ARCO and integrated retirement communities: what they are

ARCO is the main trade body for integrated retirement communities (IRCs), which are retirement housing with staff on site 24 hours a day, communal facilities and flexible personal care. ARCO’s Consumer Code, approved by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute in April 2025, sets rules on information, fees and complaints for its members’ schemes. Membership is voluntary, so the Code covers only communities run by ARCO members.

At a glance

• An IRC combines self-contained homes with 24-hour on-site staff, communal facilities and optional personal care.
• Homes can be bought outright, part-bought or rented, depending on the community.
• The ARCO Consumer Code was granted Approved Code status in April 2025 and was last audited in May 2026.
• The care is regulated separately from the housing: the Care Quality Commission (CQC) registers and inspects the care provider.
• Many IRCs pair a fixed service charge with an event fee payable when the home is sold or transferred.

What is an integrated retirement community?

ARCO describes an IRC as housing designed for older people, with security of tenure and care available as needs change. Its criteria for ARCO-registered communities are:

• self-contained accommodation that can be occupied with security of tenure
• flexible personal care, usually delivered by staff based on the premises
• staff on site 24 hours a day
• meals available in a restaurant or dining area
• communal facilities and an active social programme, such as gardens, a gym or a community hall
• an aim that residents can “age in place”, often described as a home for life

The sector uses several names. The ARCO Consumer Code treats IRCs, housing with care, extra care and retirement communities as the same broad model. Our explainers on retirement villages and assisted living and extra care housing cover the nearest equivalents, and care home or extra care housing compares the options when needs are rising.

What is ARCO and what does membership mean?

ARCO (the Associated Retirement Community Operators) was formed in September 2012 and represents the IRC sector. Its private and not-for-profit members make up about half of the IRC sector, so many communities are not members. ARCO is a trade body: it exists to build trust in the sector, raise awareness of the model and develop research. It is not a regulator.

Age UK warns that the ARCO Consumer Code applies only to certain schemes run by ARCO members, so ask whether the specific community you are viewing is covered and ask to see the evidence.

What does the ARCO Consumer Code require?

The Code was launched in 2015 and last reviewed in 2024. It has 12 sections plus a glossary, builds on UK consumer law and is approved under the Approved Code Scheme run by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI). CTSI monitors and audits it. Key requirements include:

• Members must give prospective residents detailed, timely disclosure of event fees and service charges.
• Members must provide the ARCO Key Facts document as part of pre-contract information.
• Property listings must contain all material information, pressure selling is prohibited and customers should be advised to take independent advice.
• Members must have a written complaints procedure, with a final decision within 56 calendar days unless a later date is agreed with the complainant or an ombudsman requires one.
• Unresolved disputes can go to The Property Ombudsman, whose decisions are binding on the business.

Age UK adds that, under the Code, staff must be on the premises 24 hours a day and event fee information must include realistic worked examples and the size of any reserve fund.

How is care regulated in an integrated retirement community?

The housing and the care are usually regulated differently. In England, CQC registers care providers, not housing. Where residents have a separate legal agreement for their home and for personal care, CQC generally registers and inspects only the care provider. CQC guidance says people’s own homes are not regulated under the personal care activity, but the care delivered in them is. Where a provider offers accommodation and care as one single package, a different registration applies, which is the model used by care homes.

Under CQC guidance, extra care residents should normally hold a tenancy, long lease or freehold, controlling their own front door. They should usually be able to stop receiving personal care or change care provider without affecting their housing agreement, although some schemes require a mandatory service package. Check the care provider’s CQC report before you buy or rent, and read our guide to CQC ratings for what the grades mean.

Planning is also unsettled. National planning guidance says it is for the local authority to decide whether an extra care development falls under use class C2 (residential institutions) or C3 (dwellinghouse), taking account of factors such as the level of care and scale of communal facilities.

What does it cost, and how do you pay?

If you need care, ask the council for a care needs assessment. If your needs are eligible, a financial assessment follows, and the council may meet some or all of the cost. Age UK says Housing Benefit can help with rent or service charges if you rent, and Pension Credit may help with some service charges if you own. Our guides to retirement home costs, deferred management fees and self-funding care explain the money in more depth.

What do independent reviews say about IRCs?

The Older People’s Housing Taskforce reported that about 0.6% of people aged 65 and over in England live in assisted living, compared with over 5% in the USA and Australia. It said around 5,000 to 7,000 later living homes are built each year, compared with an estimated need of 30,000 to 50,000. It also described the deferred fee (event fee) model as one that can reduce upfront costs for customers but that can take up to 10 years to reach a mature operating level.

The government has said it will prescribe a bespoke annual report for leaseholders who pay a fixed service charge and an event fee, requiring landlords to disclose the nature of those fees, with changes expected to start during 2027.

Questions to ask before you commit

• Is this community run by an ARCO member, and does the Consumer Code cover this scheme?
• Can I see the Key Facts document and worked examples of the event fee?
• Who provides the care, and what is its CQC rating?
• What are the service charge, reserve fund and rises over the past few years?
• What happens if my care needs outgrow what the community can provide?
• Which complaints and ombudsman routes apply?

Frequently asked questions

What does ARCO stand for?

ARCO stands for the Associated Retirement Community Operators. It is the main trade body for the integrated retirement community sector in the UK, formed in September 2012. It is not a government regulator.

Is an integrated retirement community the same as a care home?

No. IRC residents live in their own self-contained homes with security of tenure and can use care as needed. A care home provides accommodation and care as a single package, which is regulated differently by the CQC.

Are all retirement villages in ARCO?

No. ARCO says its members make up about half of the IRC sector. Ask any community whether it is a member and whether the Consumer Code covers your home.

Does the ARCO code cap event fees?

The sources we read describe the Code as requiring detailed disclosure of event fees and service charges, with worked examples, rather than setting a cap. Read the Key Facts document and the lease for the actual figures.

Can I complain if something goes wrong in an IRC?

Yes. Members must have a written complaints procedure with a final decision within 56 calendar days, and unresolved disputes can go to The Property Ombudsman. Complaints about care quality can also go to the care provider and the CQC.

Where to get help next

Use the funding checker to see what support you could claim, and Find care to compare local options. For homes that suit people who want independence with support, read independent living for older adults.

Sources

• Chartered Trading Standards Institute: ARCO Consumer Code, Approved Code Scheme
• Care Quality Commission: Housing with care, guidance for providers of supported living and extra care housing
• Care Quality Commission: Regulated activity, personal care
• Age UK: Buying retirement housing (factsheet 2)
• GOV.UK: Housing for older and disabled people, planning practice guidance
• GOV.UK: Older People’s Housing Taskforce report, Our Future Homes

Reviewed by The Care Panel team on 9 November 2026. This guide is general information about care in England, not legal, medical or financial advice. Rules and rates change; check with your council or an adviser before making decisions.