Retirement Village Living.

Retirement villages are a very popular choice for downsizing seniors, as they offer independent living in a community setting with access to shared facilities, leisure and social activities, with optional support services if needed. Many retirement villages provide both independent living villas or units and serviced apartments providing meals and other support services for those aged 55 and over.

The benefits of living in a retirement village include security and low maintenance living, as well as assistance in the event of declining health. Most offer emergency call buttons, dining rooms and clubhouses, with swimming pools, golf courses, and bowling greens becoming increasingly common. Catering to the high expectations of more affluent and sophisticated babyboomer retirees, the trend in recent years has been the development of modern retirement communities offering luxury homes in a resort-style setting, with discreet hotel-style support services if needed.

Surveys confirm that younger retirees are seeking larger, more modern retirement properties with high quality finishes and a holiday lifestyle, often in a beachside or other waterside location. Many retirees choose to relocate to a coastal area for lifestyle reasons, but also to release capital after selling their family home in a more expensive capital city. They are attracted to a low maintenance, lock up and leave retirement property which enables them to travel regularly and in many cases offers space for parking their boat or caravan. Pet friendly retirement villages are now more common, as many seniors will not move without their pet, and there are many health and social benefits associated with pet ownership.

There are thousands of retirement villages all around Australia offering a wide variety of facilities and styles of accommodation, and price points from budget to several million dollars, with senior rental villages also available. These villages may be built and operated by private developers, they may be not-for profit or they may be run by church or welfare organisations, and the fees and charges and conditions of occupancy will vary widely so it is wise to ‘shop around’ and make comparisons.

When buying a retirement village unit the occupancy arrangements may differ from other types of residential property ownership. In retirement villages it is common for occupancy rights to be determined by loan and licence agreements; leasehold title; strata and community ownership schemes; company title or rental arrangements, so it is important to obtain legal advice before signing an agreement. There will also be recurrent charges, and in many cases also termination fees and charges, so you need to be fully aware of any future financial obligations. Retirement villages legislation applies in each Australian state to protect residents, and this requires the prior disclosure of certain information and allows a cooling off period before a purchase is binding.

The Seniors Housing Online website enables you to uniquely tailor your retirement village search to suit your particular needs and tastes; you can filter the search by location, price range, the number of bedrooms, the type of onsite facilities, the level of care and support available, whether pets are allowed and much more. You can readily identify golf retirement properties; beachside retirement properties or even waterfront retirement properties using the search criteria on the main search page, or just click on the handy category directories, such as the “browse retirement villages by region” quick links below:

Browse Retirement Villages by Region:

QLD

• Brisbane & Surrounds Retirement Villages

• Gold Coast QLD Retirement Villages

• Sunshine Coast & North QLD Retirement Villages

• Western QLD Retirement Villages

NSW

• Sydney & Surrounds Retirement Villages

• Hunter Region & North Coast NSW Retirement Villages

• South Coast & Southern Highlands NSW Retirement Villages

• Blue Mountains & Western NSW Retirement Villages

• Central Coast NSW Retirement Villages

VIC

• Melbourne & Surrounds Retirement Villages

• Gippsland VIC Retirement Villages

• South West VIC Retirement Villages

• Other VIC Retirement Villages

WA

• Perth & Surrounds Retirement Villages

• South West WA Retirement Villages

• Other WA Retirement Villages

SA

• Adelaide & Surrounds Retirement Villages

• Other SA Retirement Villages

ACT

• Canberra & Surrounds Retirement Villages

NT

• Darwin & Surrounds, other NT Retirement Villages

TAS

• Hobart & Surrounds, other TAS Retirement Villages