Find CQC Care Home Property: Finding Suitable UK Care Premises

A practical guide for care providers, nursing home operators, investors, landlords and developers looking to find CQC care home property across London and the UK

Finding suitable CQC care home property is an important step for operators planning to establish, expand or relocate a residential care service. The right building needs to work not only as a property asset but also as a safe, practical environment for residents and staff.

A suitable care home property may be an existing care home, former nursing home, vacant residential care facility, large detached property, former healthcare building or a property that can be adapted for residential care.

However, finding a building that looks suitable is only the beginning. CQC registration, planning, legal occupancy, building condition, accessibility, fire safety and the proposed care model all need to be considered before committing to a purchase or lease.

What is CQC care home property?

CQC care home property refers to premises intended to accommodate people while providing regulated care services that fall within the scope of the Care Quality Commission in England.

Care home properties can include:

• Residential care homes

• Nursing homes

• Dementia care homes

• Elderly care homes

• Specialist care homes

• Mental health care homes

• Learning disability care homes

• Physical disability care homes

• Former care homes

• Former nursing homes

• Specialist healthcare properties

The property must be suitable for the service being delivered. CQC's Regulation 15 requires premises used by providers to be clean, secure, suitable for their purpose, properly maintained and appropriately located.

Start with the care model before searching for property

The first step is to establish exactly what type of care the property will provide.

A provider looking for a 10-bed residential care home may have very different requirements from an operator planning a 60-bed nursing home or specialist dementia facility.

The property brief should therefore identify:

• Type of care

• Target resident group

• Number of residents

• Required bedroom numbers

• Nursing requirements

• Accessibility requirements

• Staffing model

• Communal space requirements

• Therapy or treatment facilities

• Outdoor space

• Parking

• Location preferences

• Budget

• Purchase or lease requirements

This helps prevent operators from spending time viewing properties that cannot realistically support their intended service.

Existing care homes can provide a useful starting point

An existing or former care home may already contain many of the facilities required for residential care.

Potential features include:

• Resident bedrooms

• En-suite bathrooms

• Communal lounges

• Dining rooms

• Kitchens

• Laundry facilities

• Staff offices

• Medication storage

• Accessible bathrooms

• Lifts

• Gardens

• Parking

• Fire safety systems

A former care home can therefore sometimes reduce the amount of structural adaptation required compared with converting an ordinary residential property.

However, previous use does not guarantee that the building will satisfy the requirements of a new operator. A full inspection and professional due diligence remain essential.

Check legal occupancy before committing to a property

Legal occupancy is particularly important when a property is being acquired for a new CQC-regulated service.

CQC currently requires care home applicants to provide evidence of legal permission to use the chosen premises. The evidence needs to demonstrate that the provider has legal permission to operate from the location and that the premises are suitable for the proposed service.

For a property being rented, this means the lease should be reviewed carefully before the operator commits to the premises.

The lease may need to address:

• Permitted use

• Care home operation

• Alterations

• Planning responsibilities

• Repair obligations

• Compliance responsibilities

• Signage

• Fire safety

• Access

• Assignment or subletting

• Term and renewal provisions

Assess the building against CQC premises requirements

CQC Regulation 15 is particularly relevant when assessing a potential care home property.

The premises should be suitable for the intended service and sufficiently sized for the number of people using it. CQC guidance also refers to adequate toilets, bathrooms, storage and other support facilities, alongside accessibility and reasonable adjustments where required.

During a property assessment, consider:

• Bedroom sizes

• Bathroom provision

• Accessibility

• Internal circulation

• Communal areas

• Storage

• Kitchen facilities

• Staff areas

• Resident privacy

• Heating

• Ventilation

• Lighting

• Security

• Maintenance requirements

The building should be assessed according to the needs of the intended residents rather than simply its existing floor area.

Bedrooms and bathrooms need careful assessment

Bedrooms are one of the most important parts of a care home property.

Operators should consider:

• Number of bedrooms

• Single occupancy

• En-suite provision

• Accessible bedrooms

• Bedroom layouts

• Natural light

• Ventilation

• Privacy

• Space for care equipment

• Potential for future adaptation

Bathroom provision also needs to be considered alongside the number and needs of residents.

A property with a large number of bedrooms may not necessarily be suitable if bathrooms, circulation space or communal facilities are inadequate.

Accessibility should be considered from the beginning

Accessibility can significantly affect whether a property works as a care home.

Depending on the service, the building may need:

• Level or ramped access

• Accessible entrances

• Wide circulation routes

• Accessible bathrooms

• Lifts

• Handrails

• Suitable door widths

• Accessible gardens

• Space for mobility equipment

• Appropriate parking

CQC states that people should be able to enter and leave premises and move around them as independently as possible, with reasonable adjustments made where required.

This is particularly relevant for dementia care, nursing care and services supporting residents with physical disabilities.

Fire safety and building compliance

Fire safety should be investigated before acquiring a care home property.

The buyer or tenant should establish the condition and history of:

• Fire alarm systems

• Emergency lighting

• Fire doors

• Escape routes

• Fire compartmentation

• Fire extinguishers

• Emergency exits

• Evacuation arrangements

• Fire risk assessments

For new care home registration applications, CQC currently requires additional supporting documents including a fire risk assessment, floor plan, evidence of legal occupancy and gas and electrical safety certificates.

