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Care home owners and managers

Fixing low occupancy

Is our low occupancy the market or us?

Register for early access All 153 councils · Ask Orrery · every guide

Compare your home with the council, the district and similar homes, then look at what families can afford and where they search.

When people use it: As soon as occupancy drops below where you need it.

In the platform

How it works, step by step

  1. The market's occupancy

    If the council is well above your occupancy, the problem is local or the home; if it is low too, it is the market.

  2. Supply near you

    Is your district short of beds or oversupplied?

  3. Your competitors

    Newer homes and better ratings nearby are the usual reasons families choose elsewhere.

  4. Price

    Are your fees in line with what local house values support?

What you see

The views you will use

Orrery platform: The market's occupancy, Kent example
The market's occupancy (Kent example)
Orrery platform: Supply near you, Kent example
Supply near you (Kent example)
Orrery platform: Your competitors, Kent example
Your competitors (Kent example)
Ask Orrery

Ask the data in plain English

A real question and answer from Ask Orrery, the assistant inside the platform, for a care home owner in Kent (October 2026). It answers only from Orrery's data and the subscriber's own documents, and shows its sources.

Kent occupancy is around 88%. If our home is at 80%, is that the market or us?

It is mostly you. Kent's market is not weak. At 80% you are about 8 points below the county.

  • Kent occupancy was 88.3% in 2026 Q3 and 87.9% as a 12 month average (Capacity Tracker via Orrery). Kent has stayed between 85.6% and 88.3% since 2023.
  • Orrery's guide treats 85% to 88% as soft and 88% to 92% as healthy. Below 85% suggests too many beds or beds people do not want. At 80% you are below that line, in a market that is not.
  • Each point of occupancy is worth about 1% of a home's income. Eight points is roughly 8% of income at the same costs.

Local factors can still matter, such as a new home nearby or a weak district. The usual next checks are your rating, your room mix and condition, and your referral sources. Compare yourself with homes in your own district, not just the county average.

Reading it well
Related scenarios
Setting next year's private feesMarketing plan: where families are searching

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