Frequently Asked Questions

Firstly and most importantly, the answer to this question relates to your rights and protection when living in a Retirement Village, which you do not necessarily have living in an apartment complex. Every Resident living in a Retirement Village is protected by the Retirement Villages Act 1986. This act provides a Legal Framework  encompassing your rights and our obligations.

Retirement Villages are regulated under the Retirement Villages Act, 1986, and this legislation regulates the retirement industry and ensure that residents have increasingly strong rights in this area. 

The Legislation is state enacted and areas of focus include in relation to service fees, termination arrangements, methods of dispute resolution and the right to be actively involved in the management of the community. 

Secondly, Lifestyle --- choosing to live in a Retirement Village is a Lifestyle Decision. Retirement Villages offer the concept of down-sizing with an easy-care, no-fuss style of living. Gardens and Common Areas are taken care of at all times, with communal areas available to all Residents. All areas must be continually maintained to the highest levels.

Thirdly, Community --- in a Retirement Village, there is a strong sense of community with communal spaces and activities that are arranged for you. Under the Framework of the Act, the Manager is obligated at all times to maintain all communal areas, ensuring grounds are cleaned and well maintained, services are always working, etc

Your rights as a resident in the Village are:

• To live in your apartment without interference by anybody to your reasonable peace, comfort and privacy
• The ability to exercise self-reliance and autonomy in matters relating to your personal, domestic and financial affairs
• To decide what possessions to have in your premises
• To live in an environment free from harassment and intimidation
• To appoint an agent to receive notices and other documents on your behalf
• To be given proper notice of any variations in your recurrent charges
• To access any information about you held by the operator
• To stand for election if the retirement village has a resident committee
• To attend and vote at any meetings of residents

Firstly, the Village is brand-new, built during 2022-2023, offering state-of-the-art amenities. Any Resident moving in first would be the first to live in these Brand New Apartments appointed with the most luxurious finishes.

Secondly, the Village is uniquely boutique, with a limited number of Apartments. There are 18 Two-Bedroom apartments and only 2 One-Bedroom Apartments, making it a very small and boutique development. Most Villages are substantially larger with many more residents, and are substantially more busy. This Village will offer a truly quiet lifestyle.

Thirdly the Apartments and Amenities will be designed with absolute luxury and quality in mind, giving you the best finishings available. A Specifications Sheet is available on request.

Fourthly, the Village is located in an excellent precinct, bordering St Kilda East and Caulfield North, with public transport and shops close by.

Finally, the Village is an independently operated Village, not part of any large group, and hence not bound by any large corporate policies. This means the operations of the Village can be tailored to meet the needs and wants of the residents as set out and agreed to between the Village Manager and the Residents Committee.

Under the Framework of the Act, there are pre-specified legal documents that protect all parties rights. These include the following:

• An Agreement for Residence and Management Contract (where units are incomplete)
• A Residence and Management Contract, which sets out all rights, obligations, costs, covenants, etc
• A Loan Agreement which sets out the ingoing contribution terms and exit fees terms

It is strongly advised that you seek independent legal and financial advice before signing any documents

Yes, you can. All terms and conditions and deposit amounts will be clearly laid out in the applicable documentation, which you can request at any time by contacting us

There are three sets of fees to consider as part of your decision making process:

1. The Ingoing Fee. This is a Lumpsum Contribution payable at the time you settle on your contract of purchase. Ingoing Fees vary depending on the chosen Apartment
2. The Ongoing Fee. This is a monthly service fee to cover the costs of running the Village. It is similar to an Owners Corporation Fee in a multi-unit Apartment. This monthly fee covers all costs associated with common area cleaning and maintenance, building insurances, common utilities and services, council rates for common area, wages for staff, security, emergency call systems, etc. Monthly Ongoing Fees vary depending on your chosen Apartment size.
3. The Outgoing Fee. This is also commonly known as a Deferred Management Fee (DMF). This Fee is payable when you depart the Apartment and is calculated as a Fixed Price or a Variable Price (You have the choice). We can clearly explain this to you by contacting us.

Residents of the Village contribute to the costs associated with the day-to-day and ongoing management and maintenance of the Village. 

This is called a Service Fee and ensures that facilities and services, that could often be out of reach of most people, are affordable. The Service Fee is purely a recoverable cost of the Management Company, with full disclosure provided to Residents via the Resident Committee.

