ECH Villages - Properties for Sale - Downsizing

ECH Retirement Villages: Communities, Care and Locations Across South Australia

ECH is a profit-for-purpose retirement living provider with more than 60 years' experience and 89 communities across South Australia. Find an ECH community near you below, or read on for costs, care details and what sets ECH apart. If you are weighing up a move to a retirement village, this page sets out the main points in plain terms so you can decide what to ask and what to check next.

Quick facts

About ECH

ECH's 89 communities stretch across Adelaide, the Adelaide Hills and Victor Harbor. That gives you a choice of city, hills or coastal living, close to the places and people you know. Staying near familiar shops, friends and family is often a big part of choosing where to downsize, so the spread of locations is worth looking at closely. Every community offers independent retirement living homes, and 2,000 residents already call ECH home.

You live in your home for as long as you choose, and ECH owns and maintains the building. ECH also looks after home and garden maintenance and some of your life admin, leaving more time for friends, family and hobbies. For many people, handing over the maintenance jobs is one of the main reasons to downsize in the first place. A 24-hour emergency maintenance response is there if something goes wrong, and amenities and activities vary by community, so ask about the specific village you are considering.

ECH is a registered Australian charity with no shareholders. It was founded in 1964. Ownership is a fair question to raise with any provider you are considering.

Costs & fees

Each home is priced individually, so costs vary from community to community and from one home to the next. For a current price, call ECH directly on 1300 275 324 or enquire through the listing for the community you're interested in. When you ask, it helps to find out what is included in the price, what ongoing charges apply and what happens if you later decide to leave, so that you can compare one home with another on the same basis.

Care & lifestyle services

You can stay independent in your own home for longer, with support added as your needs change. ECH delivers care and support at home and allied health, fitness and respite can be accessed, and wellbeing support guides you to information on services and links you into community programs.

ECH is a retirement living and support provider, with no on-site residential aged care. Instead, care and support come to you at home, in the community you already know. Ask the team how support could work for your situation. It is worth being clear about what you need now, what you might need later and how each of those would be arranged, so you are not surprised down the track.

ECH looks after the up-keep of communal gardens, paths, lighting and roadways, which means fewer outdoor jobs for you to manage. The mix of amenities and activities varies from one community to the next, so visiting more than one village and asking what is on offer will give you a better feel for how each one suits you.

What makes ECH different

Choice comes first. Almost 2,000 retirement living homes across 89 villages give you a real range of locations and home styles, from city streets to the hills and the coast, all with one provider. ECH is also a profit-for-purpose charity with no shareholders, and it reinvests any surplus to improve services. Prices are published for each property, so you can see what a home costs before you make contact. Being able to see a price up front makes it easier to compare homes and to work out what fits your budget before you commit time to a visit.

Residents give ECH a satisfaction score of 91.3%, and clients rate customer satisfaction at 89%. Both figures come from an annual survey in 2022 to 2023 with 736 responses. Satisfaction scores like these are one useful signal, and they are best read alongside what you see and hear when you visit in person.

Last updated: October 2026.