What is a "Registered" retirement village and how is it different from an "Accredited" retirement village?

A Registered retirement village

In Australia, The Retirement Village Sector is regulated at state-level by state/territory legislation.

The actual definition of a "Retirement Village" will be outlined in the applicable state/territory retirement village legislation, but basically describes a retirement community as one that is established predominantly for retired persons and their spouses, where the village operator can charge particular fees unique to a retirement scheme.  A 'retired person' is usually defined as being over a certain age (state specific) and no longer in full time employment.

Retirement villages predominately cater for people who are able to live independently (as opposed to aged care), however personal care and support services can always be brought in to the home from the village operator or an external service provider for an additional fee.

An Accredited retirement village

A "registered" retirement village is a village that has been registered under the state legislation as a retirement village and allows the village operator to restrict the entry age and charge certain fees.  A "registered" village should not be confused with an "accredited" village.  An accredited village is one that is accredited by the Retirement Villages Association (see the RVA website for more information).

A village can be both "Registered" and "Accredited". They are completely different qualifications and one is not "better" than the other.