The short answer
- Rightmove's Keyword Sort finds annexes an ordinary search missesThere is no tick-box filter for it, but Keyword Sort searches the wording inside a listing's own description.
- Try several search terms, not just oneAgents describe the same space as a granny annexe, a granny flat or a self-contained cottage, and the search only matches the exact words used.
- Check the listing is fully self-containedA separate kitchen, bathroom and front door is the detail that makes it an annexe rather than a large bedroom with an ensuite.
- If nothing fits, building or adapting is the next stepHouses with an annexe already built are not common. Adding one, or adapting the house you have, is often more direct than continuing to search.
Rightmove is the largest UK property portal, which is why this guide is built around it. The same approach works on other portals that offer their own keyword search.
How to search
How to search Rightmove for a house with a granny annexe
Rightmove does not have a tick-box filter for a granny annexe. What it has instead is Keyword Sort, a feature that searches the words inside a listing's own description. It takes three steps, and it works alongside a normal search rather than replacing one.
This is one of several ways to keep a parent nearby without a move into residential care. The full comparison of care at home and a care home covers the rest of the options.
Step 1: Run an ordinary search firstSection titled Step%201%3A%20Run%20an%20ordinary%20search%20first
Go to rightmove.co.uk and search your area the normal way, by location, property type and budget. Do not add anything about the annexe yet; Keyword Sort works on top of whatever search you already have.
Step 2: Open Keyword Sort and enter a termSection titled Step%202%3A%20Open%20Keyword%20Sort%20and%20enter%20a%20term
Once results are showing, look for a grey box labelled "+ Add keyword" above the list, not in the main filters. Type in one of the search terms below and press enter.
Rightmove's own help pages describe this as a sort rather than a filter: it moves listings that match your word to the top of the page. It does not hide the ones that do not match, so the list will not shrink down to only annexes. An agent who used a different word for the same thing is still in the results, just further down, so it is worth scrolling past the first page.
Step 3: Repeat with a few different wordsSection titled Step%203%3A%20Repeat%20with%20a%20few%20different%20words
Because the match has to be an exact phrase, "granny annexe" will not catch a listing written as "annexe" on its own, and neither will find one described as a "granny flat". Run the search again with each term in the next section, and save the ones that turn something up. Rightmove keeps applying a saved search to new listings and will email you when one matches, so you do not have to repeat the search by hand every few days.
The right search terms
Which words to try, and what each one tends to find
The word an agent chose when writing the listing decides whether your search finds it. Work through these from narrowest to widest.
Spelling variants
Try these first. Agents write the same thing different ways, and Keyword Sort will not match one spelling against another.
“Granny annexe”
The most common British spelling in listings.
“Granny annex”
The American spelling, used often enough to be worth a separate search.
“Annexe”
Drops "granny" in case the agent described it only by age or use, such as "guest annexe".
Related terms
Agents describe the same kind of space in different ways depending on its size and how it is built.
“Granny flat”
Common for a self-contained space built into or attached to the house.
“Granny cottage”
Used for a fully detached building in the garden or grounds.
“Self-contained flat”
Finds annexes described by their layout rather than who they are for.
“Self-contained cottage”
The detached version of the same layout description.
Wider terms, if the first two groups turn up little
These catch listings an agent has not framed around a relative at all.
“Wheelchair access”
Surfaces step-free annexes and ground-floor accommodation built for mobility.
“Annexe potential”
Used for outbuildings an agent thinks could become one, not a finished annexe.
“Outbuilding”
Wider still. Expect to filter out garages and workshops by eye.
You can enter more than one keyword at once, separated by a comma. Rightmove ranks the first word you type as the most important, so put your best guess first and treat the rest as backups rather than typing them all in together.
What the listings look like
Two examples of what this kind of listing looks like
Real listings help more than a description. These two came up in a Rightmove search for a granny annexe. Both have since sold, so treat them as examples of the shape of thing to look for rather than as current listings.
A four-bedroom farmhouse on the Isle of Wight came with a separate two-bedroom cottage in its grounds, fully self-contained with its own kitchen and bathroom. Everything a parent would need was on the ground floor, and the upstairs room suited whoever else was staying, whether that was a visiting relative or a live-in carer.
