Leaving a retirement village

When Arthur and Raewyn were 66, they decided to sell the old family home and move into a modern unit in a retirement village in another town. After two years, they realised they badly missed having regular contact with their daughter and grandchildren, so decided to move back to their hometown.

The village manager explained that the conditions of their occupation licence meant that she had the sole right to sell their occupation right to new residents. She said that the village was currently selling new units and buyers generally preferred these over previously occupied units. It could take some time to sell the occupancy right to their unit and in the meantime, they had to keep paying licence fees. Arthur and Raewyn recalled having seen these provisions when they entered the village, but hadn't taken much notice of them. They thought their unit could be sold quickly if they ever wanted to move out. The couple were disappointed they had to delay their move for a few months. They realised that having occupancy rights was not the same as owning and controlling their own home.