Downsizing guides
Every guide on the site, in the order most people need them: deciding, the money, the new home, and making the move.
Deciding
Is downsizing right for you?
Twelve questions to ask yourself, and your partner, before anyone else asks them.
Read →Twelve reasons people downsize
Stairs, bills, the garden, the money, the family, the fresh start. Which ones are yours?
Read →The ups and the downs, honestly
What people say they gained, what they say they miss, and the things nobody warned them about.
Read →Alternatives to downsizing
Equity release, a retirement mortgage, a lodger, adapting the house. When staying put is the better answer.
Read →The emotional side of leaving the family home
Grief, guilt, relief and everything in between. Why it is hard, and what makes it easier.
Read →Talking to the family about downsizing
Early, before decisions are made, with the money on the table. How to have the conversation well.
Read →The money
How much money will downsizing release?
A worked example from a £450,000 house to a £300,000 bungalow, every cost included.
Read →The costs of downsizing
Agent, two sets of solicitors, stamp duty, removals and the surprises. Typical figures for each.
Read →Stamp duty when downsizing
The bands for England and NI, Scotland and Wales, and what happens if you buy before you sell.
Read →Gifting a deposit to children or grandchildren
How to do it properly: the gift letter, the seven-year rule, care costs, and keeping it fair.
Read →Downsizing and inheritance tax
The allowances, the family home allowance and its downsizing rule, and how gifts fit in.
Read →Downsizing and care costs
The means test, the savings limits, and why giving money away to avoid it does not work.
Read →Downsizing, Pension Credit and benefits
What cash in the bank does to Pension Credit, council tax support and the rest. And what it does not touch.
Read →Mortgages in later life
A small mortgage to bridge the gap, a retirement interest-only deal, or a lifetime mortgage. What exists and who can help.
Read →Equity release vs downsizing
Stay put and borrow, or move and bank the difference. A fair comparison with numbers.
Read →The new home
What kind of home to downsize to
Bungalow, flat, retirement village, park home, annexe, new build. The honest pros and cons of each.
Read →Retirement villages and retirement flats explained
Age limits, service charges, event fees and resale. The questions to ask before the show flat wins.
Read →Moving nearer to family
The joy, the traps, and the questions to ask before you move three hours to be near the grandchildren.
Read →Future-proofing your next home
Choose for the person you may be at 85, not just the person you are now. A practical checklist.
Read →Selling first or buying first?
Chains, gaps, renting in between, and why bridging loans are the last resort.
Read →Making the move
The downsizing timeline
From first thought to first night: what to do a year out, six months out, and in the final weeks.
Read →Selling the family home
Valuations, choosing an agent, presenting a lived-in house, and the paperwork that stops delays.
Read →Decluttering a lifetime of belongings
Forty years of things, one room at a time. The method, where things can go, and how to keep the memories.
Read →Moving day and settling in
The day itself, the admin afterwards, and how to feel at home somewhere new.
Read →Downsizing in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
The differences that matter: property tax, the buying process, care limits and benefits.
Read →Get the free downsizing checklists.
Six printable PDFs: the self-check, the ups and downs worksheet, the step-by-step plan, the money planner, the gifting-a-deposit guide and the room-by-room declutter list. Free, in your inbox in a minute.