Care services aren’t usually free. And some people do sell their home to pay for care.

Depending on your circumstances, you might need to pay the whole amount yourself, or contribute towards the cost of your care home or home care fees.

Not everyone will need to sell their home, though. For example, if you’re planning on receiving home care, you can keep your property. If you can afford to pay care costs from your income or savings, you won’t need to sell your home. And, if someone else will continue to live in your home, you also may not need to sell it.

In this guide, we’ll look at whether you’ll need to sell your house to pay for care, what your local authority will look at when conducting a financial assessment, and how to avoid selling your house to pay for care.

But first, do you need care urgently? If so, it’s important to get the support you need. Find Your Room can help you. Whether you’re looking for home care, or a place in a care home or supported living scheme, the Find Your Room care search can help you find care services with availability near you. 

Do you have to sell your house to pay for care?

Care costs can be expensive, whether you’re looking at home care or residential care. Most people can’t cover these costs with their current income, so they may need to use their savings or raise money another way – and for some, this means selling their property.

However, many people don’t need to sell their homes to afford care.

Depending on your circumstances, you may be entitled to help from your local authority to afford your care costs.

How to get support from your local authority to pay for care:

Step 1: Apply for a needs assessment. This will help you to understand exactly what support you need. A social worker or occupational therapist will ask how you manage day-to-day tasks, such as preparing food, washing, or moving around your home. Your local authority can then make recommendations about whether you would benefit from moving to a care home, having help in your own home from a carer, or making changes to your home. The needs assessment is free. It might happen face-to-face, over the phone, or online. 

Step 2: Have a financial assessment. After your needs assessment, if your local authority agrees that you need support, they will arrange a financial assessment to see whether they will contribute towards the costs of your care.

In a financial assessment, the local authority will look at your income, pensions, benefits, savings, and land or property.

If you have less than £23,250, the local authority will generally help to pay for your care.

Your financial assessment will be handled slightly differently depending on whether you want home care or a care home.

Let’s look in more detail at what will be included in each assessment.

Do you have to sell your house to pay for home care?

If you receive home care, you won’t need to sell your house to pay for care. 

When you have care at home, the value of your property isn’t included in your financial assessment. The local authority will only look at your savings, income, and other assets.

Find out more about home care, and whether it’s the right choice for you.

Do you have to sell your house to pay for a care home?

You may need to sell your house to pay for care home fees, depending on your circumstances.

If you plan to move to a care home, the financial assessment will take your property into account – as well as your savings, income, other assets.

However, sometimes the value of your home won’t be included in the financial assessment:

 

  • You won’t need to sell your home if certain people will continue living there, such as your partner, a relative over the age of 60, a relative with a disability, or a dependent child. Your local authority may also disregard the value of your home if someone else lives there, even if they don’t fit into one of these categories. 

 

  • You won’t need to sell your property if you only need short-term or respite care in a care home. 

 

The value of your home won’t be taken into account for the first 12 weeks of your care home stay. This gives you time to sell the property, or make other arrangements to pay your care costs.

How much can you keep before paying for care in the UK?

Most people with less than £23,250 in savings and assets will get help with their care costs. 

Your local authority will have an upper limit that they will pay towards care. Each area should have at least one care home that is within this budget. If your savings and assets are below £14,250, your local authority may pay the full amount of your care costs. 

When it comes to paying for care, there are a few options, depending on your circumstances. 

  • If you have less than £23,250 in savings and assets, you will probably be entitled to support from your local authority with care costs. 

 

  • If you have enough savings, income, or assets, you can self-fund your care. Some people are able to do this with their existing savings, pension, or other income and assets. However, if you can’t cover the costs from these areas and you’re moving to a care home, you may need to sell your home to pay for the care costs.

 

  • If you have a primary health need, you may be entitled to NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC). This is not a means-tested benefit, and the NHS won’t take the value of your home, savings, or other assets into account. They will pay the total amount of your care costs, whether you need home care or a residential care placement.

 

  • If you don’t qualify for CHC but need nursing care, you may be entitled to NHS funded nursing care (FNC). The NHS will pay for the nursing component of your care if you receive care in a nursing home. Currently, since April 2026, this is set at £267.68 per week. This isn’t a means-tested benefit, so the value of your home won’t be considered. However, this only covers the nursing component of your nursing home fees, so you’ll need to pay for the rest yourself.

 

If you’re considering moving to a supported living scheme, your options might be slightly different. Find out how to pay for supported living.

How to avoid selling your house to pay for care

Many people would prefer to avoid selling their property. If you don’t want to sell your home to pay for your care, you have a few options. 

You can avoid selling your house to pay for care if you:

  • Choose home care: If you’re receiving care at home, you won’t have to sell your property.

 

  • Use savings or other assets to pay for care: If you have significant savings or other assets, you might be able to pay for your care that way.

 

  • Rent out your property: Rather than selling your home, you could rent it out and use the rental income to pay for your care fees. However, this means that you’ll take on the responsibilities of being a landlord, and your care costs may be higher than your rental income.

 

  • Purchase lifetime care insurance: Some insurance providers offer lifetime care plans, where you pay them a lump sum and they’ll give you a monthly payment for the rest of your life. This could cover your care costs, avoiding the need to sell your home.

 

  • Consider a Deferred Payment Agreement: Your local authority will pay your care fees, and recover the money later on – either when you eventually sell your home, or from your estate after your death. You can usually access around 70-80% of the value of your home this way – but it may not be available if you currently have a mortgage. If you want to use this option, talk to your local authority when you have your financial assessment.

 

You should avoid transferring property and assets to a family member or friend ahead of any financial assessment. This could be considered deliberate deprivation of assets, and your local authority may still take their value into account when assessing whether you’re able to pay for care. 

How to find care quickly

Now that you understand more about how you’ll fund your care, it’s time to look for the right support for you or your loved one. There are ways to avoid selling your home to pay for your care, such as choosing home care, using a Deferred Payment Agreement, or using other assets to pay for the support you need.

Remember, even if you choose to move to a care home, the value of your property won’t be taken into account for the first 12 weeks of your stay. And if your partner or certain other people continue to live in the home, it won’t need to be sold.

Whether you want to receive care in a care home or in your current home, Find Your Room can help you find the right care service for you. Simply use the FYR website or app, and use our care search to look for local services that meet your needs. You can even search by availability, so that you know that the listed care services have space for you right away.