Seniors have Gold Coasters to thank for timely reforms

THE State Government today will introduce tough new consumer laws to protect retirees on the back of strong lobbying from Gold Coast seniors.

Ashmore resident Margaret Gampe, from The Domain Residents Association, met Housing Minister Mick de Brenni during last week’s community Cabinet meeting on the Coast calling for urgent reforms.

Ms Gampe said the Retirement Villages Act favoured the village and scheme operators at the expense of residents.

In late 2015, the Bulletin highlighted how few residents understood their own contracts, could not afford legal advice and families faced increasing exit fees when selling a relative’s unit at a major village.

“What chance do families have when the time comes to wind up an estate?” Ms Gampe said. “It is relatively easy to become a resident – it is much more difficult and expensive to cease being a resident.”

Mr de Brenni told the Bulletin the new laws would mandate that new simplified standard contracts were introduced in Queensland making the rules for so-called “reinstatement” of units much fairer for residents.

“The experience of Margaret Gampe and Domain residents has highlighted for me need for more rights and a stronger voice for residents.

“Our new laws and simplified standard contracts will make sure that all fees and charges are stated upfront and not hidden in thousands of pages of contracts.

“One of the big issues that’s been raised with me by Margaret and others is the socalled ‘reinstatement’ of properties before sale.

“Residents have had unreasonable costs forced on to them, which amount to full refurbishment rather than reinstatement.”

The new laws would define reinstatement as putting the unit back into the condition it was in at the start of residency, less fair wear and tear.

“For too long residents of some retirement villages have felt powerless,” Mr de Brenni said. “We owe our older generation better than that.”