A guide to downsizing and decluttering your home

Whether you’re moving closer to family or going mortgage-free, our guide will help you deal with the practical and emotional challenges of downsizing.

Moving to a smaller property can bring mixed feelings. You may have lived in your house for decades – accumulating possessions – and letting go may seem daunting.

Speak to people in their 50s, 60s or older who have downsized, however, and they will often tell you they wish they’d done it sooner. Change can be invigorating and downsizing can open up a lifestyle you’d never imagined.

Within the next five years, 15% of UK homeowners – that’s 6.3 million adults – are planning to downsize, according to the Suffolk Building Society. In London, where house prices and the cost of living are at their highest, that figure rises to 25%.

How do you know it’s the right time to downsize?

Downsizing may have been on your mind for a while. Maybe the size and repairs involved in an old house have got you thinking about what it would be like to live in a low-maintenance, modern apartment. Perhaps you’ve done the sums and seen how much you could gain from selling your larger home, living mortgage free and having some spare cash to enjoy life.

Downsizers often discover that living a simpler life can bring great benefits, with less clutter, cleaning and maintenance, and at less expense, with lower household bills.

There’s no need to see this as the last move either: some will view it as a chance to buy a property simply because they love it. Factors that drove house-buying decisions in the past -proximity to schools, a large garden- may no longer apply. This could be the opportunity to choose a home that better suits how you want to live now.

How can downsizing simplify your life?

Downsizing your home can improve your quality of life in many ways. This could include:

• Being closer to loved ones. You can maintain your independence while also being within easy reach of family and friends.
• Being nearer a town or city. Having every amenity you want within walking distance – or a bus hop away – could be highly desirable. This could also mean that you save on the associated costs of driving.
• Enjoying a more manageable home or garden. Consider an energy-efficient new-build or a home with communal grounds.
• Becoming mortgage-free, reducing rent or saving on other living costs – such as council tax and energy bills.
• Making a new start – to experience living in a different area, a different property, enjoying new views and making new friends.
• Becoming part of a community. Moving into a flat which has shared amenities and social events, can open up a new lease of life by bringing you into contact with a new community.

How to declutter and prepare for downsizing

If you’ve lived in your home for some time, there may not be space at the new property for all the belongings you’ve amassed – so it may be wise to declutter a little. Research by British psychologists Caroline Rogers and Rona Hart shows a proven link between decluttering and mental wellbeing.

Tips to make the process as smooth as possible

• Take it one room at a time. Starting small will make it feel more manageable.
• Begin by emptying furniture such as wardrobes, drawers, cupboards and bedside tables. You can also donate your unwanted items to your local Age UK store.
• Split smaller items into ‘keep’ and ‘go’ piles. Famous ‘cleanfluencer’ Marie Kondo encourages us to ask ourselves if an item sparks joy. If not, to get rid of it. Reduce the number of items that come in family-sized sets. Do you still need six of every type of crockery, for example?
• Take your time and start preparing early. Start decluttering once your home goes on the market.
• Measure up. Use the floorplan of your new house to make your final decisions on furniture – and think carefully about what storage space your new home has.
• Ensure you have the right level of home insurance in place for when you move in. If you are moving to a leasehold property you may no longer require buildings insurance. Learn more about home cover with Age Co.

How to handle the emotional side of downsizing

Remember you’re not alone. According to the Open Property Data Association, 34% of house buyers in the last five years aged between 65-74 chose to downsize. For those over 75 almost half downsized. People are doing it earlier in life, too, to reap the financial and lifestyle rewards.

• Reframe the concept and change the name. If, after a lifetime of moving onwards and upwards, doing an about turn feels like a backwards step, then ditch the word downsizing and call it ‘rightsizing’ instead. That’s what Barclays Bank does in its report Rightsizing Revolution: unlocking untapped capacity in the housing market
• Living more simply comes with many positives. If you’ve chosen to downsize for greater financial stability or to be closer to family, remember to focus on how your life is about to change for the better.
• Your clutter might be someone else’s treasure. It’s worth considering if the items you’ve amassed might have value to someone else. If you can bear to let them go, collections of items such as stamps, coins and records can be worth a bit of money to the right person.

Downsizing comes with mental, physical and logistical challenges. But try to view it as the next milestone, rather than a millstone. By allowing yourself plenty of time and head space to tackle each task in turn, you can start to look forward to this new stage of life.