Housing · England
Moving from your family home
Your browser or device provides the reading voice.
This guide is about planning a move in England.
You can get help to explore your choices.
Think about the home you want
Think about where you want to live.
You do not have to move because you turn 18.
You might stay with family and get more support.
You might want a different home.
Think about privacy, friends and things you enjoy.
Your home needs to work for your body and senses.
Plan housing, care and costs
Ask the council about housing and care together.
Ask for an assessment or review.
Explain the support you need during days and nights.
You do not have to do everything alone.
Check rent, bills, food, transport and care costs.
Ask for a benefits check before you sign.
Ask someone to explain any agreement you might sign.
Check who provides your home and who provides support.
Prepare for the move
Visit possible homes and meet people.
Plan smaller steps if these help you.
Check support, equipment and medicines are ready.
Agree what happens if support is missing.
Plan how to keep seeing people you care about.
Family members can ask for support too.
Reviews and help to speak up
Ask for an advocate if you need help speaking up.
Tell someone if the move or support feels wrong.
Agree when to review your new home and support.
You can ask for changes.
What you can do next
Ask the housing team and social care to help plan together.
Explain what you want and what support you need.
Find your council Web pageFuller informationThis link opens another website.
It may use harder words.
More useful links
- Explore NHS housing options Web page
Read with a supporter and note the options you want to investigate.
- Ask for a care needs assessment Web page
How to contact social care and prepare.
- BTM: Easy Read everyday living booklets Web pageEasy Read resources
Includes moving home and what to do when someone dies. Some booklets are older; check dates and contact details.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Planning to move from your family home
Explore a move at your pace, with housing, money, care and family relationships planned together.
Adults, young people preparing for adulthood and families · England
There is no single right age or route
Some people want to move early in adult life; others want to stay with family or explore changes later. Turning 18 does not itself require a move. Ask about additional support at the family home as well as other housing. Include the person’s own wishes and what family carers are willing and able to provide. Do not wait for a parent to become ill before beginning a conversation.
Describe the home and life you want
Consider location, who you want to live with, privacy, visitors, pets, relationships and access to activities. Include sensory space, wheelchair access, personal care equipment and overnight support where needed. Use photographs, visits or objects to explore choices. Ask what an ordinary evening and weekend would be like, not just what the building looks like on a viewing.
Explore different housing and support arrangements
Options may include renting an ordinary home with visiting support, supported living, Shared Lives or another arrangement suited to the person. Buying may be possible for some people, but needs separate affordability and legal advice. Availability and eligibility vary. Ask the council’s housing team and adult social care to work together. A place offered by a provider is not automatically the only suitable option.
Ask for assessment and a written support plan
Request a care needs assessment or review that considers the proposed move. Include support with meals, money, communication, personal care, health, nights, travel and relationships. For a young person likely to need adult care, ask about a transition assessment when it would be of significant benefit; the Care Act does not set one starting age. Ask who coordinates planning and how any gap between children’s and adult services will be prevented.
Check the complete cost before signing
Set out rent or mortgage, service charges, food, utilities, Council Tax, transport, care charges, equipment, deposits and moving costs. Ask a welfare adviser to check benefits for the particular home; rent help may be through Universal Credit or Housing Benefit depending on the arrangement. A care budget is not automatically a rent budget. Get written care-funding decisions and an affordable household budget, including costs before benefits or services start.
Understand the agreement and your rights
Ask who owns the property, who provides care and which contracts you would sign. In supported living, housing and care should be considered separately; check what would happen if you changed your support provider. Ask for accessible explanations of rent, notices, visitors and responsibilities. Nobody should sign for another adult simply because they are family. Obtain legal advice if the person cannot make the particular contract decision or a move is disputed.
Use a staged plan rather than one moving date
Start by exploring wishes and requesting assessments. Next compare options, meet possible housemates and visit at different times. Before committing, confirm costs, agreements, equipment and an actual staffing plan. If useful and possible, arrange short visits or overnight practice. Agree the moving-day help and an early review after arrival. These are planning stages, not fixed legal deadlines or a requirement to prove every daily skill first.
Prepare support and health handovers
With the person’s consent or other appropriate lawful basis, share the information new supporters need: communication, routines, medicines, eating and drinking instructions, equipment and emergency plans. Arrange training for specific support needs and check who will attend appointments. Confirm where medicines and supplies come from, who to contact if a shift is uncovered and whether the person needs help registering with local health services.
Keep relationships and support family carers
Agree how to keep in touch, visit or stay over, respecting the adult’s preferences and privacy. Parents and siblings may feel both pleased and worried. They can ask for their own support and a carer’s assessment where relevant. Record what family members agree to do; unpaid help must not be assumed to cover missing staff. Keep enjoyable family time separate from a list of care tasks.
Review the real experience and respond to problems
Arrange a date to discuss whether the home, housemates and support work in practice. The person should have a way to speak privately or use an advocate. Report unmet care needs promptly and ask for a review rather than treating distress as proof the person cannot live in the community. If a move becomes urgent because the family home is no longer available, contact housing and social care immediately and explain the care needs.
Words you could use
“I want to explore moving from my family home. Please help me plan housing, care, costs and a gradual move around my wishes.”
More useful links
- Explore NHS housing options Web page
Read with a supporter and note the options you want to investigate.
- Ask for a care needs assessment Web page
How to contact social care and prepare.
- BTM: Easy Read everyday living booklets Web pageEasy Read resources
Includes moving home and what to do when someone dies. Some booklets are older; check dates and contact details.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Where the information comes from
Links checked 1 November 2026.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
- NHS: housing options Web page
Examples of housing choices for disabled adults.
- NHS: supported living Web page
Combining a home with suitable support.
- NHS: needs assessments Web page
Assessment, eligibility and asking about support.
- Care Act factsheets: transition Web pageFuller information
Likely adult needs, significant benefit and no fixed assessment age.
- Care and support statutory guidance Web pageFuller information
Involvement, planning, continuity and willing family support.
- NHS: financial assessments Web page
Care charges and how the council assesses contributions.
- NHS: Mental Capacity Act Web pageFuller information
Decision-specific support and legal safeguards.
A page for you to fill in
You can type your answers and download a copy.
You can also print a page to write or draw on.
Someone you trust can help you.