Care homes in London: fees, waiting times and viewing guide

Care homes in London typically charge self-funders about £1,615 a week for residential care and £1,850 a week for nursing care, the highest of any English region, according to the Care Panel directory (CQC data, November 2026), which lists 1,279 homes. No official figure exists for how long a place takes to find, and London’s low bed supply per older person makes early planning worthwhile.

At a glance

• The Care Panel directory lists 1,279 London care homes; of 1,191 rated, 90% are Good or Outstanding (England: 83%).
• Typical self-funder fees: £1,615 a week residential, £1,850 a week nursing, the highest regional benchmark in England.
• Each of the 33 borough councils runs its own adult social care, with its own contacts and rates.
• London has 64.1 registered care home beds per 1,000 people aged 75+, the lowest of any region (England: 81.6).
• No official waiting-time statistic exists for care home places.

What should families expect when searching for a care home in London?

According to the Care Panel directory (CQC data, November 2026), London has 1,279 CQC-registered care homes. Of the 1,191 that CQC has rated, 90% are Good or Outstanding, above the 83% England figure. Of the 1,279 homes, 383 provide nursing care (30%, the same as England) and 596 support people living with dementia.

The homes are not evenly spread. The boroughs with the most care homes in the directory are Croydon (126), Enfield (82), Barnet (80), Redbridge (77) and Sutton (67), whereas central boroughs have far fewer: Westminster lists 9, Tower Hamlets 10 and Camden 11. The Care Panel’s 2026 analysis in care home beds per older person by council found London has the fewest registered beds per older person of any region, at 64.1 per 1,000 people aged 75 and over. Thirteen of the 15 councils with the lowest bed supply are London boroughs, led by Haringey at 28.4 per 1,000, and the analysis notes that many residents in those boroughs move to homes outside the borough.

In practice that means Londoners often need to look beyond their own borough, to outer London or the counties around it. Weigh how far family can travel against the choice on offer; see also hardest places to find a care home bed.

How much do care homes in London cost?

The Care Panel’s 2026 benchmarks put a typical self-funder fee in London at £1,615 a week for a residential care home and £1,850 a week for a nursing home, compared with £1,185 and £1,305 in the North East. Nursing homes usually cost more than residential homes because registered nurses are on duty. Prices inside London vary by borough, building and level of care, so treat these as benchmarks, not quotes. See how much does a care home cost and care home fees by region.

Councils pay less than self-funders. The median rate across London boroughs in 2025/26 was £1,157 a week for care homes without nursing and £1,190 with nursing, according to the Care Panel’s county fees table. Boroughs differ widely, as the extremes in the Department of Health and Social Care’s 2025/26 data show.

Those figures come from the council-by-council listing on the Care Panel’s what every council pays page, and the range across 33 boroughs is a reminder to ask the borough funding your relative for its current rates. If the home you prefer charges more than the council will pay, a top-up may be asked of a relative; read care home top-up fees. Under the Care Act guidance, a council must make sure at least one suitable accommodation option is available and affordable within the person’s personal budget, and extra payments must be optional and never the result of a lack of choice.

How long does it take to find a care home place in London?

The Care Panel is not aware of any official statistic for how long it takes to find a care home place in London or anywhere in England. The register shows how many homes exist and how they are rated, not how many have a room free this week. Rather than invent an average, here is what shapes the search.

• Bed supply. With fewer beds per older person than other regions, central and inner boroughs rely on homes elsewhere, which widens the search area.
• Type of care. Nursing, dementia and complex needs reduce the number of suitable homes.
• Funding. Council-funded places depend on the borough’s rate, and some homes limit how many council-funded residents they take.
• Urgency. Hospital discharge shortens decision time; see care after hospital discharge.
• Paperwork. Needs assessment, financial assessment and the home’s own pre-admission assessment each take time to arrange.

To speed up the search, ask the borough for a needs assessment straight away and start gathering financial documents so the financial assessment can run alongside it. Shortlist several homes across more than one borough and ask each about current and expected vacancies and waiting lists. Consider a short stay to bridge the gap: respite stays in care homes and emergency respite care explain how, and the care home trial period covers what to agree in advance. If you are moving a relative out of the borough, check with the council how funding will work first.

How do London borough councils arrange and fund care?

London has 33 local authorities, the 32 borough councils and the City of London, and each is responsible for adult social care in its own area. The Care Act 2014 gives adults who appear to need care a right to a free needs assessment from their council, whatever their savings; GOV.UK has a postcode search to find the right council, and the Care Panel directory links to each borough’s page. Start with preparing for a care needs assessment.

