Care home trial periods: how they work and what to check

A care home trial period is the first few weeks of a stay, often four weeks, during which either the resident or the home can end the arrangement more easily if it is not working. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) says trial terms must still be fair: the home should explain them before offering a place, give adequate notice if it ends the trial (seven days is its example), and refund fees paid in advance for any time after the notice period. If the council is arranging the place, ask whether the stay is recorded as temporary or permanent, because that changes how your parent’s home is treated in the means test.

In short

• The CMA’s example of a likely unfair term: either side can end the trial on 48 hours’ notice, with no refund of fees paid in advance.
• Its example of a fairer term: a four-week trial, seven days’ written notice either way, and a refund of fees paid beyond the notice period.
• If a contract is agreed away from the home, for example by phone, email or while your parent is in hospital, there is a 14-day right to cancel.
• Outside a trial, the CMA says a home should give at least 28 days’ written notice before asking a resident to leave.
• A council-funded temporary resident is someone whose stay is unlikely to exceed 52 weeks; their home is disregarded if they intend to return to it.
• Housing Benefit can continue for up to 13 weeks while someone tries out a care home, if they intend to return home and the home is not let.

How care home trial periods work

Trial periods are not set by law. They are a term in the contract, and each home decides whether to offer one, how long it lasts and what happens at the end. Four weeks is common and some homes use six. The point is for both sides to check that the home can meet your parent’s needs and that your parent is settling.

During the trial your parent is a resident like any other, with the same rights to good care, visitors and complaint. Fees are usually charged at the normal rate. At the end there should be a review meeting with you, your parent and the manager, after which the place becomes permanent or a move is planned. Ask for that meeting to be booked in advance.

What the CMA says is fair

The CMA’s consumer law advice for care home providers has a section on trial periods and short stays. It applies to respite stays too.

The CMA also warns that a wholly or partly non-refundable fee on signing can, in practice, take away the right to end the contract during a trial. If you are asked for one, query it. Our guide to care home contracts covers other terms to check, and whether fees are all-inclusive covers extras.

Worked example

Your father’s fees are £1,300 a week and you paid four weeks (£5,200) in advance. At the end of week two he is clearly unhappy and you give seven days’ notice. Under a fair term, you pay up to the end of the notice period, three weeks in total (£3,900), and get £1,300 back. If the home re-lets the room two days after he leaves, it should also refund the fees for the rest of the notice period.

Council-funded trial stays

If the council has assessed your parent as needing a care home, it arranges the place and contracts with the home. The council should review the placement, and if it does not work it must arrange another way of meeting your parent’s needs. Your parent keeps their right to choose a home, subject to cost; see top-up fees.

How the stay is recorded matters for money:

• Temporary stay. A temporary resident is someone whose stay is intended to be for a limited time, with a plan to return home, and is unlikely to exceed 52 weeks. This must be agreed and written into the care plan. Their main home is disregarded if they intend to return to it, and some costs of keeping the home going, such as ground rent, service charges, water rates and insurance, are also disregarded.
• Permanent stay. The home is disregarded for the first 12 weeks; see the 12-week property disregard. After that it can be counted unless someone such as a partner, or a relative aged 60 or over, still lives there. A deferred payment agreement can delay a sale.
• Changes of plan. If a permanent stay becomes temporary, the statutory guidance says it should be treated as temporary from the date of admission. A temporary stay that becomes permanent is charged as permanent only from the date the care plan is changed and agreed.

Benefits change too. Attendance Allowance and DLA stop after 4 weeks of council support. Housing Benefit can continue for up to 13 weeks while someone tries out a care home, as long as they intend to return home if it does not suit them and their home is not let. Tell the council and benefit offices about the move straight away.

If you are self-funding

Pay attention to the same contract terms, and keep your options open until the trial ends:

• Do not give up a tenancy, sell the house or clear it during the trial.
• Ask for a council needs assessment anyway. It records needs, helps if money later runs low, and may lead to funding sooner than you expect.
• If your parent has complex health needs, ask about NHS continuing healthcare before committing to long-term fees.
• Use our care cost calculator to see how long savings would last at the home’s fee.

What to check during the trial

Settling in can take longer than four weeks, especially for someone living with dementia, so look for direction of travel rather than a perfect start. Visit at different times, including a mealtime and an evening, and keep brief notes.

• Is your parent eating, drinking and sleeping reasonably well? Ask whether they are being weighed.
• Are medicines given as prescribed, and has the GP been told about the move?
• Do staff know your parent’s name, history and preferences, and use them?
• Are call bells answered promptly, and is personal care done with dignity?
• Is your parent joining in with anything, or spending all day in their room?
• Have any falls, injuries or incidents been reported to you?
• Are you made welcome when you visit?

Use our care home visit checklist and questions to ask to structure the review. Raise concerns early in writing, not at the end of the trial. If the move is weighing on you, our guide to guilt about moving a parent into a care home may help.

If the trial does not work out

Ask the home to explain its reasons in writing, and ask for a copy of the care plan and notes. If you think the home is ending the trial unfairly, or not refunding fees, use its complaints procedure and then the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman; see how to complain about a care home. Our guide to changing care homes covers moving on.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

The CMA’s advice on fair terms applies across the UK, but charging rules differ in each nation. See paying for care in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Frequently asked questions

How long is a care home trial period?

There is no legal length. Many homes use four weeks and some use six. It is set by the contract, so check the length, the notice each side must give and how fees paid in advance are refunded. The CMA says homes should explain this before offering a place, not once your parent has moved in.

Can a care home ask you to leave during a trial period?

Yes, but fairly. The CMA says the reasons should be clear, such as the home being unable to meet care needs, and the resident should get adequate notice to make other plans; its example is seven days. A term allowing 48 hours’ notice with no refund is likely to be unfair.

Do you get money back if a care home trial doesn’t work?

Under a fair contract, you pay up to the end of the notice period or the date your parent leaves, if later, and get back any fees paid for time after that. If the home re-lets the room sooner, it should refund from that date. Deposits should be returned.

Is a trial period in a care home temporary or permanent for council charging?

It depends on what is written into the care plan. A temporary stay is intended to be limited, with a plan to return home, and is unlikely to exceed 52 weeks; the home is disregarded. A permanent stay gets the 12-week property disregard. Ask the council which applies before the move.

Should I sell my mum’s house during a care home trial?

No. Wait until the trial ends and the placement is confirmed as permanent. If it is permanent, the house is ignored for the first 12 weeks, and a deferred payment agreement can delay a sale. Selling early can leave your parent with nowhere to return to if the home does not suit.

Does Housing Benefit stop during a care home trial?

Not straight away. Housing Benefit can continue for up to 13 weeks while someone tries out a care home, if they intend to return home if it does not suit them and their home is not let. Tell the council about the move.

Sources

• Care homes: consumer law advice for providers (CMA, GOV.UK)
• Care and Support Statutory Guidance, chapter 8 and Annex F (GOV.UK)
• Housing Benefit Regulations 2006, regulation 7 (legislation.gov.uk)
• Claiming benefits if you’re going into a care home (GOV.UK)

General information, not legal or financial advice. Figures for 2026/27, checked October 2026.

Reviewed by The Care Panel team on 29 October 2026. This guide is general information about care in England, not legal, medical or financial advice. Rules and rates change; check with your council or an adviser before making decisions.