Consumer Protection
Your rights as a resident or prospective resident of a retirement village.
The decision to move into a retirement village requires consideration of your personal needs in line with what each village can offer you.
In each state, legislation or codes exist that are designed to protect you.
The legislation is in place to guide the operation of retirement villages and to protect the interests of residents and prospective residents.
The legislation in each state and territory is different and defines what is and what is not a 'retirement village'. This is important because other communities that fall outside the legal definition of a 'retirement village' (such as manufactured home parks) are not regulated by the same legislation.
There is also general 'fair trading' legislation at federal level (and in some cases, at state level) that gives you a range of general rights and protections as a consumer.
In this section Minter Ellison, one of Australia’s leading retirement villages legal practices, explains the consumer protection laws that exist in each state.
This section contains information about the following for each state and territory:
- Legislation relating to retirement villages
- Moving into a retirement village, including:
- Information you must receive before signing a contract
- Types of retirement villages
- Contracts you may be required to sign
- Paying a deposit
- Paying an entry fee or purchase price
- Stamp duty
- Cooling-off and settling-in periods
- Living in a retirement village, including:
- Your rights and obligations while living in a village
- Fees and charges you must pay
- Village rules
- Resident input and participation
- Dispute resolution
- Leaving a retirement village, including:
- Terminating your contracts
- Reinstating of your unit
- Finding a new resident
- What you will receive when you leave the village
- What you must pay when you leave the village
- Where to find more information
Disclaimer: The content of this website is only intended to be used to obtain a general overview of retirement villages. It does not constitute legal advice and should not be relied on for that purpose. You should seek legal or other professional advice before acting or relying on any information contained in this website.