Granny Annexe in garden - things to consider?

Another one here to say don’t do it. I watched my parents almost divorce because of it as a teenager when my grandparents moved into an annex in our garden. It caused so many issues despite them living in a separate building. They were more high maintenance than the 4 teenagers living in the house..

You'll need to make sure it's all either adapted for reduced or no mobility, or adaptable - so wide doors, space in toilets for walk in showers, all that sort of thing. Specialist advice would help.

But as PP have said, it's likely to all end in tears. Running small errands can escalate into doing a lot of life management, personal care, night waking, dealing with medical issues. And they're unlikely to want carers or to move into residential care when you're just across the garden.

You'll be at their beck and call. There is no real way to enforce boundaries, especially as they get older and require more support.

Don’t do it! I grew up as a child with grandparent living in an annexe and it was disastrous for everyone. It isn’t something I’d do to my own children.

You end up unable to do anything else so it wrecks family life as the elderly person takes over days out, family activities and holidays. Everything is geared to their needs and those needs increase all the time. Who will take them shopping, cook
the meals, do the laundry, take them to appointments? Do the personal care when it gets to that point?

Can cause a horrible financial mess too depending on who owns the land it’s built on and who paid to build it. What happens if they need to move into a care home but their money is tied up in the annexe? What happens if you or your partner lose your job and need to downsize?