Home Care Franchise Requirements in the UK
What you need to start a home care franchise — and how Right at Home helps you get there
Published: 23/06/2026
What Are the Requirements for a Home Care Franchise in the UK?
If you've been exploring the idea of running a home care franchise, one of the first questions you're likely to ask is: what do I actually need? Do you need qualifications? A care background? A certain amount of money? Regulatory registrations?
The honest answer is that the requirements are more accessible than many people expect. This page sets out what's required to start a home care franchise in the UK, and how Right at Home supports new franchise owners through each step.
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An Overview of the Requirements
There are four main areas to consider when assessing your readiness to start a home care franchise:
- Financial investment: A total investment of circa £145,000, with bank lending up to 75% available to those with a strong credit rating.
- Regulatory registration: Approval from the relevant governing body is mandatory before you can deliver personal care.
- Personal suitability: No care background required — but leadership, values, and commitment are essential.
- Your team: A Registered Manager and a team of DBS-checked Carers are required from the outset.
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Do you need qualifications or a care background?
This is one of the most common questions we hear — and the answer is no. Right at Home does not require franchise owners to hold care qualifications or to have worked in the sector before.
Our franchise owners come from a wide range of professional backgrounds: finance, the armed forces, hospitality, education, retail management, IT services and more. What they share isn't a CV — it's a set of qualities that make them effective business leaders in a values-driven sector.
What we look for isn't a care qualification. It's the right mindset: a genuine commitment to the people your business will serve, and the leadership potential to build a team that reflects that.
We will support you to appoint a qualified and suitably experienced Registered Manager (RM) — someone who either holds or is working towards a Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care. We will also train you in the key operational aspects of their role, so that you can manage your Registered Manager effectively and develop a partnership that brings flexibility and resilience to your start-up operation.
For franchise owners with the appropriate social care background and management experience, it may be possible to act as both the Nominated Individual and Registered Manager during the early stages of the business.
However, as the service grows, many owners choose to appoint a dedicated Registered Manager, allowing them to focus on developing the business while maintaining strong operational leadership and regulatory compliance.
Financial Requirements
Starting a home care franchise requires a meaningful investment — but it's one that comes with significant support, both from Right at Home and from the UK's major banks, which are well-acquainted with the proven franchise model.
The figures quoted below are estimates, since the total investment requirement will depend upon your location, local market rates, personal overheads and any other sources of household income. We will support you to build your own financial projections for your business plan, using conservative average growth rates and factoring in all known eventualities.
Total investment: £145,000 (circa, including all costs)
Franchise fee: £39,000 +VAT
Working capital: £100,000 (up to, for early trading)
Min. personal contribution: ~£45,000 (based on 70% bank finance)
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Working capital is a critical part of the start-up plan. It helps cover early trading costs, payroll, recruitment, local marketing, office overheads and your personal income requirement.
The working capital element exists to sustain your business during the early months of trading, before you reach profitability. Right at Home also offers relief on its ongoing management fee in your first year: No fee whatsoever for the first six months of trading, then 4% for the following six — giving you breathing room as you build and supporting you to break even.
Successful franchise brands are a low-risk lending category for banks. Bank lending is commonly available up to 70% of the total investment, subject to status, with some lenders potentially considering up to 75% in suitable cases. Right at Home can help you prepare for those conversations — we even provide a full business planning service via an experienced independent broker, as part of our start-up package.
Candidates will typically need access to circa £45,000 in unencumbered personal funds, meaning money that is readily available to invest in the business and not already committed, borrowed, or secured against other obligations.
Regulatory Requirements
Home care is a regulated activity in the UK, which means you must be formally registered before you can legally begin providing personal care services. This isn't a hurdle unique to franchising — it applies to any provider of regulated care.
In England, registration with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is mandatory. The CQC will assess whether your planned service is safe, effective, caring, responsive, and well-led. The registration process typically takes 12 to 16 weeks and requires a range of documentation, including a statement of purpose, a business plan, and evidence that you and your Registered Manager meet their requirements of being a ‘fit and proper person’.
Equivalent regulators apply a similar process in Scotland (Care Inspectorate), Wales (Care Inspectorate Wales), and Northern Ireland (RQIA).
Right at Home's highly experienced Quality & Compliance team has successfully guided dozens of franchise owners through this process. You won't be navigating the paperwork alone.
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What You'll Need to Prepare
- A registered limited company (Companies House registration, SIC code 88100)
- A completed provider application and statement of purpose
- A completed Registered Managers’ application
- A Registered Manager ready to start, with a CQC-Countersigned DBS enhanced background check
- A three-year business plan with financial forecasts
- A suite of mandatory care policies (safeguarding, consent, medicines management, and others)
- A suitable office to operate from, with a business address and space to train care staff as well as run the business. Again, this is something we give clear guidance on to help you make informed decisions.
Getting Started
Two important points to be clear on: You cannot run your business from home, and you cannot begin providing regulated care until your CQC or equivalent registration is confirmed. Delivering personal care before regulatory registration is an offence under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
However, companionship care is not regulated, so it is possible to start trading with a restricted service offering prior to registration, once the franchisor is happy that you’re ready to do so.
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Building Your Team
From the moment you open your doors, the quality of care your Clients receive will depend on the people you recruit and the support you give them. Right at Home's standards in this area are high — and that's a strength, not a burden. It's why families trust us, and why that trust translates into a sustainable, growing business.
Your manager will deliver care to your first Clients, but you will need to recruit Carers who pass enhanced DBS checks, hold appropriate references, and — importantly — share your commitment to delivering care with genuine warmth and professionalism. As your business grows, so will your team.
