Selling or partnering your home services and home care company in France: a local trade that has become consolidation ground

In French home services (services à la personne), succession was long a local matter: the founder of a housekeeping or home help agency sold their portfolio of clients to a peer in the same city, or closed for lack of a buyer. The sector was young, born of the 2005 plan that opened to companies a market held by associations and direct employment. Twenty years later, these companies have balance sheets, teams and authorisations, and their founders are asking what comes next, while fund-backed national networks, elderly care groups and regional peers buy agencies to cover the territory faster.

This does not oblige anyone to sell, but it makes the question hard to ignore.

A market of more than €20 billion where companies have taken the lead

According to the French directorate-general for enterprise (DGE), home services represent revenue of around €20 billion, 1.2 million jobs and nearly 4 million user households, supported by €14.5 billion of public aid. ¹ Xerfi now values the market at nearly €24 billion. ² The sector remains split between direct employment and service providers: the latter delivered 389 million hours in 2021, 46% of the total, against 25% in 2005. ¹ Care for the elderly and disabled accounts for around 43% of hours, everyday services 45%, childcare the rest. ¹

Among providers, companies have overtaken associations and public bodies: they represented 72% of the 20,000 active organisations in 2021, against 62% in 2013, and delivered 46% of provider hours, against 12% in 2008. ¹ Direct employment is declining: Urssaf counted 1,492 million hours declared in 2024, down 2.3%, and 1.13 million employees, down 7% over five years. ³ Demand is shifting to organised providers, in a market still made up of thousands of independent agencies.

The five drivers of consolidation

The ageing population. The statistics institute Insee projects nearly 4 million dependent seniors in 2050, against 2.5 million in 2015, and the DGE anticipates 20.8 million people aged 60 and over as early as 2030. ^4,1 The vast majority of dependent people live at home, and public policy, up to the 2024 "ageing well" law, intends to support that choice.
The reform of home care services. The decree of 17 July 2023 created home autonomy services (services autonomie à domicile), combining help and care in a single organisation, with a national floor rate for home help, set at €22 an hour in 2022 and €23 in 2023 then indexed, and a €3 quality allowance. ⁵ To work with dependent people, a new entrant must obtain authorisation from the departmental council through a call for projects. These rules favour providers able to support a quality function and coordination with healthcare, and push small services to combine.
The care worker shortage. The DGE puts the number of posts to fill by 2030 at 386,000, including 284,000 retirements. ¹ Recruiting, retaining and organising rounds have become the main drivers of profitability, and networks have training bodies and scheduling tools beyond the reach of an isolated agency.
The tax credit and immediate advance. The 50% tax credit on spending, up to €12,000 a year, has been immediate for providers since mid-2022: the client now pays only half the invoice. ^3,1 This has broadened the client base, but added a layer of compliance and digital tools that groups absorb better.
Investor appetite for recurring, fragmented revenue. Weekly services, loyal clients, stable public funding and thousands of small targets: the sector combines what funds look for to build platforms by acquisition, and Xerfi expects this financialisation to intensify. ²

Who buys home services companies today

Multi-brand national networks. Oui Care, parent company of O2, Apef and other brands, has nearly 500 franchised agencies, opened its capital at the end of 2025 to RAISE Impact, Banque des Territoires and BNP Paribas Développement, and aims for 150 territory openings a year from 2026. ² In childcare, Babychou Services took over Bonjour Services in 2024 then Family Sphère in 2025. ²
Elderly care and healthcare groups. Care home and care service operators, such as Emeis with Adhap Services and Domidom, or groups from other worlds, such as La Poste with Axeo Services, integrate home help to follow elderly people throughout their journey. ² Cinven's acquisition of Domia at the end of 2024 illustrates funds' interest. ²
Fund-backed regional platforms. Mid-sized groups, specialised in care for dependent people or in everyday services, make acquisition after acquisition of agencies with two to ten million euros in revenue, often bringing the owner into the capital.
Peers and non-profit players. The purchase of an agency by a peer from the neighbouring department, or the takeover of a struggling non-profit service, remains the most frequent deal for small firms.

