The three-quotes rule — approved installers, comparison tips, and common pitfalls

By Jon Mulhall, founder of GrantHub Ireland · 10 years in the Irish stairlift and home-adaptation trade · Last updated 9 May 2026

Once you have eligibility confirmation and an OT report, the next step is gathering three written quotes for the recommended works. This is where many family-led applications stall. Installers are slow to respond. Quotes don't match. Some are missing the detail the council asks for. This guide covers what the council actually expects, how to find installers willing to quote, what to ask, and the mistakes that cause re-submissions.

Why three quotes — and what counts as a valid quote

The three-quotes rule exists to protect the public purse. The local authority needs to verify the works being grant-funded are priced fairly — three independent quotes provide that comparison. It also protects you: an installer who knows their quote will be compared against two others is much less likely to overprice.

For a quote to count toward the three, it must be:

• Written and dated — verbal quotes don't count, regardless of how detailed
• From a tax-compliant business — the installer must have a current tax clearance certificate (the council will check)
• Itemised — equipment, installation, delivery, warranty, and any optional extras must be clearly broken out
• VAT-inclusive with VAT separately stated (13.5% rate applies to home installations)
• Specific to the works the OT recommended — a generic stairlift quote is not enough if the OT specified a particular configuration
• From a legally independent business — three quotes from one company offering three brands does not satisfy the rule

How to find approved installers in Ireland

There is no central national list of "approved" installers — the term "approved" is informal. What the council actually requires is that the installer is tax-compliant and insured. Beyond that, councils maintain mental lists of installers they've processed grants for previously, but they don't publish formal directories.

Practical sources for finding installers willing to quote on grant-funded works:

• The major Irish stairlift brands' dealer networks: Stannah's Irish distributor (Access Stairlifts), Acorn Stairlifts Ireland, Handicare's Irish dealers, Brooks/Otolift
• Disability charity recommendations: Irish Wheelchair Association, Care Alliance Ireland, and many local charities maintain unofficial lists of installers their members have used successfully
• Council tip-offs: ring the local authority's Housing Grants section and ask if there are local installers they regularly process grants for. They can't formally recommend, but they can tell you who they've seen most often
• Trade bodies: Construction Industry Federation, Master Builders Association Ireland for larger works like extensions and major bathroom conversions
• Citizens Information centres sometimes have local installer contact details

For platform lifts, home lifts, and through-floor lifts the installer market is much narrower than stairlifts — typically 4–6 installers cover all of Ireland. For accessible bathroom conversions, the market is wider but harder to navigate (most builders will quote, but not all will produce the itemised grant-compliant quote the council needs).

What to ask each installer

To make the three quotes comparable, ask each installer the same questions. We use a standard intake checklist with installers we coordinate quotes from:

1. Equipment make, model, and full specification
2. Rail type and length (for stairlifts) or shaft dimensions (for lifts)
3. Standard installation inclusion: delivery, fitting, basic electrical work, removal of packaging
4. What's NOT included that may be needed: socket relocation, structural work, removal of existing equipment, building regs sign-off
5. Warranty period (1 year is typical; 2-year offered by some)
6. Servicing arrangements after warranty
7. Lead time from order to installation
8. Tax clearance certificate available on request
9. Public liability insurance level (€2.6m+ minimum)
10. VAT-inclusive total and VAT separately shown
11. Quote validity period

Send the OT's report (or at least the recommendation section) to each installer when requesting the quote. This makes sure all three are quoting on the same specification, which is the only way the comparison works for the council.

How the council compares the three quotes

The council does not always fund the cheapest quote. They fund the lowest quote that meets the OT's specification. The distinction matters.

Example: the OT specified a stairlift with a powered swivel seat for safe transfer at the top landing. Quote A is €3,200 but includes only a manual-fold seat. Quote B is €3,650 with the powered swivel. Quote C is €3,950 with powered swivel. The council typically funds based on Quote B because it's the lowest one that meets specification — not Quote A.

This means a 5–10% price-cutting installer who excludes specified items isn't actually cheaper from the council's perspective; they're disqualified. Make sure each installer is quoting on the full specification before comparing.

When quotes from rural counties are hard to find

In Donegal, Leitrim, Mayo, and parts of Kerry, finding three independent installers willing to quote on a specialist job (typically a through-floor lift or curved stairlift) can be genuinely difficult. The pragmatic approach:

• Cast the net wider geographically — Dublin and Cork-based installers will travel for larger jobs
• Document your search effort — emails sent, declined responses, who couldn't quote within timeframe
• Contact the council before submitting and explain the search difficulty — most will accept two quotes plus a documented search effort, particularly with the OT report supporting the rationale

Common three-quotes pitfalls that delay applications

• Quotes from only two genuinely independent businesses — common when families don't realise that two trading names owned by the same parent company count as one. Verify legal independence before submitting.
• Quotes without VAT clearly shown — VAT must be itemised separately so the council can compare like-for-like.
• Mismatched specifications across the three quotes — if Quote A includes a powered swivel, Quote B has a manual seat, and Quote C is silent on the seat type, the council can't compare. Get them re-quoted on a single specification sheet.
• Verbal quotes followed by "send me the spec and I'll write it up" — get the written quote upfront. Verbal commitments do not satisfy the rule.
• Quotes that have lapsed during council processing — request quote validities of at least 90 days, because the council process itself takes 4–12 weeks.
• Quotes missing tax clearance proof — ask each installer for their tax clearance reference at quote stage, not after approval.
• Quotes from installers who turn out to be uninsured — verify €2.6m+ public liability insurance is in force before accepting a quote.

How long does quote-gathering take in practice?

Realistic timeline if you're doing it yourself:

• Identifying suitable installers: 2–5 days of phone calls and emails
• Site visits: 1–2 weeks to schedule three separate installer visits to your home
• Receiving written quotes: 1–3 weeks after each visit
• Total elapsed time: 4–6 weeks for most cases

That's on top of the OT report time. Most family-led applications take 3–4 months total before being submitted to the council, which then takes another 4–12 weeks to approve.

While you're here

• Free HAG eligibility check — see what % of cost the grant will cover.
• The OT report explained — the step before the three quotes.
• The full HAG and Mobility Aids Grant guide — both schemes explained.
• Talk to us if you'd rather we coordinate the three quotes.