Senior apartments are residential space rented exclusively to persons of retirement age. It is generally configured for the convenience and social grouping of persons above at least 60 years old. This does not include facilities with on-site medical care such as retirement homes or nursing homes.

The age restriction concerns eligibility to rent the apartments. The usual arrangement is for older residents to live independently with conveniences or social grouping suited to them.

A retirement home has medical or nursing staff on the premises. Senior apartments retain the stated exclusion of those care facilities even when their residents are of similar ages.