CQC Office Requirements for Domiciliary Care: What UK Providers Need

A practical guide to choosing, preparing and securing suitable office premises for a CQC-registered domiciliary care business across London and the UK

For a domiciliary care business, the office is more than an address for receiving post. It can be the registered location from which the provider plans, coordinates and manages care delivered in people's homes.

The Care Quality Commission states that premises from which a provider organises or manages care delivered in people's homes are locations under its location rules. For domiciliary care, these locations will usually be offices.

This makes choosing suitable premises an important part of setting up a home care agency.

What Are the CQC Office Requirements for Domiciliary Care?

There is no single prescribed office size or standard office layout that every domiciliary care agency must have.

Instead, the premises need to be appropriate for the service being provided and capable of supporting the effective management of the regulated activity.

A domiciliary care office may need to accommodate:

• Registered manager activities

• Care planning and coordination

• Staff management

• Staff meetings

• Supervision

• Training

• Record management

• Private discussions

• Business administration

• Communication with service users and their families

CQC describes a domiciliary care location as a place where care is routinely planned and coordinated and where the regulated activity is managed. It can include premises where records are maintained and staff meetings, supervision and training take place.

Does a Domiciliary Care Agency Need a Physical Office?

For a conventional domiciliary care model, the operational base should be a genuine physical location from which the regulated service is managed.

CQC specifically states that a virtual office is not a location. An address used only for receiving mail or diverting telephone calls does not qualify as a CQC location.

This means a new provider should not simply purchase a virtual business address and assume that it can be used as the registered office for domiciliary care.

The premises should provide a genuine operational base for the care business.

What Type of Property Is Suitable?

A conventional commercial office will often be suitable, provided it can support the proposed operation and can lawfully be used for the business.

Potential options include:

• Small commercial offices

• Professional office suites

• Ground-floor commercial offices

• Offices within business centres

• Former healthcare or professional premises

• Larger offices for established care providers

The most important consideration is not whether the property is marketed as an "office". It is whether the premises are suitable for the actual operation of the domiciliary care service.

What Should Be Inside a CQC Domiciliary Care Office?

The exact layout will depend on the size of the provider and the services being delivered.

However, a practical office should provide sufficient space for the core functions of the business.

Management Workspace

The registered manager and management team need appropriate workspace from which they can oversee the regulated service.

This may include desks, computers, telephone facilities and secure systems for managing the business.

Care Coordination Workspace

Care coordinators may need to manage rotas, communicate with care workers, arrange visits and respond to changes in service users' circumstances.

For a growing agency, dedicated coordination space can become increasingly important.

Private Meeting Space

A private room can be valuable for:

• Staff supervision

• Interviews

• Performance discussions

• Meetings with families

• Confidential conversations

• Care-related discussions

The office should allow sensitive matters to be handled appropriately rather than requiring confidential conversations to take place in an open workspace.

Secure Records

Domiciliary care providers handle confidential information about service users, employees and the operation of the service.

The office should therefore support appropriate security for physical and electronic records.

This could include locked storage, restricted access and secure IT systems.

Does the Office Need a Specific Size?

CQC does not prescribe one universal office size for every domiciliary care provider.

A small agency with a few employees will have different requirements from a provider managing dozens or hundreds of care workers.

For example, a start-up might operate effectively from a modest office containing management workstations, a private meeting room and secure storage.

A larger provider may need:

• Multiple management offices

• Care coordinator workstations

• Interview rooms

• Training space

• Meeting rooms

• Reception space

• Larger secure storage facilities

• Staff areas

The property should be proportionate to the service while allowing sufficient room for its safe and effective management.

Can You Use a Home Office?

A domestic property should not automatically be assumed to satisfy CQC location requirements.

CQC states that a private home is not a location where it is not the primary place from which the service is managed. For domiciliary care, the relevant location is the premises from which the regulated activity is routinely managed.

If you are considering operating from a residential property, you should establish whether it genuinely functions as the operational base and whether the property can lawfully be used for the intended business.

