Retirement Villages and Residential Parks

Retirement Villages and Residential Parks - Couple enjoying life

What is the difference?

Retirement villages and residential parks provide housing options for older people seeking independent, community-focused living. This section outlines the key features of each option and where to find further information.

Retirement villages

A retirement village is a managed community of homes for people aged 55 and over, operating under the Retirement Village Act 2016 (SA) and registered with the Office for Ageing Well.

They are:

Independent-living communities with shared facilities. Designed for people no longer working full-time.

They are not:

Nursing homes or aged care facilities. Residential parks or low-cost rental housing.

New Laws

New laws to strengthen consumer protections for current and prospective residents of retirement villages in South Australia, will commence on 26 February 2026. See our information booklet providing an overview of the new laws, as well as broader information on Retirement Villages.

Residential parks

Residential parks include both mixed-use caravan parks and dedicated residential parks operating under the South Australia Residential Parks Act 2007.

Dedicated residential parks, also known as land lease communities, are aimed at over-50s and provide a housing option which differs from the contracts available in retirement villages.

For further details on residential parks see our information sheet on Residential Parks. We also provide a listing of Residential Parks in South Australia.

Residential Parks Information Sheet

Residential Parks in South Australia

for more information on Residential Parks, please see:

Living in residential park – information for residents who rent only a site

Living in a residential park – information for residents who rent both a site and a dwelling

Residential Parks Q&A Information Sheet

Retirement Villages and Residential Parks - small house and keys
Retirement Villages and Residential Parks

Retirement Housing Directory

Our Housing Directory contains a comprehensive listing of SA retirement villages and senior-specific low-cost rental accommodation, including current vacancies.
If you experience any difficulty using this platform, contact us for assistance with searching and retrieving information from the directory.

for more information on retirement villages, please see:

Financial and contractual arrangements in retirement villages

Retirement villages offering assisted living units

Retirement housing with ACF on site or adjacent

Retirement housing Directory

Searching made simple!
South Australia’s No.1 resource for vacancies in both Retirement Villages and Rental Housing for seniors.

Related Resources

To move or not to move

Retirement housing types – Definitions 

Staying longer in your home – checklist

Packing up and moving

Office for Ageing Well

Booklet

South Australia Residential Parks Act 2007

Residential Park Housing

Residential Parks in South Australia

Living in residential park – information for residents who rent only a site

Living in a residential park – information for residents who rent both a site and a dwelling

Residential Parks Q&A Fact Sheet

Retirement Housing Directory

Financial and contractual arrangements in retirement villages

Retirement villages offering assisted living units

Retirement housing with ACF on site or adjacent

Do you have a question?

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