Assisted Living Checklist
The lobby is designed to sell you. This list is designed to slow you down just enough to check the care, staffing, and fees before anyone asks for a signature.
Sources: CareScout Cost of Care Survey 2025, released March 2026; state assisted living regulations and community fee schedules as quoted in writing; accessed October 2026.
Before the tour: care needs and budget
Start this assisted living checklist at home, not at the community. Write down what your parent needs help with each day: bathing, dressing, getting out of bed, medicines, meals, laundry, and getting around. Note what your parent can still do alone, because care levels and fees are set by need, and a community charging for help your parent does not need is a bad fit even if the building is lovely.
Next, set the budget before you tour. The CareScout 2025 median for assisted living is $6,200 per month, which works out to $74,400 for a full year (6,200 times 12). Use $6,200 as a planning anchor, not a quote: a median means half of communities charge more and half charge less, and area and care level move the real figure up or down. Add a margin for care-level fees, medicine management, and other extras, and write down the monthly figure your parent can sustain for years. For the full price picture, read how much does assisted living cost and assisted living costs.
Also settle the decision team before the tour: who visits, who asks the money questions, and who reads the contract. Bring one person who will ask hard questions even when the tour guide is charming, and bring the care-needs list and budget figure.
On the tour: questions grouped by topic
A senior care checklist works best with grouped questions, so nothing gets skipped in the excitement of a nice dining room. Ask each community the same questions, and write answers down on the spot. This is also your assisted living assessment checklist: how the community measures needs decides the care level and the fee.
Care questions: how is the care assessment done, and who does it. What help is included at each care level, and what triggers a move to a higher level. How are medicines stored and given, and who handles refills. What happens at night, and how fast does staff respond to a call button. Ask to see a sample care plan and how often it is reviewed.
Staffing questions: what is the staff-to-resident ratio on days, evenings, and nights. How long do aides and nurses stay in their jobs, and who covers a shift when someone is sick. Is a nurse on site around the clock, or only on call. Ask to meet the person who would manage your parent's care, not only the sales guide.
Fees and contract questions: what does the monthly fee include, and what is charged extra, line by line. How often can fees rise, and how much notice do you get. What are the move-in fee and second-person fee, and what happens to prepaid money if your parent leaves or dies. What is the move-out notice period, and what reasons allow the community to ask a resident to leave. Get every answer in writing, because a spoken promise is worth nothing at billing time.
Red flags and refusals
Walk away from any community that will not answer these questions in writing. A refusal to share the fee schedule, the staffing ratios, or the move-out terms is itself the answer. Other red flags: pressure to sign on tour day, a fee quote that changes before the paperwork, a care assessment done by the sales office rather than a nurse, and a contract that lets fees rise without a stated notice period.
Watch the building as well as the brochure. Note whether residents look engaged or left alone in hallways, whether the dining room smells clean, whether call buttons are within reach, and whether staff greet residents by name. Visit at a different time of day than the guided tour if you can, because evenings and weekends show staffing at its thinnest.
If a community refuses a trial respite stay or a second visit, ask why. A good community expects careful families and answers careful questions. If you feel rushed, leave with your list and tour the next community.
Move-in paperwork and packing list
This moving to assisted living checklist covers the paperwork to gather before move-in day: photo ID and insurance cards, the full medicine list, the health care proxy and power of attorney if they exist, the signed lease and fee schedule, the written care plan, and contacts for the doctor, pharmacy, and family. Read the lease fully before signing, and check the arbitration clause, fee increase clause, and move-out terms against the answers given on the tour. If the paper differs from the promise, ask for a correction in writing before you sign.
The packing list for assisted living starts with daily use items: clothing for a week plus a laundry bag, toiletries, bedding if allowed, glasses, hearing aids and chargers, a phone and charger, and personal items such as photos and a favorite blanket. Measure the room before moving furniture, and ask what the community provides, since bed, dresser, chair, and television vary. Label every item with your parent's name, keep valuables and original legal documents at home, and pack a first-night bag.
On move-in day, confirm the care plan is in place before the family leaves: the medicine schedule handed to the nurse, the meal plan noted, the call button tested, and the after-hours number written down.
The worksheet: compare quotes line by line
Use this worksheet to compare every community on identical lines, writing each quote in its own column. A community that will not quote a line is telling you that line will cost you later, so mark it unknown rather than zero.
| Cost line | Community A | Community B |
|---|---|---|
| Base monthly rent and meals | ||
| Care level fee for your parent's assessed needs | ||
| Medicine management | ||
| Second-person fee, if applicable | ||
| Move-in fee and community fee | ||
| Transport, activities, and laundry extras | ||
| Fee increase rule and notice period | ||
| Move-out notice period and refund terms |
Add the lines for a true monthly total, then compare it against the $6,200 CareScout median and your parent's sustainable budget. If the total is above budget, ask which care level or extras drive the gap. For how to push back on price, read can you negotiate assisted living costs and why is assisted living so expensive. If the choice is between assisted living and a higher level of care, read assisted living vs nursing home cost.
Frequently asked questions
Does your parent need renters insurance for assisted living?
Many communities require renters insurance, and others strongly recommend it, so ask before move-in day rather than assuming. Renters insurance usually covers your parent's belongings against theft, fire, and water damage, and can cover liability if your parent damages the unit. Ask what the community's own policy covers, check whether an existing homeowners policy extends to a facility room, and get the coverage requirement and minimum limit in writing.
Can your parent bring furniture and a pet?
Most communities allow small personal furniture such as a favorite chair, small table, or bookshelf, but rooms vary in size, so measure first and ask what the community provides. Pet rules vary widely: some communities welcome cats and small dogs with a deposit and a care plan for the animal, while others allow no pets at all. Ask about pet deposits, size limits, and what happens to the pet if your parent is hospitalized, and get the rule in writing before move-in day.
What happens if your parent's care needs grow past what the community provides?
Every community has a limit on the care it can give, and the contract should state what happens when a resident passes it. Ask whether your parent would move to a higher care level in the same community, move to a memory care unit, or need a nursing facility. Ask how much notice you get, whether the community helps arrange the move, and what happens to prepaid fees. A community that cannot answer this question clearly is a community to question.
Should a lawyer review the contract before you sign?
A review is worth considering when the contract includes an arbitration clause, a fee increase clause with no stated limit, or move-out terms you do not fully follow. An elder law attorney can flag terms that bind your parent to fees or to a dispute process they did not expect. Bring the fee schedule and the care plan to the review along with the lease, since the three documents together decide what your parent actually pays.
Your next step on this assisted living checklist is to book two tours with the care-needs list and budget figure, ask the grouped questions at each, and fill in the worksheet before anyone asks for a signature. Only sign when the care plan, the fee schedule, and the move-out terms all match what you were told on the tour, and compare totals through assisted living costs.