New to Hanover

Moving home can be a worrying and daunting prospect. To help you, we have put together a brief guide to the main points when considering moving to a retirement property.

There are five areas to think about:

• Your personal wishes
• Location
• The estate
• Your home
• Support and care.

Your personal wishes

Consider what is important to you:

• Do you want to stay close to your friends and neighbours or move closer to relatives?
• Do you have a pet you wish to keep with you? Hanover has a pet friendly policy.
• Do you have any particular hobbies or interests that you want to continue?

Location

If you can, look around the neighbourhood:

• Do you like the location?
• Is it close enough to town or the countryside?
• Is it too busy or too quiet for you?
• Do you know anyone living locally?
• Are there facilities or societies for older people nearby?
• Is the local community, shops or post office within easy reach?
• Are the bus services frequent and convenient?

The estate

We always encourage people new to Hanover to visit an estate(s) before they apply. Once you have found an estate you are interested in, arrange to visit and ask as many questions as you feel necessary. You may wish to take along a family member or friend with you. If possible, try to visit the estate twice as it may look and feel different on a rainy day or at the weekend. Think about the following:

• Is it attractive and well cared for?
• Is it safe and secure? All Hanover estates are alarmed and have door entry systems.
• When is the estate manager available?
• Does it offer the facilities you want, for example, a communal lounge, laundry room, hairdressing salon, or a guest suite?
• Are there gardens and who maintains them?

Your home

It is important that you view the actual property before making a decision. Consider:

• All Hanover properties have en suite facilities, but do you require a level access bathroom and shower and / or grab rails?
• Is it easy to move around the flat? Is it wheelchair accessible?
• Are the fitted cupboards and kitchen appliances easy to reach?
• Do you want to live on the ground floor or above?
• Is there a lift to all floors? 
• Will you find it easy to keep clean?
• Is there room for your furniture and belongings?

Support and care

In considering the facilities, think about the help you may need today and in the future.

• Does the estate manager have links with social or health services?
• How close is the local GPs surgery and hospital?
• Is there a cleaning service available?
• If you need more support, is ExtraCare housing available in your area?

Remember this checklist when you search for a property in our Housing section which also explains about Hanover’s different types of housing. Alternatively, our Services section has information about our range of housing and support services to help you in your current home.