Right at Home provides structured induction and ongoing training for all Carers, covering everything from mandatory care standards and safeguarding to medication awareness and safe moving and handling techniques.
Your Carers will only start working independently once they’ve completed their training, spent time shadowing an experienced colleague, and been signed off as competent and confident in all aspects of the job. As a franchise owner, you benefit from this tried-and-tested recruitment and training framework from day one.
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What Right at Home Handles with You
It's worth being clear: meeting these requirements is something Right at Home actively supports you through — not something you navigate alone after signing on the dotted line.
- Pre-launch training covering operations, care standards, and compliance
- Step-by-step guidance through the registration process
- Recruitment frameworks and Carer training programmes
- Regular support from our Business Growth Consultants
- A dedicated Quality & Compliance Manager for your territory
- Access to specialist expertise in Marketing and Workforce Development
- Peer support from a network of experienced and like-minded franchise owners
The requirements to start a home care franchise are real — but with the right franchisor beside you, they're entirely achievable.
Is a Homecare Franchise Right for You?
Starting a business is a significant decision. We’re here to help you decide whether homecare franchising, and Right at Home, are right for you.
We’ll walk you through what the journey looks like, from your first conversation with us through to launch, so you can move forward with confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need experience in care to start a home care franchise?
No. Right at Home does not require a care background, and the majority of our franchise owners came to us from entirely different sectors — finance, hospitality, the armed forces, retail management, and beyond.
What matters far more than prior experience is your approach to leadership and your genuine commitment to the people your business will serve. The technical knowledge of running a care service is something Right at Home's training programme equips you with before you open your doors.
Do I need any qualifications to run a home care franchise?
As a franchise owner, no formal qualifications are required. However, every registered home care service must have a Registered Manager in place — someone who holds, or is actively working towards, a Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care.
How much does a Right at Home franchise cost in total?
The total investment is typically around £145,000. This includes an initial franchise fee of £39,000 +VAT, and circa £100,000 in working capital to sustain the business through the early months of trading until it becomes profitable.
The start-up fee includes access to the Right at Home brand and systems, exclusive territory rights, comprehensive training, and the full package of deliverables you'll need to open your office.
You don't need to fund the full amount personally. Many franchise owners fund part of their investment through finance, typically requiring around £45,000 in liquid capital, subject to status.
As part of the recruitment process, Right at Home provides access to independent business planning support to help you understand the investment in full and assess whether it's viable for you.
Can I get funding to help with the franchise investment?
Yes. Most of the UK's main banks — including HSBC, Lloyds, NatWest and Barclays — will consider lending 70% of the total investment for an established franchise, provided you can present a strong business plan and meet their personal financial criteria.
Such is the strength of Right at Home’s track record, this extends to an offer of 75% from HSBC, but it’s our preference that franchise owners have at least a 30% stake in their finance where possible.
Our experienced team can support you in preparing for those conversations, helping you understand what lenders typically look for and how to present your application in the best possible light.
What is CQC registration and do I need it?
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and social care in England. If your business will provide personal care — which all Right at Home franchises do — then CQC registration is a legal requirement.
The registration process typically takes 12 to 16 weeks and requires you to demonstrate that your planned service will be safe, effective, caring, responsive to people's needs, and well-led. Equivalent regulators cover Scotland (Care Inspectorate), Wales (Care Inspectorate Wales), and Northern Ireland (RQIA).
Right at Home has a 100% success rate in supporting franchise owners through this process and will guide you through each step, from completing the documentation to preparing for any assessments.
How long does it take to get up and running?
From the point of committing to the franchise, most Right at Home owners start trading within six to nine months. The CQC registration process — typically 12 to 16 weeks — is usually the longest single element of the pre-launch period.
During that time you won't be waiting passively. You'll be completing your training, setting up your business, laying the groundwork to build your team, and preparing your local marketing. By the time your registration is confirmed, you're ready to take your first Clients.
It’s also important to stress that you can continue working throughout much of this preparatory period. We will help you manage your start-up timeline to minimise the length of time that you are not earning, and ensure that your working capital includes a realistic wage to cover your household overheads in the early days.
Do I need to hire staff before I can register with the CQC?
You will need to have a Registered Manager on board, with a start date that aligns with your launch plan, before your CQC application can be submitted. This person will be named on the registration and is responsible for the day-to-day management of the regulated activity.
Your recruitment activity can start during the registration stages, with your manager providing the care for your very first Clients while you both onboard and train your first Care Assistants. All care staff must hold an enhanced DBS check before they can work with Clients, as well as working through a safe recruitment process in line with regulatory requirements.
What does Right at Home's ongoing support look like?
Consistency comes from structured operational frameworks, regular quality oversight, shared best practice and close collaboration between National Office and franchise owners.
Our teams work closely with offices across the UK to help maintain strong standards while supporting each business to grow sustainably within its local community.
Is a home care franchise right for me if I'm not sure yet?
That uncertainty is completely normal — and it's exactly what our discovery process is designed to address. We're selective about who we invite to join Right at Home, because we’re protective of our consistently high standards and successful trading track record. We want you to make the right decision for yourself, just as much as we want to find the right people for our network.
The best next step is a no-obligation conversation with our franchise recruitment team. There's no pressure and no sales pitch — just an honest discussion about whether this opportunity fits your circumstances, your goals, and your values. The conversation will only progress if we recognise in you the traits of a successful Right at Home franchise operator.
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