Retirement flats vary a lot, so the surest way to know is to measure: get the floor plan of the new flat, measure the pieces you’d most like to take, and plan it room by room before moving day. That lets you choose the favourites for each room calmly now, rather than on the day the van arrives.
Moving out of a family home is a big change, and deciding what goes with you can be harder than the move itself. Taking it one room at a time helps.
Start with the new flat
Ask the developer, the agent or the scheme manager for a floor plan with measurements, and if you can, visit with a tape measure. Note:
- the size of each room, and where the doors, windows and radiators sit;
- whether the bedrooms have built-in wardrobes;
- the width of the front door, the hallway and any lift, so big pieces will actually get in.
Then choose by room
Go through the new flat room by room and pick what you’ll use and love most: the chair you always sit in, a bed, a table that suits the space, one good wardrobe if there isn’t one built in. Measure each piece and check it against the plan before you decide.
Keep, store or pass on
Our downsizing guide sorts everything into three piles: keep, store for now, and pass on. The keep pile is the things you love that fit the new flat; the store pile is for what you’re not ready to decide about yet, or that family will collect later. The guide suggests about 25 to 50 sq ft for the store pile from a one or two-bedroom flat, and 75 to 100 sq ft from a three-bedroom house.
On our October 2026 price lists, the middle price every four weeks was about £85 for 25 sq ft, £133 for 50 sq ft, £174 for 75 sq ft and £228 for 100 sq ft. Our prices change often, so get a price online for today’s figure.
Storing with us
New customers don’t pay a deposit, and the minimum stay is just two weeks. After that your storage carries on until you give notice, normally 14 days, and we refund any unused days. If you clear some of the unit later, you can move to a smaller one when one’s free.
Our team doesn’t carry, but we can recommend local removals firms, and there are free trolleys at every site. If family are helping, you can share access with them through smart entry.
If you’re arranging this for a parent and hold a registered lasting power of attorney for their property and financial affairs, you can rent the unit in your name as their attorney.
Call us on 0800 2545585 and we’ll help you work out the right size for what you’re keeping.
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