The Retirement Villages Unit administers the Retirement Villages Act 2016 and Retirement Villages Regulations 2017.
The Retirement Villages Unit promotes and enforces compliance with the legislation, provides general advice and information about retirement villages and assists in resolving disputes between residents and operators.
The Retirement Villages Unit also maintains the South Australian Retirement Villages Register which contains information about all retirement villages in South Australia.
More information about housing for seniors, better practice guidelines for operators and information sheets for retirement village residents and operators can be found on the retirement and assisted living page.
The Retirement Villages Act 2016 is the regulatory framework for the state’s retirement villages and ensures consumer protections for residents and prospective residents of retirement villages. It was amended by the Retirement Villages (Miscellaneous) Amendment Act 2024.
The Amendment Act was informed by an independent review and extensive community consultation, introduced into the South Australian Parliament in February 2024, and passed by Parliament on 27 November.
The Amendment Act increases consumer protections, mandates greater contract transparency, strengthens standards applying to retirement village operators and village staff, and strengthens the powers and functions of the Registrar.
The new laws will commence on a date to be set by proclamation.
For more information:
A community consultation on regulations to support the new Retirement Villages Act is now underway on YourSAy.
Retirement villages legislation governs the operation of all retirement villages across South Australia and the new regulations will provide additional detail and guidance on how it will work in practice.
Areas for community input include proposed regulations relating to:
We want to hear your feedback to help us finalise the proposed amendments to the Retirement Villages Regulations 2017.
Have your say by going to https://yoursay.sa.gov.au/rvactdraftregulations and:
Office for Ageing Well
PO Box 196, Rundle Mall ADELAIDE SA 5000
If you have any questions or require support to participate in the feedback process, please contact Office for Ageing Well by phoning 08 8204 2420.
