Retirement Living and Care

Understanding the retirement living and care sector

It’s estimated there will be a 28% increase in the number of people of retirement age in the UK between 2020 and 2045 [1]. The retirement market currently outperforms mainstream residential [2]. We understand the drivers for growth in the retirement living sector and the need for innovative choices for older generations.

The care sector has seen increases in mergers, acquisitions and investment activity as well as the impact of labour shortages, funding challenges and the increasing role of technology.

We can work with you on all aspects of retirement living. Whether that’s in integrated retirement communities, multi-generational developments, retirement villages, supported living facilities, care homes or sheltered housing. We recognise the different priorities and challenges you might face such as planning constraints or the trend towards rental opportunities. We will help you to navigate them.

We can help you

We have over 30 years’ experience in the retirement living and care sector. We provide complete support covering the full lifecycle of senior living and care assets.

• property acquisition/disposal, planning, development and construction;
• estate and lease set up, including plot sales;
• portfolio management;
• employment, pensions and benefits;
• mergers and acquisitions;
• housing management, including enforcement of occupational agreements;
• technology;
• contract management;
• green investment and net zero strategies;
• disputes, investigations and prosecutions;
• inquests and regulatory matters.

We understand the issues faced by the retirement living and care sector. We work together with our clients, adding value, whilst investing in the long-term relationship.

Our clients

We work with investors, funders, contractors, developers and operators. We regularly advise some of the largest operators in the UK.

We have extensive experience in this area, including:

• advising on the £300m sale by Bupa of 122 care homes to HC-One, a leading provider of health and social care in the UK – at the time it was the largest ever care home deal in the UK;
• providing real estate advice to prospective purchasers of two of the top 20 long term care providers in the UK;
• advising a prospective purchaser on the acquisition of an operator of 14 retirement villages and provider of residential care/nursing facilities;
• providing real estate advice to the seller on the £1.8bn disposal of BMI Healthcare, the largest real estate deal in the UK in 2019;
• acting for two of the major long term care providers in the UK for a number of years (one for over 25 years);
• providing real estate, construction and planning advice in respect of numerous retirement villages;
• providing real estate advice to the US REIT, Welltower Inc, on its £550m loan to HC-One;
• providing real estate advice to a major health care provider on the £450m funding of a portfolio of care homes;
• advising on the acquisition and disposal of a portfolio of care homes to the Fairhome group;
• acting for a major care provider in a dispute with a construction company relating to material fire safety issues at one of its care homes.

[1] National population projections – Office for National Statistics

[2] Source: Knight Frank, Land Registry