Moving on
If you're considering moving house, think carefully about your reasons before committing yourself. Perhaps your home is now too big, or is expensive to run. Maybe you want to be closer to family, or want a home that is all on one level.

Are you sure that moving will meet all your expectations? For example, if you want to move to the seaside town where you spend your holidays, will things seem quite so positive in the middle of winter when you're a long way from friends and familiar places?

There are many options available if you decide to move: a different house; living with family or in sheltered accommodation; or moving into a care home. Other possibilities include everything from moving to a caravan or 'park home', to emigrating to Spain.

Whatever you want to do, seek advice before making a decision. Elderly Accommodation Council offers a comprehensive advice service covering all types of housing for older people, or you may want to contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau or your council's housing advice centre.

Moving house
If you are thinking about moving house, it is important to look to the future. Will your new home suit you in the long term? You might find it helpful to think about some of the following points, including whether you want to buy or rent.

• Layout and size - is the arrangement and size of the rooms convenient? Would a downstairs toilet be useful? Do you need a spare room for visitors? Is there enough storage space?
• Upkeep and maintenance - will the house be easy to look after? Does it need any major repairs? Is it well insulated? Does it have effective heating?
• Location - is the property close to the shops, post office, library and other facilities you use regularly? Are there good public transport links? Is the area noisy? Have you visited the area at night to get an idea of how safe it seems?
• Cost - will the move make you better or worse off? As well as the rent or mortgage, other things to consider include Council Tax rates, maintenance costs and service charges.
  This is different in Northern Ireland, which has a rates system: every property is valued individually. If you live in Northern Ireland or want to live there, you should contact the rebate section of the rate collection agency in your local area for details.

There are of course many other questions that you will want to ask. You may find it useful to talk to your prospective neighbours to get their impression of the area. 

If you are a council tenant and want to move within the same area, contact your local housing department (or housing executive in Northern Ireland) and ask for a transfer. Although there are often long waiting lists, you may have more chance if you're willing to move out of a larger 'family' home into a smaller one. 

If you want to move to a different area, an organisation called Move UK might be able to help. Move UK can help council tenants through its Mobility Scheme or the Homeswap exchange scheme. Ask your housing department for details or contact Move UK directly.

If you are a housing association tenant, ask your association whether they have any suitable accommodation in the area you want to move to, whether you want to move locally or further away. If the answer is no, ask your housing association whether they take part in any of the Move UK schemes.

Difficulties can emerge if you own your own home, but want to move into council or housing association rented accommodation. Councils and housing associations have long waiting lists, and councils in particular may not consider homeowners for rehousing. However, if there are strong reasons why you feel such a move is necessary, talk to your local council to see if they can help. It might be easier if you want to move specifically into sheltered housing.

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Moving in with family
You may be considering moving to live with members of your family (or having them come to live with you). If so, you and your family need to think carefully about your expectations and how things would work.

One important factor, which is sometimes forgotten, is whether you actually get on with the people you intend to live with. If you don't get on at the moment, when you are living apart, it is unlikely things will get much better when you're always in each other's company!

Before making a decision, discuss the practical issues. For example, how will the living arrangements work? Will you just have a bedroom, or will you have a self-contained bedsit or even a 'granny flat'? Is the house suitable for you? If the house needs to be adapted so that you can live there, your family might be able to get a grant from the local council to help with the cost. See Staying put for more information.

People have different feelings about privacy and independence. How much privacy do you want? Will you be able to keep up your own interests and entertain visitors? Will you share all meals with your family or would you prefer to be able to cook for yourself sometimes? If there are children in the house, will you find it difficult if there is more noise or mess than you are used to?

Finally, be clear about the financial and legal arrangements. Will you pay rent or help to pay household bills? What would happen if you had to move out for any reason? Although it might seem excessive, it is a good idea to have a legal agreement drawn up between you and your relatives. This should establish things like who owns the house, what each party is responsible for and what happens if one or other of you ends the arrangement.

It is particularly important to get legal advice if you are selling your current home and/or putting money towards buying a house with your family. Although it might seem awkward or untrusting to seek independent advice, it is better for everyone in the long term that you are sure of your position before committing yourself.