Choice asked to do more

Long time activist for reforms to the Victorian Retirement Village Act 1986 Mr. Charles Adams has written to Choice asking them to do more to protect older Australians from the negative aspects of the Retirement Village industry. Choice is promoted as Australia's leading consumer advocacy group.

In a recent letter to Choice Mr. Adams wrote:-

"Virtually all Australasian Retirement village contracts are heavily skewed to hide the price and more importantly the price rate from the retiree lessees until typically four months after termination.

Termination occurs when the lessee is no longer able to support him or herself independently and by then it is far far too late to do anything about what they never understood in the first place.

 

If Choice does not think that makes these contracts unconscionable then nothing will change.

 

How the developers were able to get this contract model started is irrelevant. It is now standard across Australasia and the legal profession accept it, oblivious.

Until every Australian state legislation is changed to mandate that every prospective retiree lessee must be offered  a conventional residential tenancy with secure tenure, nothing will change. That is the only way to get "free market competition".

 

Residential tenancy with secure tenure is the norm in the most competitive market place, the USA, though the Australian developer/operators are endeavoring to get the more lucrative loan lease system adopted there too.

Choice is the most influential consumer representative in the country, and until you/it understands the above, and publicizes it adequately aged retiree consumers will continue in blissful ignorance to pay grossly excessive prices to downsize into what are conceptually excellent physical and socially supportive group managed housing.

This issue, originating in 1986, is now so immersed in irrelevant documents, hearing, opinions and experts as to present as incomprehensible and insoluble which is all the developer/operators need."