Defining and Setting Standards for Integrated Retirement Communities (IRCs)
These communities offer older people the opportunity to live independently in their own home as part of a wider community. Lifestyle, wellbeing and care services are available to support people’s independence and aspirations.
They offer apartments that are available for purchase, part purchase or rent, alongside a range of choices:
Integrated Lifestyle: Facilities like restaurants, bars, gyms, cinemas, community halls and gardens offer optional activities and social opportunities.
Integrated Wellbeing and Care: Personal and domestic care can be delivered within people’s homes if they wish. Dedicated staff teams are on site 24/7.
Integrated with Wider Communities: Connections with wider communities through family, friends, intergenerational, volunteering or leisure opportunities are valued and cherished.
Our members
ARCO currently has 29 member organisations, including prospective and provisional members. As a condition of membership, all ARCO members have signed up to and pledged adherence to ARCO’s Standards and Compliance Framework, including external assessments under the Consumer Code.
ARCO members manage around 250 retirement communities in the UK. These are all flagged on EAC’s HousingCare website, and can also be found by our Search for all ARCO member communities.
Our Consumer Code
We aim to set and maintain high standards for operators of Retirement Communities in the UK. The ARCO Consumer Code was first launched in 2015 and revised in 2017, the culmination of our work to agree a common set of high standards for our sector which go above and beyond statutory duties. To ensure that standards are met, the Code is supported by a robust compliance framework with external assessors conducting independent reviews of services against the Consumer Code.
View our consumer code