How to Find a Care Provider for My Property - How Landlords Can Attract the Right Operator

If you want to find a care provider for your property, the right approach is to identify operators whose care model, property requirements and expansion plans match what your building can offer.

A suitable property can appeal to care companies looking for new premises, supported living providers, residential care operators and other specialist healthcare organisations. However, care operators often have specific requirements relating to location, bedrooms, accessibility, communal areas, planning and refurbishment.

For landlords, the objective is not simply to find someone willing to rent the property. It is to find an operator that can use the building effectively and support a sustainable long-term lease.

What Type of Care Provider Can Rent My Property?

The type of provider you should target depends largely on the property and its potential use.

Potential occupiers can include:

• Residential care operators

• Nursing care providers

• Supported living providers

• Specialist care organisations

• Healthcare companies

• Organisations supporting adults with learning disabilities

• Providers supporting people with physical disabilities

• Specialist accommodation operators

• Established care groups expanding into new locations

A large property with several bedrooms and communal areas may appeal to a residential care operator, while a property with self-contained accommodation could be more appropriate for supported living or another specialist model.

How to Assess Whether Your Property Is Suitable

Before searching for a care provider, assess the property from an operator's perspective.

Important features can include:

• Number of bedrooms

• Bedroom sizes

• Number and location of bathrooms

• Communal living areas

• Kitchen facilities

• Garden or outdoor space

• Parking

• Accessibility

• Fire safety arrangements

• General condition

• Heating and electrical systems

• Location and transport links

• Potential for refurbishment

The property's existing planning position should also be established before making firm commitments to a proposed care use.

CQC considers factors including the size, layout and design of premises when assessing care providers, so the physical characteristics of a building can be an important part of the operator's decision-making process.

Where Can I Find Care Providers Looking for Property?

A specialist property marketing strategy can help you reach organisations that are actively seeking premises rather than relying entirely on general residential or commercial advertising.

Potential sources of operator enquiries can include:

• Specialist healthcare property marketing

• Direct approaches to care operators

• Supported living organisations

• Healthcare property networks

• Care sector contacts

• Specialist commercial property agents

• Existing operator networks

• Referrals from professional property advisers

The property should be marketed with enough information for an operator to quickly understand its potential.

Create a Property Information Pack

A professional property information pack can make it easier for care providers to assess your building.

It can include:

• Property address and location

• Floor area

• Number of bedrooms

• Number of bathrooms

• Floor plans

• Photographs

• Communal facilities

• Outdoor space

• Parking

• Accessibility information

• Previous use

• Existing planning information

• Current condition

• Potential refurbishment requirements

• Proposed rent

• Lease length

• Availability date

If refurbishment is required, be clear about the work rather than presenting the property as ready for immediate occupation.

An experienced operator may be willing to undertake some improvements if the lease terms and length of occupation make the investment commercially viable.

Does the Care Provider Need CQC Registration?

This depends on the services the provider intends to deliver.

CQC states that the legal entity carrying out a regulated activity is the party that must register. It is not simply the property or care setting that registers.

Where a provider intends to carry out regulated activities in England, it must register with CQC before carrying them out. CQC also states that carrying out a regulated activity without registration is an offence.

For landlords, this means the proposed operator's regulatory position should form part of the due diligence process where CQC registration applies.

Supported living can have a different regulatory structure from a traditional care home. CQC explains that individual homes under supported living schemes are generally not themselves CQC locations, with the provider's service usually coordinated from another location.

Should I Refurbish the Property Before Finding a Care Provider?

Not always.

It can be tempting to completely renovate a property before marketing it, but this may not be the most efficient approach.

Different operators can have different requirements for:

• Bathrooms

• Accessibility

• Bedrooms

• Fire safety

• Kitchen facilities

• Communal areas

• Staff facilities

• Security

• Heating

• Electrical systems

For example, a landlord with a large Victorian property in London may know that the building needs modernisation but may not know whether the eventual operator wants six bedrooms, eight bedrooms, additional bathrooms or a different internal configuration.

Finding the operator first can allow the refurbishment specification to be discussed around its actual requirements.

Planning and Change of Use

Planning should be considered before agreeing to a new care use.

The correct planning position depends on factors such as the property's existing use, proposed care model, number of residents and the way the service will operate.

Significant alterations may also require building regulations approval. CQC's registration guidance notes that building regulations approval can be relevant when changing the use of a property for business or institutional purposes, including nursing homes and homes providing care.

Landlords should therefore establish the planning and building requirements before committing substantial funds to conversion works.

How to Choose the Right Care Provider

Once you begin receiving enquiries, it is important to assess the organisations rather than automatically accepting the first offer.

Appropriate due diligence can include:

• Company history

• Existing care services

• Financial position

• Management experience

• CQC registration where applicable

• Proposed use of the property

• Business plan

• References

• Insurance

• Refurbishment plans

• Maintenance arrangements

• Proposed lease structure

CQC's registration process considers the provider's suitability, staffing, premises and management arrangements, among other matters.

From the landlord's perspective, the operator's ability to support the proposed lease should also be carefully considered.

What Lease Terms Should I Consider?

Care providers may prefer longer leases because establishing a care service can involve substantial investment.

The lease could address:

• Length of term

• Rent

• Rent reviews

• Rent-free periods

• Repairs

• Maintenance

• Insurance

• Refurbishment

• Alterations

• Assignment

• Subletting or occupancy arrangements

• Break clauses

• Reinstatement obligations

If the tenant is expected to spend significant money adapting the property, the lease should clearly establish who is responsible for the work and what happens to those improvements at the end of the tenancy.

Example: Finding a Care Provider for a London Property

Imagine you own a seven-bedroom property in North London with a large kitchen, communal living rooms, two bathrooms, a garden and off-street parking.

The building is suitable for specialist use but needs refurbishment.

Rather than advertising it as an ordinary house, you could prepare a specialist property pack showing the floor plans, room sizes, facilities, parking, garden, condition and potential use.

A property adviser could then approach care providers and supported living organisations whose requirements match the building.

If an operator is interested but requires additional bathrooms or accessibility improvements, those requirements can be discussed before the final lease terms are agreed.

How Fraser Bond Can Help

If you want to find a care provider for your property, Fraser Bond can help position the building for the specialist care market.

Our property services can support landlords with:

• Property assessment

• Specialist marketing

• Identifying potential operators

• Commercial negotiations

• Refurbishment coordination

• Construction and building works

• Property management

• Repairs and maintenance

The aim is to find an operator whose business model and property requirements are compatible with your building.

Whether you own a former care home, large residential property, healthcare building or another property with care potential, the property can be assessed and marketed according to the type of operator it is most likely to suit.

Find a Care Provider for Your Property

If you are asking how to find a care provider for my property, start by assessing the building, establishing its potential use and preparing clear information for prospective operators.

The next step is targeted marketing to care providers whose requirements match the property's location, size, condition and facilities.

Fraser Bond can help landlords market suitable properties, identify potential care operators, coordinate refurbishment and negotiate the commercial arrangements required for a long-term occupation.

If you have a property available for a care provider, contact Fraser Bond to discuss the building and explore the best way to bring it to the specialist care property market.