Housing in Later Life Consultation 2021

Retirement village

Sheltered/retirement housing

Extra care housing

• Offer self-contained apartments or houses with readily accessible communal facilities and activities for their residents.
• On-site facilities vary depending on the size of the development and provider.
• Staff on site 24 hours a day.
• Tends to be larger in scale.
• Has more of a ‘village’ feel than retirement housing.
• Can be with a private or social landlords, to buy or to rent.

• Typically self-contained apartments.
• Usually supported by a part-time/visiting scheme manager.
• Can be with a private or social landlords, to buy or to rent.
• More recently termed ‘independent living’.
• 24 hour emergency help via an alarm.
• Often has communal areas/activities.

• Self-contained homes, usually flats or bungalows.
• Designed with the needs of people with higher levels of care and support in mind.
• Typically has more communal facilities, for example a restaurant or activities. 
• A type of ‘housing with care’.
• 24 hour on-site domestic and personal care staff. 
• More likely to be with a social landlord, to buy or rent.

General needs housing

Community-led housing

• A  term used to describe general family housing and dwellings for single people and couples.
• A self-contained bungalow, house, flat or maisonette.
• Housing that is not purpose built, adapted or managed for a particular client group.
• Can be with a private or social landlord, to buy or to rent. 

• Often small-scale with no standard approach. 
• Set  up and run by local people in their own communities, often with external support from housing associations, local authorities or regional/national support organisations.
• Not-for profit, involving voluntary effort.
• For people who want to buy or rent.
• For groups wanting to build new homes or refurbish existing buildings.