What is the purpose of a downsizing family meeting?
A family meeting can help a homeowner explain priorities, hear concerns and agree on practical help. Start by asking whether they want the meeting, who they want involved and which information they are comfortable sharing. The outcome can be a question to investigate or a pause; it need not be a decision to sell.
The Downsizing Consultation & Follow-Up Kit includes a four-page homeowner-led meeting worksheet and a 45-minute agenda. It records participation, concerns and actions. It is not a legal authority form, a capacity assessment or permission for another person to make the homeowner's decisions.
Agree on participation and sharing before sending invitations
Clarify what the homeowner wants to discuss and whether they want a private conversation first. Confirm the participants, communication arrangements and any practical access needs they wish to identify. Ask which documents, cost details or notes may be shared and which should stay private.
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada's meaningful-consent guidance stresses clear information about collection, use and disclosure. Apply the relevant privacy and brokerage requirements to the actual record. A family connection is not, by itself, permission to circulate client information.
- Name the purpose and the invited participants.
- Record the topics the homeowner wants covered or left out.
- Confirm who receives the recap and what it may contain.
- Use approved storage and a suitable sharing channel.
- Seek the appropriate professional guidance if authority or capacity is uncertain.
Keep a record of the instructions rather than relying on an assumption that everyone has agreed to everything. Avoid adding sensitive details that are not needed for the meeting's practical purpose.
Give the conversation a manageable structure
| Time | Purpose |
|---|---|
| 5 minutes | Confirm purpose, participants and sharing boundaries |
| 10 minutes | Hear the homeowner's priorities and what they want to preserve |
| 15 minutes | Review the options, concerns and missing information |
| 10 minutes | Agree on one manageable next action and its owner |
| 5 minutes | Read back the summary and confirm contact preferences |
This example is a planning aid, not a required meeting length or a clinical assessment. Change the pace, take a break or finish early if the homeowner prefers. The consultation checklist can help you choose the relevant pages rather than reading every worksheet aloud.
Use the homeowner's words when summarising the goal. “Less winter maintenance while staying near friends” describes a concern more usefully than a family label such as “time to downsize.” Ask what the homeowner would like help exploring next.
Keep concerns distinct from decisions and authority
A participant may be worried about upkeep, belongings, access or travel distance. Record that as a concern with a question to answer. Do not treat the strongest opinion or a majority preference as the homeowner's instruction. If the discussion becomes uncomfortable, offer a pause and return to the purpose agreed at the start.
Compare staying, adapting, renting and buying only to the extent the homeowner wants to explore them. Use the cost comparison to show which figures remain unknown. A family member volunteering to obtain a quote is different from permission to hire the provider or dispose of property.
Questions about legal authority, agreements, health or accessibility need the relevant professional. The kit provides language and a record, not a determination of who may sign or what support a person requires. Do not resolve those questions by filling another worksheet.
Send a recap that matches the agreed action
Summarise the homeowner's current preference, one next action, the responsible person and the chosen review date or pause. State what remains undecided. Share only the agreed information with the agreed recipients and correct any misunderstanding before further action.
Our next step is to request the written winter-maintenance scope and estimate. Robin will obtain that information before the review date. There is no instruction to list or clear belongings. The recap goes only to the participants Robin approved.
This is fictional example wording. Personalize it to the actual instructions and complete your sending checks. The kit's family-meeting, staying and pause emails are alternatives for different situations, not a fixed sequence.
The federal aging-in-place planning resource can support a broader discussion of home and community when relevant. Keep the meeting focused on the homeowner's priorities, with a route to appropriate advice for questions beyond the agent's role.
Official references checked October 20, 2026: OPC meaningful consent; Federal aging-in-place planning. General information only. Confirm current local requirements and seek appropriate legal, tax, mortgage, medical or accessibility advice for the actual situation.