A retirement village directory built for the AI-search era.

Why we built this

Most people stopped clicking ten blue links a long time ago. They ask ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, or Apple Intelligence — “best retirement village near Mona Vale for two, under $700k entry, low DMF.” Existing directories are still optimised for Google in 2018. We're built for how people actually search now.

Where our data comes from

Every village profile starts from the public state retirement village registers (NSW Fair Trading, Consumer Affairs Victoria, and the equivalents in QLD/WA/SA/TAS/ACT) and operator filings. Operators on our paid Listed plan add their own editorial content (facilities, fee structures, DMF terms, FAQs, photos), which we mark as operator-verified.

We are not affiliated with any state regulator or industry body. We attribute our data sources clearly on every page and timestamp every update.

Data quality & methodology

We treat the directory as a public reference, not a marketing surface. The principles below apply to every village page — without exception.

• Source-first.The base record for each village (legal name, registered operator, address, contract type, scheme registration) is taken from the relevant state register. We do not invent or estimate these fields. Where a register entry is ambiguous or outdated, we leave the field blank and label it “Operator to confirm” rather than guess.
• Timestamped freshness. Every page exposes adateModifiedfield in its JSON-LD and a human-visible “last updated” date. Operator-claimed profiles update in real time when the operator edits them. Unclaimed profiles refresh on a rolling schedule against the public registers.
• No paid ranking. Listed-plan villages get a richer page (more fields, lead form, AI agent), but they do not appear higher in search results, suburb hubs, or AI-match recommendations. Ranking is determined by the resident query (location, budget, accommodation, care needs) and the objective fields on the village record.
• Operator edits are bounded. Operators can add and update descriptive fields (facilities, FAQs, photos, fee structures). They cannot overwrite the regulatory fields sourced from state registers, and they cannot remove competitor villages from suburb hubs or comparison views.
• Resident reviews (when present). Where a village page shows an aggregate rating, every individual review behind it has been submitted by a verified resident or family member and timestamped. We do not synthesise reviews, and we do not let operators delete unfavourable ones — they can only respond. Pages with no reviews show no rating (we never display a placeholder or industry-average score).
• Out of scope. We list independent-living retirement villages and over-55s land-lease communities only. We do not list aged care homes, in-home care providers, or hospitals — for those, we link out to myagedcare.gov.au.
• Not legal or financial advice. Our DMF, contract type, and exit-fee content is explanatory. Residents should engage a solicitor before signing any retirement village contract.

If you spot something we've got wrong — a fee, a contract type, an outdated address — email corrections@over55s.auwith the page URL and the source you'd like us to check. We respond to every correction request and publish the fix with the source attribution.

How we make money

Free listings are free, forever, for every registered AU retirement village — that's our commitment to resident coverage. Villages pay $199/mo for the Listed plan, which adds the AI agent, lead capture, monthly visibility report, and dashboard. We don't sell resident data or accept advertising from non-listed sources.

Who runs it

over55s.au is an independent Australian project. We're a small team with operator and product backgrounds. Email hello@over55s.au any time — a person replies.

Found something wrong?

If a fact about a village is wrong, missing, or out of date, email us. We'll check it against the public registers and update the profile. Operators can claim and edit their own profile through our dashboard.