A guide to selling the family home for a loved one in care

When a parent or older loved one needs to move into residential or nursing care, selling the family home often becomes part of the process. It’s a practical step but it can also be one of the most emotional and complex challenges a family can face.

Selling the family home is not just financially, legally and practically unique, it’s also emotionally unique and often happening at an already emotional and stressful time.

Understanding the emotional, financial, legal and practical uniqueness of selling a home when a loved one moves into care can make the process smoother and less stressful for everyone involved.

Understanding why the family home often has to be sold

If a loved one needs to move into a care home the Local Authority will conduct a Care Needs Assessment and Financial Assessment. If no spouse or qualifying relative remains living in the property, the local authority will include the home’s value in the financial assessment. If your loved one’s assets (including the home) are valued above £23,250 in England or £50,000 in Wales they will be classified as a ‘self funder’ and likely responsible for paying for their care.

For many families, this means the sale of the home is necessary to pay for care fees. 

There are financial options available that can mean it is possible to delay the sale of the family home (which we will come to), however it’s worth stating here that the recent promotion of Asset Protection Trusts as a way to avoid selling the home to pay for care has been widely debunked, not least by the Association of Lifetime Lawyers, whose report on the problems with Asset Protection Trusts can be found on their website.

The emotional uniqueness of selling the family home

Homes that our loved ones have lived in for many years form part of their identity - especially for the generation who were predominantly ‘homemakers’ and ‘breadwinners’. They are full of memories from the largest chapter of their lives and closing that chapter comes with its own sense of loss, grief and sometimes denial. 

If the home is also the one that you grew up in then it can form part of your history and identity too, and is often still a safe place to retreat to. Letting go of the home can be emotionally challenging for both you and your loved one.

Take time to acknowledge these emotions - they’re part of the process. Approach each step with patience, empathy, and understanding that this is more than a transaction. You don’t need to have everything sorted immediately - the process does take time and so use this to your advantage. Take the opportunity to take photos, perhaps hold a final family gathering and say your personal goodbye to the home. 

The sale can also represent a bigger change in family dynamics and roles, both between the generations and between siblings/other family members, which can also be emotionally challenging. If possible, keep siblings and relatives informed with clear communication, and delegate tasks based on who is realistically best placed to complete them. Transparency reduces stress and helps maintain harmony during an emotionally charged time.

The Legal uniqueness of selling the family home

It is important to be clear on who has the legal authority to sell the home. If your loved one has mental capacity then they can sell the property themselves, with your assistance of course.  

If they do not have capacity then you will need either a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) for Property and Financial Affairs or a Deputyship Order from the Court of Protection to sell the home on their behalf.

As part of a sale there are a myriad of legal forms that make up the draft contract. These include the Property Information Form and Fixtures and Fittings Form. If you are selling a home on behalf of a loved one you may need some time to gather the answers to these questions and it’s best to do this in advance of a sale being agreed to avoid delay later on in the process and reduce feeling pressured to complete them quickly. 

It is therefore worth instructing a conveyancing solicitor early on in the process. Make sure you use a solicitor that appreciates your circumstances - one that you can contact directly by phone and email and visit in person should you wish to, or indeed will visit your relative in their care home if appropriate.

If your loved one has lived in their home for over 40 years the property may not be registered on the Land Registry. Whilst this is not a problem as such, it can cause delays and the Title Deeds will need to be found. Again, checking this sooner rather than later will reduce the risk of delays and bumps in the road later on in the legal process.

Finally, it's worth being aware that a sale is not legally binding until exchange of contracts, which comes at the end of the legal process. At present the time from a sale being agreed to exchange of contracts is averaging just over 4 months - we touch on timescales later.

The financial uniqueness of selling the family home

As mentioned, if your loved one’s assets total over £23,250 in England or £50,000 in Wales they will likely be responsible for paying for their care. Whatever their financial circumstances, it is advisable to contact the Local Authority and have a care needs assessment and financial assessment undertaken so that your loved one ‘is on their radar’ and you can explore the various financial options and support - both for now and the future.

For many in later life their home is their largest asset and the home will need to be sold to cover the cost of care - indeed they can often be ‘asset rich and cash poor’.

There are two unique financial offerings available when it comes to the cost of care and selling the home: 

First is the 12 week property disregard. This means that the value of the home is not taken into consideration in the financial assessment for the first 12 weeks of care, giving families time to explore their financial options.

Second is a Deferred Payment Agreement. This is when the Local Authority pays for the care and puts a ’charge’ against the property to recover the costs once the home is sold. Again, this allows time to consider various options and for the property to be sold. Both the 12 week property disregard and Deferred Payment Agreement must be offered by the Local Authority if your loved one meets certain criteria, but they come with conditions and may not cover the full cost of care, so it’s vital to speak to the Local Authority and get clarity on what your loved one is entitled to.

