C.K. Rafferty Solicitors

13/05/2026

Residential Care and Nursing Home Fees

If you live in Northern Ireland and have over £23,500 in capital (savings, investments and property including the value of your home), your local Health and Social Care Trust will assess you as being able to meet the full cost of your residential care or nursing home.

What happens if you’re a home owner?

If you own your home, it may be counted as capital 12 weeks after you move into a residential care or nursing home on a permanent basis.

However, your home won’t be counted as capital if any of the following people still live there:

-your husband, wife, partner or civil partner
-a close relative who is 60 or over, or incapacitated
-a close relative under the age of 16 who you’re legally liable to support
-your ex-husband, ex-wife, ex-civil partner or ex-partner if they are a lone parent

KEEPING YOUR HOME AND ASSETS

Setting up a family trust
Setting up a family trust is one way of transferring the ownership of your home or other assets to someone else while you’re still alive.

Giving money or property to other people
You may choose to give money or assets to your children or grandchildren. There is no monetary limit on gifts to your children, grandchildren or other relatives, but they may have to pay tax on any interest or income they receive.

If you give an asset to someone within the seven years before you die, the person who receives the gift may have to pay Inheritance Tax on it.

PLEASE NOTE It is against the law to transfer ownership of an asset to another person specifically to avoid paying your care home fees.
The Trust may consider that you have deprived yourself of a capital asset in order to reduce your accommodation charge. If this is found to be the case, the Trust may treat you as still possessing the asset and can recover the cost of your care from you or the person(s) who received the gift.

Planning for the future and all eventualities is absolutely essential!!

04/05/2026

Both offices are closed Monday 4th May for the bank holiday.

They reopen as normal on Tuesday 5th May.

Enjoy the break!!

02/04/2026

Both offices will be closed Friday 3rd, Monday 6th and Tuesday 7th April 2026.

We hope everyone eats and drinks too much over the well deserved break!

01/04/2026

We are delighted to be the main sponsor of the St Pat's Armagh 4th year team who play in the Ulster Colleges Final this evening.

A fabulous achievement in itself to get to the final but we know these great young men want more than that.

in Unum

31/03/2026

Due to a security alert in Lurgan our Lurgan office is unable to open at present as the road is closed.

Please contact the Armagh Office on 02837511292 if you have any urgent queries.

As soon as the road reopens we will be back as normal.

10/03/2026

Armagh Gaol has been identified as a priorty project for restoration of some kind.

Local businesses were invited to an information morning to express opinions.

We hope something comes of it as there have been many false dawns.

Kathryn nearly got thrown in the cells 😁

03/03/2026

At CK Rafferty Solicitors, we’re proud to be a family‑run practice serving the communities of Armagh and Lurgan.

Whether you need support with conveyancing, wills & probate, family matters, personal injury, or general legal advice, our team is here to guide you with clarity, care, and decades of experience.

Local people. Local service. Trusted advice.

Get in touch with our Armagh or Lurgan office to see how we can help

17/02/2026

What a great event the Armagh International Road Race was last week.

Here's a photo of Kathryn with the prize winners of the kids' race we sponsored looking like a kid herself! :)

12/02/2026