Aim To identify characteristics distinguishing older adults who have considered relocation to a retirement village in the future from those who have not. Method Community‐living residents (n = 517), aged 55 to 94, randomly selected from the Australian Capital Territory completed a postal survey. Results Consistent with prior research, the majority of respondents had not considered relocation to a retirement village. Retired persons, those aged 55–64 years, and persons reporting sufficient financial resources, poorer physical health and poorer current neighbourhood cohesion were most likely to have considered future relocation. Conclusions The identification of factors characterising older adults seeking retirement village housing in the future is important in developing an understanding of the needs and expectations of the older population, and may allow aged care providers to better target the development of services to population needs (e.g. health‐care supports). Further investigation into the specific expectations of the 55–64 year cohort is required.