ILC-UK launched Stronger Foundations, at a discussion and drinks reception help on 30th January 2018, supported by ARCO.

1. The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
STRONGER FOUNDATIONS: International Lessons
for the Housing-with-Care Sector in the UK
Dr Brian Beach
Senior Research Fellow
International Longevity Centre – UK

2. The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
What are we talking about?
 Housing is an important policy item in the UK, especially
given population ageing
 Specialist retirement housing and the housing-with-care
sector
– But how do we define housing-with-care?

3. The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.

4. The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
Why is this important?
 The UK lags behind a number of other countries in the
provision of specialist later life housing, including
housing-with-care
 Comparing UK, US, NZ, and Australia:
– Similar homeownership rates (≈65%)
– 65+ penetration rate: UK 0.7%; NZ 5.2%
– % pop 65+ highest in UK (17.9% vs 14.2-14.8%)
So the question remains: How do we stimulate
development in this sector?

5. The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
What did we do?
 Investigated international perspectives in the
retirement/housing-with-care sector with respect to:
– Legislation and regulatory environments
– Financing and funding approaches
– Planning processes
– Cultural factors
 Stakeholder roundtable in London
 12 one-to-one semi-structured interviews with experts in
Australia, Canada, NZ, UK, and US

6. The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
What did we find?
Legislation
 Variation in international approaches; NZ Retirement Villages Act
2003 as a model for broad consumer protection
– Requirement for prospective movers to obtain independent legal advice
Funding and Financing
 Fees at three points: before, during, and after
– A need for greater certainty – for consumers, operators, and investors
Planning Policy
 Land use classification
 Strategies to incorporate care and support from the start

7. The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
What did we find?

8. The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
What did we learn?
There was a general consensus that the introduction of
legislation and an overall regulatory framework would benefit
the sector – but legislation on its own can only go so far.
 Promote product diversification, but with limited
complexity
 Build an experience rather than just a property product
 Consider alternative models to contractional arrangements
(e.g. the right to occupy)

9. The International Longevity Centre-UK is an independent, non-partisan think-tank
dedicated to addressing issues of longevity, ageing and population change.
What did we learn?
 Avoid unnecessarily burdensome regulation of care and
support within housing-with-care
 Develop robust industry standards, regardless of the
progress (or lack thereof) in relevant legislation
 Improve local authority awareness of housing-with-care
and its role in later life planning
 Collaborate to benefit from the advantages of an industry
representative body