Published 19 October 2026
Quick answer: if you agreed to buy mobility equipment while a salesperson was in your home, you usually have 14 days to cancel without giving a reason. For goods, the 14 days start when the equipment is delivered to you, not when you sign. If the seller never gave you written cancellation information, the period stretches to up to 12 months. The main exception is equipment made to your own specification, which may include a curved stairlift rail, so ask the seller in writing before you sign.
Last checked: 19 October 2026. We read the current text of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, the Consumer Rights Act 2015, the Consumer Credit Act 1974 and the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 on legislation.gov.uk, and the consumer helpline details on GOV.UK and nidirect. This is a plain-English summary, not legal advice.
Who this is for: anyone who has signed, or is about to sign, for a stairlift, mobility scooter, riser recliner, adjustable bed, walk-in bath or bathroom adaptation after a home visit, and family members checking a deal on someone else’s behalf.
Contents
- Does the 14-day right apply to you?
- When the 14 days start and end
- When you cannot cancel
- If the seller wants to install straight away
- Finance agreements and credit cards
- How to cancel
- Refunds and getting the equipment collected
- Pressure selling that is now banned outright
- What to do next
- Questions people ask
Does the 14-day right apply to you?
The rules come from the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. They give a cancellation right for two kinds of deal: distance contracts (online, phone or post) and what the law calls off-premises contracts. Most home-visit sales of mobility equipment are off-premises contracts.
Regulation 5 defines an off-premises contract. In plain terms, your deal counts if any of these happened:
- you agreed the deal with the salesperson in person somewhere that is not their shop or office, such as your living room
- you made an offer (for example, signed an order form) while the salesperson was with you away from their premises, even if they accepted it later
- the salesperson approached you personally away from their premises, and you then signed at their showroom or over the phone straight afterwards
- you signed during a trip or event the seller organised to promote its products
It does not matter whether you invited them. A home survey you booked yourself still counts. The older rules, which only covered unsolicited visits, were replaced in 2014.
| How you bought | 14-day cancellation right? | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Salesperson visited your home and you signed there | Yes, usually | Off-premises contract |
| Bought online, by phone or by post | Yes, usually | Distance contract |
| Walked into a mobility shop and bought there | No legal cooling-off right (shop policy may offer one) | On-premises contract |
| Home visit, total price ยฃ42 or less | No | Regulation 27(3) threshold |
| Faulty or not as described, however you bought | Separate rights apply | Consumer Rights Act 2015 |
Two limits are worth knowing. The cancellation right does not apply to off-premises deals where you pay ยฃ42 or less. And it does not cover products supplied by a health professional under NHS arrangements, such as items on prescription.
When the 14 days start and end
This is where many buyers get it wrong, often because the seller’s paperwork is unclear. The start date depends on what you bought (regulation 30).
| Type of deal | 14 days start | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Goods, including goods with installation | The day after the equipment comes into your possession | Straight stairlift, scooter, riser recliner, adjustable bed |
| Goods delivered in several parts on different days | The day after the last part arrives | A bed delivered before its mattress |
| A service only | The day after you sign | A service plan, a home survey, labour-only work |
| Seller never gave you the cancellation information | Extended by up to 12 months | No cancellation form was left with you |
A contract with both goods and services, such as a stairlift that is supplied and fitted, counts as a sales contract under the regulations. So the clock usually runs from delivery. If the seller’s form says “14 days from signing” for a lift that has not arrived yet, ask them to explain why in writing.
Before you are bound by a home-visit contract, the seller must give you the cancellation information and a cancellation form, on paper or, if you agree, by email (regulation 10). If they did not, regulation 31 extends your cancellation period. If they hand it over later, you get 14 days from the day you receive it. If they never do, the right lasts until 12 months after the normal 14 days would have ended. Failing to give this information on a home-visit sale is also a criminal offence under regulation 19, which Trading Standards can prosecute.
When you cannot cancel
Regulation 28 lists the situations where the cancellation right does not apply. Three matter for mobility equipment.