A home services company's capital can be freely transferred, but its administrative titles do not follow automatically. The declaration or approval, and above all the departmental authorisation to work with elderly and disabled people, are attached to the entity and must be checked; agreements with departments and pension funds often include change-of-control clauses.

What this changes for the owner of a home services company

A full sale suits a founder close to retirement, with a transition of six months to two years to introduce the buyer to clients, referrers and teams.
A partnership with reinvestment is for an owner, whatever their age, who still has several years of activity ahead and sells a majority or minority to a network or platform, reinvests part of the price in the top holding and continues to grow with greater resources.
A combination between peers creates a department-sized home autonomy service, able to respond to calls for projects and organise succession between partners.
A capital reorganisation such as an OBO lets the founder secure part of their wealth and bring in their area managers, with bank debt or a minority investor.

Whatever the structure, buyers look at the same things. An agency that knows its margin by client and by round sells far better than one that only knows its profitability from the balance sheet. The criteria that come up in every file are the following.

Activity split. Share of everyday services, childcare and care for dependent people: each activity has its own regulation, margin and buyers.
Funder mix. Share of hours funded by the personal autonomy allowance (APA), disability compensation (PCH), pension funds or mutual insurers versus private clients paying with the tax credit, and any concentration on one department or fund.
Loyalty of clients and referrers. Client tenure, annual loss rate, relationships with hospitals, doctors, municipal social action centres and social workers who refer families.
Authorisations and agreements. Declaration, approval, departmental authorisation to work with elderly and disabled people, agreements with funders and change-of-control clauses.
Care workers and supervision. Turnover, absenteeism, qualifications, share of permanent contracts and stability of area managers who organise rounds and carry the relationship with families.
Productivity and remote time tracking. Ratio of billed hours to paid hours, travel time, reliability of remote time tracking and any discrepancies found during inspections.
Margin by round and by client. Real profitability after collective agreement increases, cover costs and overheads, and the ability to pass wage increases on in prices.

You are thinking of selling: is this the right moment for you?

This is the first question we ask, and the answer is not the same for everyone. The right moment is never automatically "right now", even in a market with many buyers. It depends on two things: you, meaning your life plans, personal horizon and wealth objectives, and your company, meaning its ability to realise today all the value it holds. We encounter two situations.

Your company is almost ready. The client base is diversified between public funders and private clients, authorisations are up to date, teams are stable and margin holds up against wage increases. Or you want your agency to become part of a larger project, that of a large network, often under LBO, that brings the tools, expertise and resources to absorb the home care reform, which is reassuring for you and for your teams. A few weeks of preparation are then enough, and the number of buyers works in your favour.
Your company needs time. One department or pension fund represents too large a share of hours, the last collective agreement increase has not been passed on in prices and the margin shows it, an inspection found discrepancies between hours declared and hours delivered. Selling remains possible, but it means accepting a discount. We will then tell you frankly that it is better to spend several months, sometimes a few years, working on these points, and we can support you through that phase before launching the transaction when you are truly ready.

The workstreams that make the difference are well known: secure authorisations and agreements, rebalance the portfolio between funders, make remote time tracking and margin tracking by round reliable, reduce turnover and present readable accounts. Depending on your starting point, they take a few weeks or a few years.

The benefit of talking early, even without being sure you want to sell, is knowing which of these two situations you are in, and deciding with full knowledge rather than under the pressure of a lost call for projects or an unexpected approach.

Facing networks that complete several acquisitions a year with dedicated teams, an owner negotiating alone is rarely on an equal footing. The value of a home services company is not just a headline figure: it depends on the buyer's plan, the price structure, the portion conditional on keeping authorisations and clients, the share reinvested, warranties on employment liabilities and the future of care workers. Two offers at the same headline price can mean very different things.

