Home contract - you should pay attention to this!

However, you should also draw up your own checklist in which you summarize everything that is important to you in terms of care and support. The key questions you should ask yourself are:

• Type, content and scope of care and support services,
• Detailed description of the location and facilities of the facility (e.g. number of rooms, size of own room, common rooms and their conditions of use),
• items brought in (furniture, electrical appliances, etc.) and liability,
• costs broken down by accommodation, meals, nursing and care services and investment costs,
• Results from the quality audits by the Medical Service of the Health Insurance Funds (MDK),
• the contact details of the responsible complaints office,
• Details about absences: In general, care facilities must reduce the costs of care, accommodation and meals by at least 25 percent from the fourth day of absence in accordance with the WBVG.

The contract itself must also contain these individual services and clearly present the costs. "If the contractor deviates in one or more points from the information you received in advance, they must clearly mark this," says the consumer advice center.

Make sure you have your care home contract checked in advance! Professional help is available for a fee of 60 euros, for example from the Federal Interest Group for the Elderly and People in Need of Care.

Price increases are only permitted if the calculation basis changes and the operator justifies the necessity in writing. They must also offer to adjust the contract if the resident needs more or different care at a later date, unless the resident agrees in writing that certain services will not be provided. If you waive extended services although the facility sees a need, this can lead to termination by the care facility.

You conclude a care home contract for an indefinite period. A time limit is only possible if it does not conflict with the interests of the resident, for example in the case of a temporary
Accommodation. You can cancel by the third working day of the current month, the contract then ends at the end of the month. In the first two weeks, you can terminate the contract at any time without notice, as well as for important reasons, such as inadequate care or price increases. If the resident dies, the contract ends immediately. The operator itself may only terminate the contract if, for example, it ceases operations or the resident fails to pay the full fee for more than two months.

Tip: If you are an authorized representative for the relative requiring care, you should make this clear, for example with "on behalf of". Otherwise, you will be considered a contractual partner and the care home can claim money from you.