For many providers, dedicated commercial premises provide a clearer arrangement.

Can a Serviced Office Be Used?

You should be careful when considering serviced office premises.

CQC distinguishes a genuine operational location from temporary premises, such as serviced offices used for short periods for recruitment. Temporary use does not automatically make those premises a CQC location.

Therefore, a provider should examine the precise nature of the serviced office agreement and whether it provides a genuine, ongoing base from which the regulated activity is routinely managed.

The fact that a business centre provides a desk, meeting room and business address does not by itself establish that the premises are suitable for CQC registration.

What About Legal Occupancy?

Legal occupancy is one of the most important property issues for a new domiciliary care agency.

CQC currently requires home care agencies applying for registration to provide evidence of legal occupancy. The evidence must be valid when the application is made and clearly demonstrate that the provider has legal permission to operate its service from the chosen location.

Depending on the circumstances, this may involve documentation such as:

• A commercial lease

• Ownership documentation

• Landlord permission

• Other evidence establishing lawful occupation

If you are renting, check the lease carefully before signing it.

The permitted use should be appropriate for the intended domiciliary care operation.

Does the Landlord Need to Know It Is a Care Business?

Yes, this should be dealt with before committing to the property.

A landlord may have restrictions on the activities permitted within a commercial unit. The lease may also contain restrictions concerning alterations, visitors, signage or the type of business conducted from the premises.

For a care provider, these issues should be identified before the lease is completed.

You should be able to demonstrate that you have lawful permission to operate the proposed service from the property.

What Planning Issues Should You Check?

Planning use should be considered before taking an office.

A property may be marketed as commercial premises, but that does not automatically mean every proposed use is permitted.

Before signing a lease, investigate:

• Existing planning use

• Proposed business activities

• Any planning restrictions

• Lease restrictions

• Required alterations

• Building regulations

• Fire safety considerations

• Local authority requirements

Where building regulations approval applies, CQC's current application guidance also identifies a building control final certificate among the documents that may need to be submitted.

What Documents Does CQC Require from a Domiciliary Care Provider?

The office is only one part of the CQC registration process.

For new home care agencies, CQC currently requires additional documents including:

• Business plan and financial forecast

• Evidence of legal occupancy

• Service user guides

• Staff training plan

The provider must also complete the additional form for personal care providers.

There are also documents required from provider applicants generally, including a statement of purpose and a range of policies covering areas such as complaints, consent, safeguarding, governance and infection prevention and control.

The office should therefore be considered alongside the wider registration preparation rather than as a standalone property requirement.

What Is the Statement of Purpose Connection?

Your Statement of Purpose needs to identify the locations from which your regulated activities are provided or managed.

CQC guidance states that each location should include information such as:

• Address and contact details

• Description of the location

• Type of service

• Service user groups

• Regulated activities

• Registered manager responsible for the activities

This means the office you choose needs to correspond with the operational structure described in your registration documentation.

Does the Office Need to Be Accessible?

Accessibility should be considered when assessing the premises.

Your office may be visited by:

• Staff

• Managers

• Applicants

• Service users

• Families

• Professionals

• Inspectors

The suitability of access will depend on the nature of the business and the property.

When comparing offices, consider entrances, stairs, lifts, toilets, parking and general ease of access rather than focusing only on floor area.

Does the Office Need a Training Room?

Not every domiciliary care business necessarily needs a dedicated training room.

However, training is an important part of running a care agency. CQC currently requires home care agencies to submit a staff training plan as part of the registration application.

A suitable office might therefore include a room that can be used for:

• Staff induction

• Training sessions

• Team meetings

• Supervision

• Management meetings

Smaller providers may use a flexible meeting room rather than dedicating an entire room exclusively to training.

What About Fire Safety?

Fire safety should form part of your property due diligence.

The office should be appropriately maintained and suitable for its intended use. If alterations are planned, you should establish whether additional building or fire safety requirements apply.

The precise requirements will depend on the property, its layout, occupancy and proposed use.

Rather than assuming that an office is compliant because it was previously occupied by another business, assess its current condition and intended use.