Made to your specification
Goods “made to the consumer’s specifications or clearly personalised” are excluded. A curved stairlift rail is usually manufactured to measurements taken from your staircase, which is why some installers treat curved lifts as non-cancellable once the rail goes into production. A straight stairlift, a standard scooter or a riser recliner from stock is not made to your specification, even if you chose the colour of the upholstery from a standard range.
Whether a particular product falls into this exception can be argued either way, and we are not in a position to rule on individual cases. The practical step is simple: before you sign, ask the seller to state in writing whether you can cancel, and if not, from what point. The seller is required to tell you if there is no cancellation right, or when you will lose it (Schedule 2, paragraph (n)).
Hygiene seals
Sealed goods that are not suitable for return for health or hygiene reasons lose the right once you unseal them after delivery. This can apply to some toileting and continence products.
Urgent repairs you asked for
If you call out an engineer for an urgent repair, such as a stairlift that has stopped halfway up, you cannot cancel that repair. But if the engineer sells you something extra on the same visit, such as a service plan or a part that is not needed for the repair, the cancellation right still applies to the extra (regulation 28(2)).
If the seller wants to install straight away
Sellers sometimes offer to fit equipment within days, inside your cancellation period. For the service part of a deal, regulation 36 says the trader must not start during the cancellation period unless you have expressly asked them to, and for a home-visit sale that request must be on paper or email.
If you ask for early work and then cancel, you may have to pay a proportionate amount for the service already supplied. You owe nothing for that service if the seller did not give you the required cancellation and cost information, or if you never made the request. Read any line on the order form that says something like “I request work to begin immediately” before you sign it. It is your choice whether to agree.
Finance agreements and credit cards
If you are paying through a finance agreement arranged by the seller, there are two separate rights, and they do different things.
| Right | What it does | Time limit | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancel the purchase | Ends the purchase; you get your money back | 14 days, as above | Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 |
| Withdraw from the credit | Ends the loan only. You repay the amount borrowed plus interest accrued, within 30 days, and still own and owe for the goods | 14 days, usually from the day you receive your copy of the signed agreement | Consumer Credit Act 1974, section 66A |
| Credit card claim | The card provider is jointly liable for misrepresentation or breach of contract | Single item with a cash price over ยฃ100 and up to ยฃ30,000 | Consumer Credit Act 1974, section 75 |
Withdrawing from the credit does not cancel the purchase. If you want neither the loan nor the equipment, cancel the purchase. Paying even a small deposit by credit card on an item priced over ยฃ100 can give you a second route to a refund if things go wrong.
How to cancel
- Find the cancellation form the seller left with you. You do not have to use it. Any clear statement that you are cancelling is enough.
- Send it by a route you can prove: email to the address on the paperwork, or recorded post. Keep a copy and a note of the date and time.
- Include your name, address, the order date and order or contract number, and a plain sentence: “I am cancelling my contract dated [date] for [item].”
- You do not need to give a reason, and you do not need the seller to agree.
- If a salesperson calls to talk you out of it, you can say no and end the call. The cancellation took effect when you sent it.
Refunds and getting the equipment collected
Regulation 34 sets the refund rules. The seller must refund everything you paid, including standard delivery, without undue delay and no later than 14 days after the relevant point. Where the seller collects, that point is the day they were told you cancelled. Where you return goods, it is the day they get them back or you show evidence you sent them, whichever is sooner. The refund must go back the same way you paid unless you agree otherwise, and the seller cannot charge a fee for refunding you.
Under regulation 35, if the equipment was delivered to your home at the time of a home-visit contract and cannot normally be returned by post, the seller must collect it at their own cost. For other goods you send them back within 14 days of cancelling, and you pay the return cost only if the seller told you in advance that you would.
The seller can deduct money only if you handled the goods beyond what you would be allowed to do in a shop to check them, and even then not if they failed to give you the cancellation information.
