What is wrong with Victorian Retirement Villages

The critical importance of retirement village resident submissions to Victorian state government inquiries is that they are actually living the experience not simply 'working in the field'. They know what is wrong because they have experienced it, suffered from it.

Victorian retirement village residents find that there is almost zero protection when something goes wrong, or the system to obtain that protection is so cumbersome, so demanding on them, that surrender is ultimately the chosen option. And village operators know that and use it to their own financial advantage.

All this from a Victorian Labor government that fails to enforce the law as it is currently written, let alone to improve it to protect the very people it was originally written to protect.

"The law was clearly on the side of the village residents. It was a lack of access to affordable, quick, decisive enforcement of the law that failed them most". - Retvilldotnet

Retirement villages, the process of for-profit operators seeking financial reward from this commercial activity under the guise of the provision of benevolent housing for older Victorians. Sadly and particularly in Victoria the commercial risks to operators are dampened by statute whilst at the same time the commercial rewards are enhanced by statute. 

For Victorian retirees who make that fateful decision to enter a retirement village it is the complete opposite. The payment of the capital value of the village unit, not for ownership simply occupancy. The payment of all the costs of property ownership with none of the rewards.

"Families need to be aware that what we are talking about here is the transfer of intergenerational wealth, not to families but into the pockets of corporations. Shame about the elderly not having enough money for aged care."

So what is wrong with Victorian Retirement villages, the answer is -

1. Bureaucrats who don't really know or fully understand the product they are producing legislation for.
2. Legislators who don't really know or fully understand the product they are enacting legislation for.
3. State Governments who are far too easily seduced by slick marketing from the industry.
4. A failure of all of the three parties above to listen to the one group of people who really do know and fully understand the product, the village residents and their families. 

Village residents understand because they suffer financially from the legislative inequities produced by Bureaucrats, Legislators, State Governments.

Intergenerational Capital Wealth Lost

Retirees don't deserve the financial disaster that comes from downsizing from the family home into a retirement village. @SffpVictoria @ademsomyurek @_davidlimbrick @georgievpurcell @rachelpaynemp @dettershankMP @BradBattinMP @DavidDavisMLC @NStaikos #springst @AivGoesGreen pic.twitter.com/zSxfvEk82u

— Les Scobie (@retvilldotnet) February 4, 2025

Transfer of Capital Wealth

Retirement village analysis shows the dominant financial model for retirement villages the loan lease model is causing a demonstrative transfer of capital from residents and their families to operator corporations. https://t.co/4zW6TvuCXF @MichaelWestBiz @consumervic #springst

— Les Scobie (@retvilldotnet) February 3, 2025

Retirement Village Residents Get Trampled

@VictorianLabor has trampled some 36,000 retirees in retirement villages by making them wait 12 months to get their money back on leaving a village. Insulting them by saying probate takes longer than six months. @NStaikos @JaclynSymes @TimMcCurdyMP @consumervic @abc730 #SpringSt pic.twitter.com/GtDQ1xOOPF

— Les Scobie (@retvilldotnet) February 2, 2025

Retirement Villages a purchase price without ownership

 VOTE NO to the new Retirement Villages Act.

The new act perpetuates the retiree rip-off by charging a 'purchase price without property ownership' to obtain entry. 

The village owner/operator is authorised by the act to transfer all the costs of property ownership to the retiree whilst retaining all the benefits for themselves.

The business model inherent within the act hides what is simply residential tenancy by any other name but a demonstrably higher price.

Retirement Villages What is Wrong

 What is wrong with Victorian loan/lease retirement villages? 

1. Property Ownership is never granted.
2. You paid for it but you don't get to own it. 
3. You only 'rent' it. 
4. This through deceptive names like 'entry payment' and 'deferred management fee' that obscure the true $ cost.
5. You pay for management of the property even though you don't own it.
6. You pay for upkeep of the property even though you don't own it.
7. At the end of your occupancy you can even pay to renovate the property you never owned.

Deferred Management Fee Nonsense

The Jacinta Allan Government new definition of the 'Deferred Management Fee' as a fee for 'services' has ZERO functionality. 

This change is from the new proposed Victorian Retirement Villages Act.

ZERO functionality comes from the fact that village residents already pay 100% of the cost of 100% of the management services that Victorian retirement village operators claim and charge for as necessary to successfully operate the village.

Under Australian consumer law an operator cannot charge for ‘services’ where 1. there is no intent to supply or 2. no supply has in fact been made.

Competition & Consumer Act 2010
Chapter 3. 3-1 Unfair practices. Division 1. 36 - Wrongly Accepting Payment.

36-1 A person must not, in trade or commerce, accept payment or other consideration for goods or services if, at the time of the acceptance, the person intends not to supply the goods or services.

36-4 A person who, in trade or commerce, accepts payment or other consideration for goods or services must supply all the goods or services:

WHAT ARE THE NEW FEES?

HOW CAN THEY BE SUBSTANTIATED?