The Handbook

The Retirement Village Handbook is a comprehensive consumer guide to resident funded retirement villages in Australia. It is designed to help prospective retirement village residents and their families understand the main resident funded retirement village alternatives that are available in Australia today and provide them with the information they need to analyse and assess opportunities, compare alternatives, evaluate investment potential, ask the right questions, get the right advice and ultimately make informed decisions.

The Retirement Village Handbook is divided into 3 distinct parts to facilitate a systematic approach to what is a complex topic.

Part 1 is a detailed explanation of what retirement villages are all about. Among other things, it:

	describes the main features of a retirement village
	suggests the main reasons for moving to and from a retirement village
	distinguishes between resident funded and donor funded retirement villages
	illustrates some of the features of retirement villages that make them more complicated than traditional forms of property
	indicates the range of legislation that may be relevant
	describes the different legal structures, including long-term lease, long-term license, strata title, community title, company title, unit trust, manufactured home and conventional lease structures
	discusses the main implications of the different legal structures
	discusses parking arrangements and legal documentation
	identifies and discusses key issues like stamp duty, GST, service charges, refurbishment and capital replacement costs, security of tenure, operator default, termination, vacating the premises, capital losses and credit risk
	explains what departure fees are and what they are for
	describes and discusses the different departure fee structures, with examples, and highlights some potential traps for the unwary
	develops a methodology for analysing and assessing opportunities, comparing alternatives and evaluating investment potential
	considers when banks are most likely to be willing to provide finance
	discusses a range of related matters including waiting lists, committing off-the-plan, negotiation and selling your existing home.

Part 2 contains extensive checklists in the following categories:

	personal considerations
	the village
	the unit
	management
	financial considerations
	legal considerations
	selling your home
	vacating the premises.

Part 3 contains user-friendly summaries of relevant parts of the New South Wales, Queensland and Victorian Retirement Villages Acts, as they apply to new residents. It does not include summaries of the specific legislation that applies to manufactured home villages or short-term tenancies.

Please click here for information regarding:

	the current edition of The Retirement Village Handbook
	recent significant changes to the Victorian Retirement Villages Act that have not yet been incorporated in The Retirement Village Handbook.

The cost of The Retirement Village Handbook, including postage (for delivery within Australia), handling and taxes, is:

	$49.95 for Seniors Card holders who post, fax or email a legible copy of their Seniors Card with their order
	$75 otherwise.

Please note that The Retirement Village Handbook is not a substitute for legal or financial advice. Before making a commitment to move to a retirement village, prospective residents should obtain specific legal and financial advice from independent and qualified practitioners who are familiar with their personal and financial circumstances and their particular legal documentation. Before proceeding, please be sure to review our full Terms of Use.

[Click here to see the Contents of The Retirement Village Handbook]

[Click here to read a COTA Review of The Retirement Village Handbook]

[Click here to order The Retirement Village Handbook]