A house in Margate, Kent, had its annexe built into the existing building rather than added in the garden: a self-contained flat on the lower ground floor with its own entrance, sharing nothing with the house above. A layout like this usually costs less to buy than a house with a detached cottage, since there is no separate structure, though it offers less privacy between the two households.
Both were self-contained, which is the detail worth checking on every listing you shortlist: a separate kitchen, bathroom and entrance, not a bedroom with an ensuite off the family's own hallway. It is also the detail that decides whether the annexe needs its own council tax band once you own it.
Why families choose this
Why families look for a granny annexe rather than other options
A granny annexe is one of several ways to keep a parent close. Families weighing it against the alternatives usually come back to the same handful of reasons.
Nearby but not under one roof
Selling their old home can help pay for it
More independence than a care home
Fewer worrying gaps in the day
A granny annexe that is self-contained and finished to a good standard is estimated to add around 20% to 30% to what the main house is worth, and the alternatives are worth pricing up alongside it: a care home and community retirement living both suit some parents better than living alone in an annexe, particularly if company during the day matters more than independence.
If you can't find one
What to do if nothing on the market is right
Houses with a genuine, self-contained annexe already built are not common, and a search that turns up nothing does not mean there is no option left.
- 1
Widen the search area or the budget
FirstA slightly wider radius, or a search that includes bungalows and larger family homes rather than one fixed property type, often turns up a listing the first search missed. - 2
Look at building one instead
If nothing turns upAdding a self-contained annexe to a house you or your parent already owns is often more direct than continuing to search. How much it would cost to build a granny annexe and whether you need planning permission cover what is involved. - 3
Or adapt the house you already have
A smaller stepA downstairs bedroom and a walk-in shower can sometimes do the job of an annexe without building one at all. Home adaptations that reduce the need for care sets out what usually needs changing. - 4
Compare against a care home or community living
Worth pricing upThe best kind of house for an elderly parent, community retirement living and a care home are the other routes families take. Many use one as a stop while they keep looking.
If you decide to build a granny annexe, check whether you need planning permission before you commit to a design. If adapting the existing house is the better fit, home adaptations that reduce the need for care covers the changes that matter most.
Whichever route you take, a carer can start visiting before the housing is settled. Hourly visits on PrimeCarers cost £18 to £25 an hour with our fee included, and once the move is settled you can end hourly visits by giving the carer 48 hours' notice. Search carers near your parent to see who is available now.
Questions
Questions families ask about finding a granny annexe for sale
No. Rightmove's main filters cover things like price, bedrooms and property type, not specific features. The way to search for a granny annexe is Keyword Sort, a box above the search results where you type a word or phrase and Rightmove moves matching listings to the top. It reorders the list rather than hiding the properties that do not match.
Start with "granny annexe" and "granny annex", then try "granny flat", "granny cottage" and "self-contained annexe" if the first search turns up little. Each one catches a slightly different way agents describe the same kind of space.
Yes. Zoopla has a keyword search built into its own filters, and unlike Rightmove's Keyword Sort it narrows the list rather than reordering it, matching the words against a property's description in the same way. It is worth trying if Rightmove has not turned up enough near you.
A self-contained space: its own kitchen, its own bathroom and a front door that does not go through the main house. A large bedroom with an ensuite off the family's hallway is not the same thing, even if a listing calls it an annexe, and it will not give a parent the same independence.
Building one onto a house you already own is usually the next step, and it is often more direct than continuing to search. How much it would cost to build a granny annexe and whether you need planning permission cover what is involved.
It can. A relief called Multiple Dwellings Relief used to reduce Stamp Duty Land Tax on a house bought with a separate annexe, because it counted as buying two homes. The government withdrew that relief for purchases completing on or after 1 June 2024, so ask a solicitor for the current figure before you offer on a property with one.
Usually, yes. A well-finished, self-contained annexe is estimated to add around 20% to 30% to a property's value. Do granny annexes add value covers what changes that figure.