Most people do not spend much time thinking about their next home move until something changes. A health scare, a milestone birthday, a flight of stairs that suddenly feels steeper than it used to. But by then, the search for the right property can feel overwhelming, especially when the options are so limited.
At Uplifts, we wanted to understand just how limited. Our latest research found that one in four people aged 55 and over are living in homes that will not support their long-term mobility needs. And the property most associated with step-free living, the bungalow, now makes up just one per cent of all new-build homes in the UK.
So at the Ideal Home Show, our expert panel discussed the topic of what this means for older homeowners, and what can be done about it.
Our panel
Louis Stannah, International Marketing Lead, Uplifts
Kate Sheehan, Occupational Therapist, Uplifts
Rachel Ollington, The Estate Agent Consultancy
What does the one-storey shortage actually look like?
For Rachel, working on the front line of the property market, the shortage is not an abstract statistic. It is something she sees play out every day. Bungalows are being snapped up the moment they come to market, often subject to fierce competition, and at prices that reflect just how scarce they have become. For many buyers, the search for a suitable home has become genuinely disheartening.
But the panel were quick to challenge something: the idea that a bungalow is automatically the right answer. Many older bungalows were built with narrow corridors, small bathrooms, and layouts that simply do not meet modern mobility needs. The word bungalow has become shorthand for accessible, but that is not always the reality. And that misconception, the panel argued, may actually be holding people back from considering better options.
Is this a temporary dip or a long-term problem?
Rachel discussed that the near-disappearance of bungalows from new development is not a blip. It is a structural shift driven by land values, planning priorities, and developer economics. Single-storey homes take up more space per unit and generate less return. Without a significant change in policy or incentives, the pipeline is unlikely to improve.
That means the solution cannot simply be to wait for more bungalows to be built. It has to involve rethinking how we adapt and future-proof the homes that already exist, the homes we already own, live in and love.
Rethinking the two-storey home
Here is where the conversation got interesting. Our research found that 22% of over-55s are now open to downsizing into a two-storey home, something that would once have been largely off the table for that age group. What has changed?
Louis pointed to a shift in awareness and expectation. People are increasingly understanding that accessibility is about design, not about home type. A well-designed two-storey home, with a ground-floor bathroom, good lighting, wider doorways, and space set aside for future adaptations, can be just as liveable and just as safe as a bungalow. Especially when a homelift is part of the picture.
The research also found that 12% of older homeowners specifically want space for future adaptations like homelifts when they move. That number may sound modest, but it represents a meaningful shift in how people are beginning to think about their next home, not just for now, but for the years ahead.
What future-proofing actually looks like
Kate brought the occupational therapist's perspective to one of the most practical questions of the talk: what does good future-proofing actually look like when you assess a property?
Her answer was grounded and straightforward. It is not about dramatic structural changes. It is about the basics done well. Is there a bathroom on the ground floor, or space to create one? Are the stairs well-lit and manageable? Are doorways wide enough? And crucially, is there a spot where a homelift could go if it was ever needed?
That last point matters more than many people realise. A home that has been chosen with a homelift in mind, even if one is not installed straight away, gives its owners real options. And options, Kate said, are what independence is built on.
How homelifts are changing the conversation
Louis spoke about how far the homelift has come from the stairlift model many people still picture. Our innovative homelifts are compact, quiet, shaft-free, and designed to sit beautifully within a home rather than stand apart from it. Installation is typically completed in just a few days, with minimal disruption and no need for major building work.
For older buyers considering a two-storey home, that changes the calculation significantly. The question is no longer “can I manage those stairs forever?” but rather “if the stairs ever become a challenge, what are my options?” With a homelift in the picture, the answer is a reassuring one.
Staying rooted in the places that matter
One of the most human moments of the talk came when the panel discussed something that does not always make it into the housing debate: the importance of community. For many older homeowners, the decision about where to live is not just about the property. It is about the neighbours they know, the GP they trust, the shops they can walk to, the life they have built over decades.
The panel agreed that this is exactly why the accessible housing shortage is so damaging. When people cannot find suitable homes in the areas they love, they face an impossible choice between physical safety and the community that sustains them.
Homelifts, Kate noted, can quietly but significantly shift that equation. By making a two-storey home in the right area genuinely workable for the long term, they give people the freedom to stay where they feel rooted, rather than uprooting to wherever a bungalow happens to be available.
The biggest misconception our panel wanted to tackle
If there was one myth the panel wanted to leave behind at the Ideal Home Show, it was this: that the bungalow is the only sensible choice for older homeowners.
It is an understandable assumption, but it is increasingly out of step with reality. Bungalows are scarce, expensive, and often less accessible than people imagine. Meanwhile, a thoughtfully chosen and well-adapted two-storey home can offer more space, more choice, more affordability, and with the right design and the right products, just as much independence.
The panel's parting advice to anyone over 55 planning their next move was simple. Do not start with the home type. Start with the life you want to live, and work backwards from there. The right home is the one that supports you now and can adapt with you later. And with the options available today, that home might look quite different from what you had imagined.
Ready to see how a homelift could transform your home? Book a free in-home visit with one of our specialists, and we will take care of everything from there.