Does the Office Need Parking?

Parking is not simply a question of CQC registration.

It is an operational consideration.

Domiciliary care workers may need to travel to and from the office, while managers, applicants and visitors may also need access.

In urban areas such as London, good public transport connections may be more valuable than extensive private parking.

For agencies operating across suburban or rural areas, parking and road access may become more important.

Where Should a Domiciliary Care Office Be Located?

The ideal location depends on the geographical area served by the agency.

A provider serving several London boroughs might look for premises close to major transport routes, while a provider operating in a smaller town may prioritise parking and proximity to residential communities.

Consider:

• Target service area

• Staff recruitment

• Public transport

• Road connections

• Parking

• Local workforce

• Client accessibility

• Cost of occupation

• Potential for expansion

The most expensive postcode is not necessarily the most practical location for a domiciliary care operation.

Renting a CQC Suitable Office

Renting can be a practical option for a new provider.

However, the headline rent is only one part of the cost.

Before agreeing to a lease, investigate:

• Rent

• Service charges

• Business rates

• Deposit

• Lease length

• Break clauses

• Repair obligations

• Insurance

• Permitted use

• Alteration rights

• Parking

• Signage

• Access

• Landlord consent

A property that appears affordable at first may have significantly higher total occupation costs.

Buying an Office for Domiciliary Care

An established care provider may consider buying its operational premises.

This provides greater control over the property and can create a long-term business asset, but it also means taking responsibility for maintenance, insurance, repairs and other ownership costs.

Before purchasing, assess whether the property is suitable for the current operation and whether it can support future growth.

What CQC Does Not Consider a Suitable Location

Understanding what does not qualify can be just as important as understanding what does.

CQC's current guidance says a domiciliary care location is not:

• A virtual office

• A PO Box

• A private home that is not the primary management base

• Premises used only for storing records

• Temporary premises used for short-term recruitment

• Premises used solely for receiving mail or diverting calls

• The private home where a person receives care

The central principle is that the location should be where the provider routinely plans, coordinates and manages the regulated activity.

When Should You Secure the Office?

Ideally, the property should be dealt with before submitting your CQC application.

CQC's current homecare application guidance states that applicants should only submit an application when everything is ready to start providing services and specifically says applicants should have set up their premises and recruited their staff.

This means choosing an office should not be treated as something to resolve after submitting your application.

Finding a CQC Suitable Domiciliary Care Office

The best property search begins with a clear brief.

Tell your property consultant or commercial agent that you need:

Property type: Commercial office

Business: Domiciliary care or home care agency

Purpose: Operational and CQC location

Location: Target boroughs or service area

Size: Appropriate for current staff and planned growth

Facilities: Management workspace, care coordination, private meetings, secure records and training

Occupancy: Rental or purchase

Compliance: Legal occupancy, planning and building considerations

This is much more useful than simply asking for "an office for a care business".

How Fraser Bond Can Help

Finding a suitable office for domiciliary care involves both property and regulatory considerations.

Fraser Bond can assist care providers, landlords and investors looking for suitable premises across London and the UK, including CQC office requirements, domiciliary care offices, care agency premises and property for home care businesses.

From identifying suitable commercial property to considering lease arrangements, refurbishment requirements and wider property support, the objective is to help care providers establish a practical operational base for their business.

Questions to Ask Before Taking a CQC Domiciliary Care Office

Before committing to a property, ask:

• Is this a genuine physical operational location?

• Can I legally operate my domiciliary care business here?

• Does the lease permit the proposed use?

• Can I provide evidence of legal occupancy?

• Is there enough management workspace?

• Is there sufficient care coordination space?

• Can confidential records be kept securely?

• Is there a private meeting area?

• Can staff supervision take place here?

• Can training be accommodated?

• Is the property accessible?

• Are there planning restrictions?

• Are any building works required?

• Are fire safety arrangements appropriate?

• Is the location practical for my service area?

• Can the office support future growth?

• What are the total occupation costs?

Choosing the Right Office for CQC Regis