Short answer: an older person can get help moving from family and friends, their local council, charities such as Age UK and Independent Age, housing directories, solicitors and estate agents, and later-life move specialists who coordinate the whole move. Which you need depends on how much of the move you want taken off your hands.
Family and friends
For many people the first help is close to home. Relatives can sort, pack and drive, and often provide the emotional support that matters most. The limits are time, distance and physical strength: lifting, long days and a fixed completion date are hard to manage alongside work and family. If you are helping a parent, our guide to moving an elderly parent covers how to share the work.
Your local council
Councils in the UK offer information on housing and adult social care, and some give extra support to people who are moving to more suitable housing. What is available varies by area, so contact your council directly. You can find yours on GOV.UK.
Charities and advice services
Age UK and Independent Age provide free information and advice on housing, money and care. Some local Age UK branches also run services such as house clearance or furniture collection, but these differ from area to area, so check with your nearest one. Citizens Advice can help with practical and legal questions.
Housing directories
If you are looking at retirement housing, directories can help you compare options and find services:
- housingcare.org, run by the Elderly Accommodation Counsel, lists housing and care options and moving-home services across the UK.
- Autumna lists later-living housing and moving-home support.
Our guide to moving into retirement housing explains the main types of housing and what to check.
Solicitors, estate agents and financial advisers
A move usually involves a sale, a purchase or a tenancy, so you will probably need a solicitor or conveyancer and, if selling, an estate agent. If you are thinking about releasing money from your home, take regulated advice first. Our guide to downsizing or equity release sets out the questions to ask.
Later-life move specialists
Some businesses specialise in moving older people and take on the practical side. You may see them called a move manager, a downsizing specialist or a later-life relocation service, or find the service described as moving home support. They usually offer:
- A plan and timeline for the move.
- Help sorting and deciding what to keep, sell, donate or let go.
- Careful packing and a removal.
- Unpacking and setting up the new home.
- A single named coordinator, so you are not managing several companies.
This is different from a general removals company, which moves your belongings, and from a house clearance firm, which empties a property. Our page on what an elderly move manager does explains the difference in more detail.
Questions to ask any provider
- Are all staff DBS-checked?
- Is the removal insured, and can I see the cover in writing?
- What exactly is included, and what costs extra?
- Can I have a written quote?
- Who is my point of contact on the day?
- Can I speak to a previous client or read independent reviews?
Where Chayce fits
Chayce Properties is a Northampton-based later-life moving service. We provide one dedicated coordinator for sorting, packing, a fully insured removal and settling in, across the UK. We do not give legal, financial or care advice, and we are not a house clearance firm. A Discovery Consultation, £150, gives you a plan, timeline and budget, and our packages start at £995. To talk it over, get in touch.
