Changes to the Retirement Villages Act
From 2 February 2026, new South Australian retirement village laws will come into effect under the Retirement Villages (Miscellaneous) Amendment Act 2024 (the Act).
These changes strengthen protections for residents and place a greater focus on safety, fairness and transparency in retirement village living.
ACH Group welcomes these reforms and has been actively preparing to ensure full compliance. Many of the new requirements reflect practices already in place at ACH Group, as part of our commitment to high-quality, resident-centred services.
This page provides an overview of what’s changing and where you can find more information.
What’s changing under the new Act?
Updated dispute resolution process
The Act requires updates to how concerns and disputes in retirement villages are managed.
ACH Group has updated its Dispute Resolution Policy to meet these requirements. The Policy continues to focus on respectful communication and fair, timely outcomes when a concern or dispute is raised.
View: the updated Dispute Resolution Policy [.pdf]
View: a tracked-changes version showing what has changed [.pdf]
Updated emergency plans for each village
Under the new Act, every retirement village must have an up-to-date emergency plan in place.
ACH Group has developed compliant emergency plans for each village to help residents and staff prepare for emergencies such as:
- Fire
- Flood
- Extreme weather events
- Statewide power outages
Emergency plans
Every resident will be provided with a summary emergency plan. The full emergency plan is available by clicking on the relevant retirement village below.
Printed copies are available upon request.
Emergency plans are reviewed annually and following any emergency.
Each emergency plan includes:
- Evacuation points for your village
- Key emergency service contact details
- ACH Group contact information
ACH Group is committed to supporting residents to understand how the emergency plan works for them, including their personal role during an emergency. If you would like assistance, please contact your Village Manager.
Updated emergency plans for each village (February 2025)
Elkanah
- Download: Elkanah – Emergency plan [.pdf]
Elliot Court
- Download: ElliotCourt- Emergency plan [.pdf]
James Evans Court
Genders Court
- Download: Genders Court- Emergency plan [.pdf]
Kapara Mews
- Download: Kapara Mews – Emergency plan [.pdf]
Manson Court
- Download: Manson Court – Emergency plan [.pdf]
Menzies Marden
- Download: Menzies Marden – Emergency plan [.pdf]
Millikan Grove
- Download: Milikan Grove – Emergency plan [.pdf]
Perry Park
- Download: Perry Park – Emergency plan [.pdf]
Pickering Court
- Download: Pickering Court – Emergency plan [.pdf]
Riverview Drive
- Download: Riverview Drive – Emergency plan [.pdf]
Sir Keith Wilson Court & St Georges Court
In an emergency, always contact Emergency Services on 000 or the State Emergency Service on 132 500 first.
Safety inspections and reports
The new legislation introduces regular safety inspections across retirement villages. These inspections review key safety matters and help ensure villages remain safe and well maintained.
A report is prepared after each inspection and is available to residents upon request. Please contact your Village Manager if you would like a copy of the report or have any questions.
Staff training and Code of Conduct
The Act introduces additional training requirements for staff working in retirement villages.
ACH Group has enhanced its existing training programs and now delivers a comprehensive, ongoing training schedule for both new and existing staff. This training goes above and beyond the requirements of the Act and supports safe, respectful and professional service delivery.
Service fee (recurrent charge) changes
The Act introduces clearer rules around how service fee increases are applied.
- Residents will receive at least 30 days’ notice of any service fee increase from ACH Group. Under the Act, operators are required to give residents at least 10 days’ notice of a fee increase, however ACH Group will continue to provide at least 30 days’ notice and communicate clearly and transparently about any changes to fees.
- There is no longer a requirement for fee increases to be discussed at the Annual General Meeting.
Our commitment to residents
ACH Group completed the review and implementation of these changes to ensure compliance within the required timeframes.
As part of our continuous improvement approach, many of the Act’s requirements reflect practices ACH Group already follows. These reforms further support safe, fair and well-managed retirement village living.
Residents are encouraged to explore the resources linked on this page and speak with their Village Manager if they would like help understanding any of the changes.
More information
The Office for Ageing Well website features links to information and and additional resources.
Retirement villages law reforms
This information sheet provides an overview of the new laws and how they will affect residents of retirement villages.
Download: What is changing for residents and prospective residents? – information sheet [.pdf]
Learn more about residents rights and responsibilities and new obligations for operators.
