There are two legal documents fundamental to the satisfactory operation of retirement villages:

• Retirement Villages Act 1999
• Retirement Villages Regulation 2025

Retirement Villages Act 1999 No 81

This is the parent Act which sets out particular rights and obligations of residents and operators of retirement villages; to establish mechanisms for the resolution of certain disputes between residents and operators of retirement villages. 

AND the associated regulation:

Retirement Villages Regulation 2025

The NSW Retirement Villages Regulation 2025 commenced on September 1, 2025, replacing the 2017 version with updates focused on transparency and clarity, including new disclosure forms, revised asset management requirements (like a 1-year capital maintenance report instead of 3), and expanded operator rules on elder abuse, conduct, and conflicts of interest, all aiming to better balance operator and resident interests. Key changes involve new forms for inquiries and disclosures from the Government Gazette, updated rules for asset registers, and specific requirements for marketing, conflict management, and complaint handling.