When it comes to the sale of the home, getting a realistic valuation based on the market and the condition of the property is vital. Over-valuing can occur in order to ‘win an instruction’; however, this can lead to a protracted time on the market and actually selling for a lesser price. It’s also worth taking advice on whether making improvements to the home and/or staging will add either value and/or saleability - sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t - again this depends on the market at the time and the selling features of the home.

When it comes to the sales process, most costs (such as estate agent fees and solicitors’ fees) are paid from the proceeds of the sale rather than paid in advance.  

Finally, there is then the question of what to do with the proceeds of the sale. Many people just put the funds in an account and watch the balance fall as care is paid for - leading to anxiety about the funds running out and also frustration that the loved one’s assets have been eroded. It is worth talking to a Society of Later Life Financial Adviser to discuss options to cover the cost of care for life, such as a care fees annuity plan, whilst also potentially ringfencing some of the proceeds from the sale.

The practical uniqueness of selling the family home

There are many things that make the sale of a home when a loved one moves into care practically unique; we will focus on some of the most common here:

Living far away and juggling your own life

It is often the case that those selling a home when a loved one has moved into care are also juggling their own work life and home life, and potentially living many miles away from the home itself. If you find yourself in this position then try to be realistic about what you can manage and seek help where you can.

Working with professionals that are empathetic and pragmatic, and that build their service around your circumstances and can be flexible with how, when and where they communicate with you can be a huge relief.  

Preparing to market and presentation

This can often feel like the most daunting part of the process. How do we present our loved one’s home for sale? Where do we start? This is the time to be pragmatic and, as far as possible, let go of personal attachment (easier said than done I know). 

Furnished properties make it easier for a buyer to visualise the space on offer, but too much clutter is distracting and off-putting; try to find a balance between retaining homely touches whilst showing off the space on offer. You don’t need to have all your loved ones’ possessions sorted at this stage, and can definitely make use of lofts and garages while the home is being marketed.

You can go so far as staging a property or you can use CGIs (computer generated images) to showcase how the home could be presented. Whilst staging a property can have significant cost implications, research does show that, for certain properties, it adds significant value as well. There are plenty of organisations that can help with both decluttering and staging which we can introduce you to. 

Vacant property

If the home is vacant then there’s a few things to consider. Firstly, make sure that the insurance company has been informed and check if there are any conditions that need to be met to keep the insurance valid. Secondly, depending on the time of year, consider keeping the heating ticking over so that it’s not too cold for viewings and to prevent any burst pipes in the winter. 

Timescales

The average time to agree a sale in the current market (November 2025) is just over 2 months and the average time to move from a sale agreed to completing the sale is just over 4 months; so on average it’s approximately 6 months from marketing to securing the funds. You can see the average timescales on the Free Resources section of the Turners Oak website. 

There are ways to reduce this timescale, such as setting a realistic marketing price, discussing timescales as part of the offer negotiation, and being legally prepared. You can also consider options such as the ‘modern method of auction’ if certainty and timescales are particularly important to you.

Final clearance

Unless otherwise agreed with a buyer the home needs to be empty on completion of the sale. Take the time between marketing the home and the sale completing to make decisions about the remaining items. Often this sorting can take longer than expected as you stumble across a box of memories to go through. 

Again, involve other relatives and your loved ones where you can, but set clear timescales and expectations for people to make decisions about what they might want to keep, and bring in the support of an empathetic and experienced professional declutterer from organisations such as APDO if helpful.

Take a moment to say a final goodbye to the home before the sale completes.

Key Takeaways

• Check who has the legal authority to sell the home and explore the financial options in relation to care fees funding.
• Consider what you need to do when and who else can be or needs to be involved - whether that’s professionals or family members.
• Work with professionals that understand your situation and that will provide empathetic, pragmatic and expert advice in a manner that works for you.
• Expect it to be emotional - there’s a lifetime of memories, family dynamics and an antiquated sales process to navigate - all at a time of potential high emotion already.

Turners Oak is the only advisory and estate agency service that specifically supports older homeowners and their families in navigating the uniqueness of selling a home in later life. Use this link to take you to the free resources section of its website.

Turners Oak is a SOLLA affiliate and completely focused on the needs of older homeowners and their families. They often work with clients who are moving into care homes and understand the complexity and emotional and practical aspects of needing to sell a home at this time.

For more information on how Turns Oak can help you, call 020 3916 6045 or email Susan Gregory [email protected]

Need help finding a care home?

Use Autumna’s shortlisting tool to find the best care homes in the UK. Autumna has independent and impartial information on every registered care home in the country. Whatever you need, we can find it.