Fort Myers Senior AdvisorWhat is the difference between a life plan community and a rental ALF?
A life plan community (continuing care retirement community, or CCRC) sells a continuing care contract under Chapter 651, usually with an entrance fee and monthly fee, that promises access to assisted living and nursing care later; a rental ALF charges a monthly rate with no long-term promise.
Lee County has four OIR-listed life plan communities, including Shell Point, one of the largest single-site campuses in the country. Rental assisted living is far more numerous.
Who can enter a Lee County life plan community?
Most life plan communities admit people to independent living only if they meet health and financial criteria at entry, which is why the decision usually has to be made in one's 70s rather than after a crisis.
Some communities also admit directly to assisted living or memory care, at market rates, without the continuing care contract's benefits. Ask which you are being offered.
Is a life plan community entrance fee refundable in Florida?
It depends on the contract: Chapter 651 gives a 7-day rescission right after signing and sets minimum refund rules if a resident leaves early, and many contracts offer declining-balance or partially refundable (for example 50 or 90 percent) options at different entrance fees.
Read our contracts and refunds guide before comparing prices; a lower entrance fee often buys a smaller refund.
When does rental assisted living make more sense?
Rental assisted living fits when care is needed now, when health would not pass a CCRC's entry screening, when assets are not large enough for an entrance fee, or when the family wants flexibility to move closer to children later.
Rental ALFs can raise rates with notice and can require a move if needs exceed the license, risks the continuing care contract is designed to manage.
How are Lee County life plan communities regulated?
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation certifies providers and reviews their finances and reserves, while AHCA licenses and inspects the assisted living and nursing units on each campus like any other facility.
Each of our community profiles lists the AHCA licenses at its address and, for nursing units, CMS's ratings.
The short version
| A life plan community is | A life plan community is not | |
|---|---|---|
| Contract | A Chapter 651 continuing care contract | A month-to-month lease |
| Entry | Usually while independent and healthy | Available to anyone in a crisis |
| Oversight | OIR for finances, AHCA for care | Unregulated luxury housing |
Built from Chapters 400, 408, 429 and 651 of the Florida Statutes, Fla. Admin. Code chapters 59A-4, 59A-36 and 65A-2, and AHCA, DCF, OIR, Elder Affairs, CMS, VA and CareScout publications cited on the page; see our editorial standards.
