I have to agree with JKH.

The requirement for an inspection has to do with your local Authority Having Jurisdiction. Some places have absolutely no oversight on residential lifts, others send an inspector directly employed by the local government into your home to certify the unit. Some municipalities will not issue a Certificate of Occupancy for a dwelling without a certified inspection.

That being said, spend a few thousand dollars and get something safer for you and everyone else that will come in contact with the lift. A "simplistic one man lift" can kill somebody.