The role of an independent M&A adviser is to value the company objectively, identify all relevant buyers, national networks, elderly care groups, regional platforms or peers, put them in competition in a structured and confidential process, and negotiate terms beyond price alone. This competition protects the seller: it lets them compare genuinely different projects and choose the one that fits their objectives.

Frequently asked questions

Is an authorisation needed to take over a home care company?

A home services company's capital can be freely transferred, but its administrative titles do not follow automatically. The declaration or approval, and above all the departmental authorisation to work with elderly and disabled people, are attached to the entity and must be secured; agreements with departments and pension funds often include change-of-control clauses. An already authorised provider has value, since a new entrant must go through a call for projects.

Can you sell your home services company and remain its manager?

Yes. A partnership with reinvestment lets you sell a majority or minority to a network or platform, reinvest part of the price in the top holding and continue to grow with greater resources, sharing in the next capital gain. A capital reorganisation such as an OBO lets you secure part of your wealth and bring in area managers without giving up control.

How long does it take to sell a home care company?

Allow six to twelve months between the first conversation and signing: preparing the file, confidentially approaching buyers, offers, employment, financial and compliance due diligence, negotiation, then formalities with funders. The seller then supports the transition for six months to two years to introduce the buyer to clients, referrers and teams.

Who buys home services companies today?

Multi-brand national networks covering the territory, elderly care and healthcare groups integrating home help into the journey of elderly people, fund-backed regional platforms taking over agencies with two to ten million euros in revenue, and peers from the neighbouring department for small firms.

Does a housekeeping and childcare agency, with no activity for dependent people, interest buyers?

Yes. Everyday services and childcare have their own consolidators, notably multi-brand networks and childcare specialists that have made several recent acquisitions. Buyers there look mainly at client loyalty, care worker turnover and margin per hour.

What happens to care workers and clients after the sale?

Employment contracts transfer with the company and clients keep their usual care workers, which is precisely what the buyer is purchasing. The quality of the transition depends on preparation: informing teams at the right time, introducing the buyer to referrers and families, and a transition period for the seller.

When should you start preparing the sale of your home services company?

One to two years before the target date, to have time to secure authorisations and agreements, rebalance the portfolio between funders and private clients, make remote time tracking and margin tracking by round reliable, reduce turnover and present readable accounts.

Why put several buyers in competition to sell your home care agency?

Because a national network, an elderly care group, a regional platform and a peer do not value the same things and do not offer the same project to the teams. A confidential process that puts them in competition allows genuinely different offers to be compared and negotiation beyond the headline price: the portion conditional on keeping authorisations and clients, the share reinvested, warranties on employment liabilities and the future of care workers.

Public sources consulted

Direction générale des entreprises (DGE), Les Thémas n° 15 : les services à la personne (novembre 2023) : https://www.entreprises.gouv.fr/files_sap/files/etudes/202311-themas-dge-n15-sap.pdf (high reliability)
Franchise Magazine, Aide à domicile en franchise : les réseaux qui recrutent, avec les données de l'étude Xerfi de janvier 2025 (26 mai 2026) : https://www.franchise-magazine.com/news-franchise/reseaux-aide-domicile-mai-2026 (good reliability)
Urssaf, Stat'ur n° 405 : les particuliers employeurs et les services à la personne en 2024 (septembre 2025) : https://www.servicesalapersonne.gouv.fr/files/files/publications/stat_ur_405_septembre-2025.pdf (high reliability)
Insee, Insee Première n° 1767 : 4 millions de seniors seraient en perte d'autonomie en 2050 (25 juillet 2019) : https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4196949 (high reliability)
Ministère des Solidarités, Réforme de l'offre des services à domicile : les services autonomie à domicile (consulté en octobre 2026) : https://solidarites.gouv.fr/reforme-de-loffre-des-services-domicile (high reliability)