FAQ’s

Lifestyle Villages are a unique “own the home, lease the land” concept.

When you purchase a home and move into Leisure Life Village you enter into a lease called a Residential Site Agreement. This lease states the terms and conditions of lease and sets out the obligations on both you as the resident and us as the owner/operator.

The lease grants you the right to occupy your site at Leisure Life Village and use the resort facilities at Leisure Life Village for the term of the lease. In return for this you pay a Weekly Fee which for all intents and purposes is the rent (lease) of the land.

The benefit of having a lease is that upon buying in to Leisure Life Village you will not have to pay stamp duty or settlement fees and ongoing there is no burden on you meet the costs of land ownership.

The “land-lease” also allows those who are on a pension to claim Government Rent Assistance to off-set against the Weekly Fees. See “Weekly Fees” for more information on this.

Your lease remains valid notwithstanding any sale of the village. The lease is for a fixed-term and any prospective buyer of the village must acknowledge these leases in the purchase.

The simply answer is yes. But it is highly unlikely.

The terms of the lease provide for obligations which the Resident must meet. Most of our clients gain comfort in the knowledge that we have the ability to enforce rules that enable a functional, viable and harmonious village. This is something so often missing in the suburbs and a big reason why lifestyle villages are a popular choice.

Essentially so long as you pay your weekly fees and do not disrupt the enjoyment of the village for other residents life will be easy for everyone.

Weekly fees are for all intents and purposes the rent (lease) of the land where your home is situated. They cover your right to the exclusive use of that land and also cover your use of the shared facilities in the village. For instance, the fees cover the costs of :-

• Shire rates
• Rubbish collection
• Security
• Village management
• Maintenance of roads, signage, street lights and common landscaping
• Use and maintenance of all community buildings and resort-style facilities

You are required to pay for your own usage of water, electricity, gas and telephone.

Fees are reviewed annually and are adjusted by the Consumer Price Index (CPI). We use this approach, rather than a market review, as it is a fairer system for our residents on pensions and tight budgets.

No. These fees are generally associated with Retirement Villages and are not necessary in Lifestyle Villages such as Leisure Life Village.

When you sign your Residential Site Agreement, you will also need to set up a fortnightly direct deposit through your bank. If you are entitled to Rent Assistance, you are required to pay the full weekly fees and then the Government pays the subsidy directly to you.

If you are on a pension, you are most likely entitled to Rent Assistance when living at Leisure Life Village.

Often Centrelink confuse lifestyle villages with retirement villages and may give you incorrect advice. We will provide you with a letter that clearly explains the nature of your residence at Leisure Life Village so there can be no confusion when you visit Centrelink.

If you would like more information on Rent Assistance visit the Centrelink website by using the following link: http://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/services/centrelink/rent-assistance

Most importantly, the village management is there to manage the village, not the residents.

We have regular meetings with all of our residents to update them on developments and village operations. If you have any questions or comments we welcome your input and feedback on things we are doing around the village.

Each resident is given an mailbox which is located at the park entrance. Mail is delivered by Australia Post just like any normal house or residence.

The Community Centre has chairs, trestle tables, flat screen TV, Stereo Sound System, good kitchen, fridge and freezer.

The Community Centre hosts a range of activities for residents. These include art classes, darts and aerobics.

We have a limited number of storage bays for caravans, trailers, boats and motor homes. If you need to store one of these please enquire with village management as to availability and cost.

While part of the idea of down-sizing is to get rid of unused items and de-clutter your life, there are times when you just can’t part with items. These storage rooms should be available in stage 2, again they will be limited in number so please contact village management as to availability and cost.

Games room / community hall.

Please refer to our Buying Guide page.

Visitors are welcome and of course most of our homes are 3 bedroom so it’s natural you’ll have people staying from time to time. There are some restrictions on visitors staying for an extended period of time which are covered in the Lease.

Leisure Life Village is a lifestyle village designed for over 55’s who do not have children permanently living with them. Children are certainly welcome as visitors and grandkids often stay for a couple of days over school holiday periods, they just cannot reside permanently at the village.

Yes provided they are approved by management. Generally if they are not a danger to local wildlife or other residents and is not causing a nuisance or annoying other residents your pets can stay.

Leisure Life Village is in a fairly safe location. Having said that village management take security very seriously.

The best form of security in villages like this is the neighbourhood watch. We encourage our residents to look out for each other and to let us know if they see anything untoward. So far so good.

Prior to construction, the builder will sit with you at the pre-start meeting and make any required changes to a standard home so that it becomes your personalised home.

Once your home is in place, what you do to the inside is up to you, however external changes require the approval of village management. This is so we can ensure it complies with the regulations and doesn’t detract from the visual amenity of the rest of the village.

When the time comes to sell your home the office is available to operate as an agency and will charge you an agents commission for selling your home.

Interestingly homes in lifestyle villages tend to appreciate in value. As the village continues to grow, the number of vacant sites reduces and it becomes a matter of supply and demand. Eventually the only way to get in is for someone to sell out.