CQC Compliance Checklist 2026: Care Home Premises & Estates
CQC compliance checklist 2026 for care homes: 7 estates items to track (FRA, gas, EICR, legionella, asbestos, IPC fabric, contractors) and care home compliance software that keeps evidence live.
In This Article
- Proprietas keeps care homes inspection-ready between CQC visits — per-home dashboards, certificate tracking, packs on demand.
- Premises and estates evidence sit beside clinical quality in how safe a service looks.
- Care home compliance software must beat spreadsheets for multi-home groups.
- Free contractor portal so engineer visits land in the register.
A CQC compliance checklist in 2026 is incomplete if it only covers clinical process. Inspectors still fail services on premises and estates evidence that was “somewhere on the shared drive.” This guide is the estates lens: what every care home must track, and what care home compliance software should automate.
Deeper product context: Care home compliance software.
What changed in CQC estates compliance for 2026
- Stronger focus on estates and facilities evidence as part of safe care
- Digital-first inspections — produce the trail quickly
- Expectation of near real-time risk registers, not annual rewrites
CQC compliance checklist 2026 — 7 estates non-negotiables
- Fire risk assessment current, with open actions closed or risk-accepted
- Gas safety (where applicable) with competent contractors
- Electrical safety — EICR / fixed wiring evidence for the premises
- Legionella / water hygiene — assessment, control scheme, temperature/flush records (L8 guide)
- Asbestos where buildings pre-date the ban — register and contractor briefings
- Infection-control fabric — cleanable surfaces, ventilation, plant maintained as IPC defines
- Contractor and visitor control — who was on site, for what, with method statements
Best care home compliance software (estates)
1. Proprietas — best for most care homes and groups
- Auto-tracks CQC-relevant certificates
- Per-home dashboards for multi-site groups
- Inspection-ready packs
- Unlimited free contractor seats · pricing
2. Planon — large enterprise care groups
- Full IWMS; often overkill and expensive for single homes.
3. MRI Evolution — if already standardised
- Slow to adapt admin around new evidence expectations without heavy config.
Comparison
| Proprietas | Planon | MRI Evolution | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per-home dashboards | Native multi-site | Enterprise config | Enterprise config |
| Certificate AI | Native | Limited | Limited |
| Pricing | Published from £199/mo | Quote-only | Quote-only |
| Clinical eMAR | Not offered (use clinical systems) | Not core | Not core |
Frequently asked questions
What is on a CQC compliance checklist for premises?
The seven items above are the estates core. Clinical medication and safeguarding sit in clinical systems — do not force them into CAFM.
Do care homes need property compliance software?
Multi-home groups almost always do. Single homes can start lighter, but spreadsheets fail as soon as contractors and renewals multiply.
How does this relate to healthcare estates compliance software?
Same spine: live statutory evidence per site. NHS-leaning estates also see HTM and DSPT digital expectations — see AI for NHS estates compliance.
Conclusion
- Best for most care homes and small groups: Proprietas
- Best for very large enterprise FM stacks: Planon