The Retirement Villages Act

Retirement Villages Act 1987

The introduction to the Retirement Villages act states 'An Act to regulate retirement villages and the rights of residents of such villages; and for other purposes.'

The preliminary Object of the Act is stated as:

'To provide a scheme under which a balance is achieved between the rights and responsibilities of residents of retirement villages and the Seniors Card Real Estate Retirement Services Act administering authorities of retirement villages by –

a) Regulating the making, content, operation and termination of residence contracts; and

b) Providing for proper consultation between residents and administering authorities of retirement villages; and

c) Providing for dispute resolution processes.

The complete Act can be purchased from the State Law Publisher or downloaded from (http://www.legislation.sa.gov.au/index.aspx).

Also included as part of the Retirement Villages Act 1987 is the 'Retirement Villages Regulations 2006'. This includes Schedule 1 – 'Code of conduct to be observed by administering authorities of retirement villages'. This Schedule covers such topics as preparation of documents, residents' committees and dispute procedures.

The Retirement Villages Act 1987 also requires the owner of the residential premises in a Retirement Village to provide comprehensive information to a person considering residency regarding all aspects of Village life at least 5 working days prior to signing a contract.