Criticism of Retirement Village Transition from Owner Occupied to Leashold

At the Retirement Housing Forum held in Melbourne on Monday May 1st residents from AVEO villages expressed deep dissatisfaction with the process taking place in their villages. There is a push within the retirement industry for village owner/operators to convert villages where the units are individually owned and occupied by the village residents to where the units are simply leased as this gives total ownership and control over the village to the owner/operator. Conveners of the Retirement Housing Forum Housing for the Aged Action Group, Residents of Retirement Villages Victoria, Council of the Ageing and Consume Action Law Centre had to establish a special session such was the number and the feeling among the residents affected by this process, calls were made by residents for immediate consumer protection actions to address their concerns.