If the person is eligible, the borough carries out a financial assessment. In England in 2026/27, savings above £23,250 usually mean paying in full, savings below £14,250 are ignored, and between the two limits £1 a week is added for each £250 above £14,250. In a care home the person’s home is counted unless a partner or certain relatives still live there, although it is ignored for the first 12 weeks of a permanent stay. A council-supported resident keeps a personal expenses allowance of £31.80 a week. The full explanation is in the care means test explained, and deferred payment agreements explained covers delaying a property sale.

The statutory guidance for the Care Act says that if a person chooses a home outside the council’s area, the council must still arrange their preferred care, and should have regard to the cost of care in that area when setting the personal budget. That matters in London, where moving beyond the borough is common. Ask the funding borough in writing how the personal budget will be set. See also choosing a care home when the council pays. Example borough pages on the Care Panel include Croydon and Haringey.

What do CQC ratings show in London, and what should you check on a viewing?

According to the Care Panel directory (CQC data, November 2026), London’s 1,191 rated care homes break down as follows.

That means 10% fall below Good, against 17% across England, and 3% are Outstanding, against 5%. By borough, the directory shows Merton with all 35 rated homes Good or Outstanding, while Rainham in Havering has the lowest share, 63% (5 of 8 homes). The Care Panel’s best and worst council areas analysis also lists Islington at 100%. About 27% of London ratings were published in the last two years (England: 28%) and 42% are more than four years old (England: 49%). In the past year 67 homes registered and 37 of them have no rating yet. Over 12 months CQC published 189 new London ratings: 22 up, 9 down and 18 first ratings. See rating changes in London, how old care home ratings are and CQC ratings explained.

Viewing checklist for London homes

• Check the home’s registration against the need, and read the latest CQC report, including the inspection date.
• Ask which boroughs place residents there and whether it accepts your funding borough’s rate without a top-up.
• Ask for the written fee schedule, extras, notice of fee rises and what happens if savings run low.
• Visit at a mealtime and watch how staff speak with residents. Ask about night staffing, agency use and how long the manager has been in post.
• Test the journey for visitors by public transport, at the time you would normally visit.
• Ask how the home meets language, cultural, faith and dietary needs; London homes serve many communities, and faith and LGBT-friendly care homes explains what to ask.

A longer list is in questions to ask when visiting a care home.

How can the Care Panel directory help with a search in London?

Start at care homes in London, which lists boroughs and postcode districts, then open a borough such as care homes in Croydon. Each listing shows the latest CQC rating and inspection date. The Care Panel lists and compares services but runs none; featured providers are paid and clearly labelled, and the ranked list is ordered by rating, then distance (see how we rank). Counts differ slightly between Care Panel pages because some pages group homes by town and others by council area.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a care home cost in London?

Typical self-funder fees are about £1,615 a week for residential care and £1,850 for nursing care, according to the Care Panel’s 2026 benchmarks. These are the highest regional figures in England.

How long does it take to find a care home in London?

No official figure exists. London has fewer beds per older person than other regions, and timing depends on urgency, the type of care and funding. Starting the council assessment and viewings together shortens the search.

Which council do I contact for care home funding in London?

Contact the borough council where the person lives, not where the home is. GOV.UK has a postcode search to find it. Ask for a needs assessment, then a financial assessment.

Can I choose a care home outside my borough?

Yes. The Care Act statutory guidance says that if a person chooses a setting outside the council’s area, the council must still arrange their preferred care and may consider local costs when setting the personal budget.

Are London care homes well rated?

Generally. According to the Care Panel directory (CQC data, November 2026), 90% of rated London homes are Good or Outstanding, compared with 83% across England, but results vary by borough.

Where to get help next

Work out what you may pay with the what will I pay tool or the funding checker, then browse homes through find care. For other cities see care homes in Birmingham, and for home-based options read home care vs care home.

Sources

• GOV.UK: apply for a needs assessment
• GOV.UK: Care and support statutory guidance
• GOV.UK: social care charging for care and support 2026 to 2027, local authority circular
• GOV.UK: Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund 2025 to 2026, care provider fees
• NHS: care homes

See also: Care homes in Edinburgh: fees, waiting times and viewing guide · Care homes in Bradford: fees, waiting times and viewing guide

Reviewed by The Care Panel team on 9 November 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.