This Service Fee covers the running costs of the Village which includes Village management and administration, common area maintenance, rates and utilities for common areas, building insurance, security costs including emergency call, waste removal and gardening. 

The service fee also includes a contribution to a fund that is used for major maintenance and repair of capital items. This ensures that there are always sufficient funds available to cover repair and works to maintain the property in its optimum state. 

Personal services charges are additional services made available to residents and are usually services such as meals, internal cleaning of individual apartments, etc. These are provided to residents on a user pays basis. 

Yes, you may be responsible for other costs such as electricity, water and gas usage and rates, and contents insurance for your apartment. 

Just as there are many different types of Retirement Villages offering different service and facilities, there are several types of tenure schemes available. 

Our contracts are in the form of a lease. 

A lease is usually for 55 years or more and terminates automatically on the death of the surviving resident or when the apartment is on-sold to a new resident due to the existing resident/s vacating. Regardless of the tenure scheme offered, you are protected by The Victorian Retirement Villages Act (1986).

The Kimberley will not be offering any onsite Healthcare services.

We strongly support the establishment of a Residents Committee at the Village. The Residents Committee works with the Village Manager to ensure that the needs and requirement of the residents are being met. Residents have the option to choose their committee and will sometimes choose to have subcommittees as well, such as for example an entertainment committee.

Yes, in all likelihood, the Village will have rules or by‑laws about the use, enjoyment, control and management of the Village. These rules affect you and you are obliged to obey them whilst a resident:

The rules usually deal with: 

• visitors and guests 
• noise 
• security 
• pets 
• garbage disposal 
• car parking 
• restrictions on the use of services and facilities 
• the external appearance of residents’ premises
•  gardening and landscaping.

We refer you to Consumer Affairs Victoria. there are guidelines laid out by Consumer Affairs that we must follow. More information can be obtained at this link: http://www.consumer.vic.gov.au

We recognise that pets are an important part of many people’s lives. 

Well-mannered small pets are very welcome based on pre-approval from the Village Manager.

This is your new home, and you are most welcome to have family or friends visit or stay with you for a short time. 

You will be asked to share their details for stays longer than two nights.

 Yes – each apartment will have the opportunity of exclusive use of at least one car parking space in a secure underground car park. 

Additional Spaces may be available, this would need to be a discussion with the Village Manager

 Yes – each apartment will have secure storage cages in the basement. These may be attached to your carspace or may be elsewhere in the basement

Yes, we are providing secure bicycle racks in the basement

The Village Manager is responsible for the day-to-day running of the Village and is the primary point of contact for all residents for all enquiries and matters you may need to raise. The Village Manager also attends all Committee meetings and arranges any activities you may request from time to time together with the Concierge. 

Yes, unless the Committee decide against it. The range of Concierge Services provided during normal office hours (9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday) can range from providing transport timetables, looking after delivery of you mail and collection in your absence, or liaising with the local chemist to have scripts delivered. This can extend to helping co-ordinate activities, organising outings, arranging entertainment, even finding you a personal fitness trainer if that is what you desire. Further to this, they can recommend a range of external services from cleaning, fresh linen and assistance with shopping.

We are catering to the needs of the community by providing the following:

• A well appointed secure entrance with a concierge 
• A casual seating / hangout area
• A cafe with inside / outside seating areas
• A BBQ area with an adjoining garden
• A formal lounge room
• A Theatre / TV room
• A large dining room seating up to 60 people with an adjoining kitchen servery (the dining room will be capable of being sub-divided to make two separate dining rooms)
• A small business centre for you to do any private PC work and printing

There are many reasons why you may eventually need to move from your apartment. Most often these include changing health, family and financial circumstances. Whatever the reason, you must provide the Manager of the Village with a written notice of your intention to vacate. 

Depending on what changes you have made internally, your apartment may require reinstatement works upon departure. This may include painting and re-carpeting. 

Reinstatement work also ensures that the resale process is undertaken as swiftly as possible and that the best possible price is obtained. Keep in mind that you get 100% of the Capital Gain less the Outgoing Fee (if you have chosen the variable contract type).

The Manager of the Village must on-sell the apartment unit to a suitable person 55 years of age or older, which ensures that the integrity and like-minded nature of the community is upheld. 

You have the opportunity to introduce the Village Manager to people who you think may be suitable for residency during this period.