Special Feature: Lifestyle estates in Queensland

By Tony and Denyse Allsop

I have often been asked for information on retirement villages and lifestyle estates by RV owners who like to travel and have time to spare or are approaching retirement. Are you like me and love to travel in your caravan or RV on extended holidays, but have doubts about leaving your home, gardens and lawn, swimming pool, insurance, security and mail-forwarding? Do you look for a housesitter and feel that you have to be home by a certain date? Are you 50 years old or more?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, perhaps you should consider lifestyle estate living, which in Qld is a fancy name for a retirement village. Denyse and I were at that age, over 50 (just!), and although we were still working, we decided to look at villages from Brisbane to Cairns. Queensland villages have different rules from other States and are covered by the Queensland Government Retirement Villages Act of 1999. This act has cleared up a lot of the old problems, is very strict and has a bias towards the resident. Each village should have a copy to look through, if you are interested.

There are considerable differences between villages as to sale conditions, fee structure, ownership, leasing or freehold, and of course, pricing. Each village has its own PID (Public Information Document) which you should study. This is the ‘Bible’ and the village must stick to the rules of this document. Ask to peruse a copy.

We prefer a leasehold village, with a 90-year lease, for several reasons. As part of the lease, maintenance is kept to a high and consistent standard for the homes, other buildings, pool, lawns and gardens adding to the amenity for the residents. Over time, some freehold villages can sink into a rather run-down state, and it is difficult, if not impossible, to maintain standards in the face of un-cooperative owners.

Also, in a lease-hold village, an enforceable standard of general behaviour is required of residents and their guests, and if there is a major problem with a resident’s behaviour, their lease can be terminated by the scheme operator in extreme circumstances. Therefore, a resident in a leasehold village can be fairly well assured of peaceful enjoyment of their home, free from any worry about the ‘neighbour from hell’, with loud rap music, revving car and motorcycle engines, barking dogs or a dead vehicle graveyard!

Go green
One of the major operators in Central Qld is the Green Group, a family-run company that has built villages in Bundaberg, Bargara, Townsville and Mackay, with others planned. Green Group has named its villages: Carlyle Gardens in Bargara, Townsville and Mackay and Argyle Gardens in Bundaberg.

A typical village would have around 300-400 homes and would include a large swimming pool, residents’ workshop complete with power tools, lathes, etc; plus caravan parking, both outside and undercover; a licensed restaurant; large auditorium/theatre and a games room with indoor bowls, snooker tables, etc. A good-sized library is likely to be included, as well as a craft room and possibly a gym. Townsville and Mackay villages also have several outside bowling greens. Shops, doctor’s rooms, a hairdresser, etc, are also planned, and serviced apartments are available in some villages.

There is a large range of plans to choose from in the Green Group’s villages, starting with two-bedroom 15.5 squares up to three-bedroom, with ensuite and a double garage of nearly 25 squares – this is a big house.

Homes are separated by gardens, not fences, and you may generally choose your colour scheme of bricks, tiled roof and indoor paint. Flooring may be carpet, tiles, vinyl or a mixture. Homes are built to a high standard, with top-quality fittings and they presently take around 14 weeks to construct.

House pets are allowed, from goldfish up to birds, a cat or a dog, but the latter must be restricted to the house at night and put on a lead during the day. Obviously, in such a densely populated environment, your pet must not be permitted to annoy the neighbours with barking or howling.

Choose a village that collects your mail while you are away and forwards it on to you; these days most do this. Also look for a village with low monthly fees (similar to body corporate fees). Carlyle Gardens Village, Mackay, as an example, has a monthly fee of $215 which covers all council rates including water; use and maintenance of all facilities; all lawn mowing, gardening and watering of common areas; insurance of the buildings and your home plus the maintenance of the outside of your home. This fee also includes collection and forwarding of your mail and a 24-hour emergency call button system. Your only other outgoings are electricity and telephone.

All homes are of brick construction with tiled roofs, enclosed garages, roof insulation and air-conditioning ducts internally fitted.

What if I don’t like it and want to sell?
There are two ways out. First you may just say: “I am out of here”, and when your house is sold you get all your money back, with no exit fees and no sales commission. Carlyle operates with this policy.

The other choice is to take part in a profit scheme. This involves an exit fee on a sliding scale over a period covering seven years. This is the more popular as homes have increased in value at a high rate over the few years the villages have been in operation. When you and your partner pass on, the house is sold and the money is paid into your estate, subject to the conditions above.

The only sales in Mackay so far have been two homes where the widowed occupants met, fell in love, married, sold their homes and built a new one in the village!

In our search for the ideal village we have spoken to many people.

Most village residents now appear to be younger, retired or semi-retired, who wish to travel in their RV and have a lovely home to return to, with lawns and gardens looked after, resort-type facilities to enjoy, and the quiet peaceful surroundings of like-minded folk with a lack of noise associated with young people in a normal suburb.

Other benefits include somewhere safe to store the RV, home security and a free mail service, all at a very good price. It’s no wonder lifestyle estate/retirement villages are becoming so popular with RV owners.

Carlyle Gardens Villages:
Contact Ms Keeley Green at Green Group: PO Box 5662, Bundaberg, Qld 4670. Or call (07) 4131 9800; fax (07) 4152 7417