fit sensors to both:

• Stiltz: top and bottom “safety pans” with “obstruction-sensing covers” that detect objects above or below the lift.
• Lifton: “safety sensors fitted above and below the lift car which detect obstructions and smoothly stop the car.”
• Terry: “pressure-sensitive surfaces in both directions of travel”. Its FAQ also says that if someone is standing on the trapdoor while the lift travels up, “the lift will detect the load and will immediately stop.”
• Companion: “sensors fitted to the top, bottom and sides of the lift car.”
• Wessex VM manual: an under-lift sensitive surface that will “STOP the lift if an obstruction is detected.”
• Aritco: safety edges “around the carrier floor and at the top”, so the lift stops if something comes between the carrier and the shaft.

Sensors are a backstop. Wessex’s VM manual says children “must be supervised at all times when the lift is in use” and “kept clear of the lift prior and during travel.” Aritco’s manual says “do not leave children unattended in the lift.”

When grandchildren visit

Before they arrive, park the lift at the floor where the adults will be, lock or isolate it, and put the remotes away. Gravesham Borough Council’s advice to tenants with mobility lifts is blunt: “Never allow children to play on or use the lift.”

We looked for official UK figures on home-lift injuries to children, from HSE or RoSPA for example, and did not find any, so we give no numbers here.

Pets

Stiltz says its larger lifts can “even fit the family pet in, too!” Gravesham’s council advice says: “Never carry or allow animals to climb up onto the lift.”

The two real risks are a lead and a pet under the car. On an open or half-height lift, a lead trailing across the entrance while the car moves is the concern. Stiltz says its light curtain will “automatically stop” the lift “if anything crosses the threshold while the lift is in motion”, and Lifton says its full-height light curtain “ensures nothing crosses into or out of the lift as it travels.” An enclosed cabin with interlocked doors removes most of that risk, and Aritco says its door openers “can sense if an obstacle is in the way” and reverse.

If a pet rides, hold it on a short lead inside the car, and do not send an animal alone by pressing the call button from the other floor. Make a habit of checking the lid upstairs and the space downstairs before calling the lift for a small animal.

Visitors, carers and a second passenger

Weight limits vary, and several lifts refuse to move when overloaded.

Illustration, with invented round numbers: two adults of 80 kg each plus a 15 kg toddler is 175 kg, which is over a 170 kg limit. A lift with an overload sensor should refuse to travel. The fix is two trips.

A visiting carer needs a two-minute handover: which button calls the lift, how hold-to-run works, where the emergency stop and alarm are, and who to phone. If the lift will regularly carry a wheelchair user plus a carer, choose a model rated for it. Our wheelchair-accessible lifts guide covers sizes.

Cleaners, decorators and contractors

Tell anyone working in the house that the lift is there and where it is parked. For work near the aperture, park the lift and lock it. Do not let anyone rest ladders, paint tins or a mop bucket on the lid.

Do not let a decorator switch the lift off at the socket for days. Aritco’s manual says its backup battery is disconnected after more than seven hours without power, and Cibes says a battery left without power needs a day’s charge. Our guide to power cuts and battery backup explains why that matters. Anything inside the lift’s panels is a job for the service engineer.

Risk, lift type and safeguard

UK Homelifts does not sell, supply or install lifts. Raise these points at the survey, before the order is placed.

Frequently asked questions

Can I stop my grandchildren using the home lift?

Usually, yes. Stiltz offers key switch operation to isolate the lift, Aritco has a child lock on the control panel and in its app, SWIFT lists a child lock on the Pro model, Terry offers an isolation fob on the Harmony, and Wessex describes a removable key switch on its VM wall stations. Ask if your model has one as standard and keep the key away from the lift.

What stops a home lift coming down on a child or pet?

Through-floor lifts have sensors under the car. Stiltz uses sensing safety pans, Lifton fits sensors above and below the car, Terry uses pressure-sensitive surfaces in both directions, and Wessex describes an under-lift sensitive surface that stops the lift when it meets an obstruction. These stop the car on contact. They are a backstop, so children and pets should still be kept clear of the lift while it moves.

Can I take my dog in a home lift?

Yes, with care. Hold the dog on a short lead inside the car and make sure the lead cannot trail across an open entrance while the lift moves. Enclosed cabins with doors are simpler than open or half-height designs. Do not send a pet alone by calling the lift from another floor, and check under the car and on the ceiling lid first.

How much weight can a two-person home lift carry?

It varies by model. Stiltz’s Duo is rated at 170 kg, described as two people standing or one seated, and Lifton’s lifts are also 170 kg, with sensors that stop the lift travelling if that is exceeded. Companion’s Savaria Luma takes 181 kg. Two adults and a small child can go over 170 kg, so the safe answer is two trips.

Is an enclosed home lift safer for families than an open one?

An enclosed cabin with doors removes the open entrance, which is where leads, hands and toys cause trouble on half-height designs. It still has a space beneath it and doors that need sensors. Open designs rely on light curtains or beams to stop the lift if something crosses the entrance. If young children visit often, ask what a full-height door would cost.

UK Homelifts is an independent information site. We do not sell, supply, install or service lifts and are not affiliated with any manufacturer. This page is general information, not safety, engineering or legal advice for your home. Follow your lift’s user manual and ask your installer about your circumstances.