Gas and electrical certificates submitted with an application must be current and valid, with CQC stating that they should have been issued within 12 months of the application where applicable.

Inspect the property before agreeing a price

A care home property should be subjected to detailed technical due diligence.

A building survey can identify potential expenditure relating to:

• Roof repairs

• Damp

• Structural movement

• Windows

• Heating

• Electrical systems

• Plumbing

• Drainage

• Fire systems

• Lift maintenance

• Accessibility works

• Kitchen equipment

• Ventilation

• External areas

CQC guidance expects providers to maintain premises and equipment properly and to carry out appropriate health and safety risk assessments.

A property that appears inexpensive at acquisition may therefore require substantial refurbishment before it is operational.

Consider planning before buying or leasing

Planning should be reviewed before committing to a care home property.

The operator should establish:

• Existing lawful use

• Planning history

• Previous care use

• Current permitted use

• Planning conditions

• Proposed alterations

• Extension opportunities

• Parking requirements

• Local planning restrictions

A former care home can be particularly interesting because its planning history may provide useful information about previous use. However, operators should not assume that a previous care use automatically permits every proposed future operation.

Planning advice should be obtained where there is uncertainty.

Look beyond the property itself

Location can have a major impact on the viability of a care home.

CQC guidance states that providers should consider the anticipated needs of people using the service and access to relevant facilities and the local community when planning the location of premises.

Potential location factors include:

• Public transport

• Local healthcare services

• Hospitals and GP services

• Shops

• Community facilities

• Staff accessibility

• Parking

• Residential surroundings

• Local demand

• Noise

• Privacy

• Availability of suitable employees

For London care homes, operators may need to balance accessibility and local demand against higher property costs and planning constraints.

Buying versus leasing CQC care home property

Operators may choose to purchase a property or lease it from a landlord.

Buying can provide greater control over:

• Refurbishment

• Long-term occupation

• Property value

• Future development

• Building alterations

Leasing can reduce the initial capital requirement and allow an operator to expand without purchasing the underlying property.

For landlords, leasing a property to a care provider can create a specialist commercial property opportunity, but the lease should clearly establish responsibilities for repairs, compliance, alterations, insurance and maintenance.

Former care homes can create conversion opportunities

A vacant or closed care home may be suitable for another operator if the building can be adapted to the intended service.

Potential opportunities include:

• Recommissioning a former care home

• Converting a former nursing home

• Modernising an older care facility

• Adapting a large residential property

• Creating specialist dementia accommodation

• Expanding an existing care operation

The financial appraisal should include the purchase or lease cost, professional fees, planning, refurbishment, compliance works, financing and potential delays.

Check the CQC history where relevant

CQC information can provide useful background when evaluating an existing or former care property.

CQC records can show information such as the registered service, service type, regulated activities and registration details. Individual care home profiles can also provide information about the provider and the services registered at a particular location.

However, a property's previous CQC registration should not be treated as approval for a new operator.

The proposed provider still needs to satisfy the applicable registration requirements for its own service.

Finding care home property in London and the UK

Suitable care property can be found through:

• Existing care home sales

• Commercial property agents

• Specialist healthcare property agents

• Former NHS or healthcare properties

• Private landlords

• Off-market opportunities

• Property sourcing networks

• Developers with suitable conversion projects

Off-market sourcing can be particularly useful where an operator has specific requirements that are difficult to satisfy through conventional property portals.

A detailed acquisition brief allows potential properties to be filtered before viewings and technical due diligence.

Working with Fraser Bond

Finding CQC care home property requires more than locating a large building with enough bedrooms.

Fraser Bond can support care providers, nursing home operators, investors, landlords and developers with specialist property requirements across London and the UK.

Support can include:

• Care property sourcing

• Acquisition advice

• Property searches

• Investment assessment

• Planning coordination

• Refurbishment planning

• Building works

• Contractor coordination

• Property management

• Development consultancy

The objective is to identify property that works for the operator's intended care model while considering planning, regulatory, physical and financial requirements.

Due diligence checklist for CQC care home property

Before exchanging contracts, consider checking:

• Title and ownership

• Legal occupancy

• Planning history

• Existing lawful use

• CQC history where relevant

• Fire risk assessment

• Floor plans

• Gas certificates

• Electrical certificates

• Building survey

• Accessibility

• Lift condition

• Heating and ventilation

• Plumbing and drainage

• Kitchen facilities

• Bedroom configuration

• Bathroom provision

• Parking

• Outdoor space

• Refurbishment costs

• Lease terms where applicable

• Insurance requirements

• Development potential

This information can help an operator understand the property's actual cost and suitability before making a long-term commitment.

Find suitable CQC care home property

The right care home property needs to combine suitable accommodation with the practical requirements of the proposed care service.

An existing care home or former nursing home may provide a useful starting point, but operators should still assess legal occupancy, planning, building condition, accessibility, fire safety, location and CQC requirements before proceeding.

Fraser Bond can help care providers, healthcare operators, investors and landlords source and assess suitable care home property across London and the wider UK.

Whether you are looking to buy a former care home, lease premises for a new CQC-registered service, acquire an existing healthcare property or identify a suitable conversion opportunity, a structured property search can help reduce unsuitable options and focus attention on viable premises.