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Buy a care home in the UK

Care homes are the most asset-heavy business on this platform and the most heavily financed. Three quarters own their premises, and nearly three quarters carry a charge against them.

What the Care Quality Commission registration means

Every care home in England must be registered with the Care Quality Commission, which inspects it and publishes the registration. A live CQC registration means the home is operating and has been visited by an inspector, not merely that a company exists.

Why buyers look here

Demand is demographic and does not soften. The freehold is usually part of the deal, which changes how a purchase is financed and what a lender will lend against. Most homes are single-site and owner-run, which is why consolidators look here first.

What to check

• The registration is held by the operating company, which is not always the company that owns the freehold.
• Bed numbers set the ceiling on revenue and are fixed by the registration, not by the building.
• A high proportion of homes carry secured debt, so the charge register is where a deal gets complicated.
• CQC ratings are published separately and are not reproduced here; check them at the source.

How to search

Choose Care homes on the search screen and narrow by town, how long the business has traded, how ownership is held, and whether the premises are traceable. Searching is free and shows the shape of each company without naming it. A report on one company costs from £4.90.

Search care homes

Related sectors

• Buy a domiciliary care agency in the UK
• Buy a supported living provider in the UK
• Buy a childcare nursery in the UK
• Buy a dental practice in the UK

SME44 is an intelligence platform, not an adviser, and nothing here is for sale. Public registers contain errors and delays, and our matching of one register to another can too. Verify anything important against the source register before acting. Nothing here is legal, financial, tax or investment advice.