Pressure selling that is now banned outright
Since 6 April 2025, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 lists commercial practices that are always unfair, whatever their effect on the buyer. Several describe tactics reported in home sales of mobility equipment.
| Practice | Schedule 20 paragraph |
|---|---|
| Ignoring a request to leave your home or not to return | 27 |
| Giving the impression you cannot leave the premises until you sign | 26 |
| Falsely saying a price or product is only available for a limited time | 7 |
| Falsely claiming to be approved, endorsed or authorised by a public or private body | 4 |
| Showing a trust mark or quality mark without authorisation | 3 |
A “today only” discount is a warning sign worth taking seriously. If the price is genuine, it should still be available after you have had time to compare quotes. Our guide to stairlift sales tactics to watch for covers this in more detail.
What to do next
- Before anyone visits, ask a family member or friend to be there, and get at least two written quotes.
- Do not sign on the first visit. A fair quote will still be valid next week.
- Ask the seller in writing: “Can I cancel this order, and until when?” For a curved stairlift, ask from what date the rail goes into production.
- Check the paperwork includes a cancellation form and the seller’s full name and address.
- Do not tick a box asking for work to start early unless you want it to.
- Check the company before you commit, using our step-by-step company check.
- If you need to cancel, send your notice in writing today, by email or recorded post.
- If the seller refuses to refund or keeps visiting, contact the consumer helpline for your nation (below). They can refer the case to Trading Standards.
| Where you live | Consumer helpline | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | Citizens Advice consumer helpline | 0808 223 1133 (Welsh: 0808 223 1144) |
| Scotland | Advice Direct Scotland | 0808 164 6000 |
| Northern Ireland | Consumerline | 0300 123 6262 |
If you are still deciding how to pay, our guides to paying for a stairlift, the Disabled Facilities Grant and VAT relief on mobility equipment may reduce what you need to borrow. A council needs assessment can also lead to some equipment being supplied free, which is worth asking about before you buy.
Questions people ask
I signed for a stairlift at home three days ago. Can I still cancel?
Very likely yes. For a stairlift supplied and fitted, the 14 days normally run from delivery, so you are inside the period. If it is a curved lift, check whether the seller told you in writing that the made-to-measure exception applies.
The seller didn’t leave me a cancellation form. What happens?
Your cancellation period is extended by up to 12 months. You can still cancel by writing to the seller. Failing to provide the information on a home-visit sale is also a criminal offence, so report it to the consumer helpline.
Do I have 14 days if I bought a scooter in a mobility shop?
Not as a legal right. In-shop purchases have no statutory cooling-off period. Many shops offer a returns policy anyway, so ask before you pay. If the scooter is faulty, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives a 30-day right to reject, which for installed goods starts once the trader tells you installation is complete.
Does the 14-day rule apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland?
Yes. The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 apply across the UK. Only the helpline you contact differs.
Can the company keep my deposit?
Not if you cancel within the period. All payments must be refunded, apart from a proportionate charge for any service you expressly asked them to start early.
The rep says the price is only valid today. Is that allowed?
Falsely saying a price is available for a limited time is banned under Schedule 20 of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. If the deadline is real, the seller should be able to explain why.
Sources
All read on 19 October 2026.
- Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (SI 2013/3134), regulations 5, 6, 7, 10, 19, 27, 28, 30, 31, 34, 35 and 36: legislation.gov.uk
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22: legislation.gov.uk
- Consumer Credit Act 1974, sections 66A and 75: section 66A, section 75
- Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, Schedule 20: legislation.gov.uk
- Consumer helpline numbers: GOV.UK, consumer protection rights; nidirect, Consumerline
This guide explains the law in general terms and is not legal advice. If your case involves a large sum or a dispute, speak to the consumer helpline for your nation or a solicitor. Review Mobility is an independent directory. We do not sell equipment, and no company paid to appear in or review this guide. Spotted an error? Email hello@reviewmobility.co.uk.
Published 19 October 2026