Whether you have to sell your home to pay for dementia care depends on your specific circumstances. If the person with dementia owns their home and lives alone, the property will usually be included in the financial assessment once they move permanently into a care home. A deferred payment agreement allows the person to delay selling and have the council pay care costs as a loan secured against the property, repaid when the property is eventually sold. If a spouse or dependent relative still lives in the property, it is disregarded from the financial assessment entirely. Taking independent financial advice before making any decision is strongly recommended.