Seniors ineligible for HomeBuilder

A DECISION by the federal government to exclude over-50s lifestyle communities from its $25,000 HomeBuilder grant has been labelled a “lost opportunity”.

The development industry’s peak body, Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA), lobbied to get eligibility criteria expanded to include homes built at retiree developments such as Seachange Lifestyle Resorts and Halcyon.

UDIA’s Queensland chief executive Kirsty ChessherBrown said the peak body worked hard at a national level but “unfortunately” no changes would be made to the policy.

“We see it as a lost opportunity to support housing choice within the community as well as stimulate the economy by creating construction jobs,” she said.

“Retirees and seniors are a large segment of the property market and including them in HomeBuilder would have enabled many to move into housing that better suits their current needs.”

Halcyon joint managing director Dr Bevan Geissmann said retirees deserved to receive the $25,000 because most had never been eligible for any housing grants.

“They are wanting to downsize, which frees up housing for younger people and families to move into, and it also eases the burden on government down the track in terms of ageing in place and keep people feeling more connected to a community,” he said.

Seachange head of operations and marketing Mia Pradella said it was not “fair at all”.

“It’s disappointing because the HomeBuilder was intended to boost construction and to help people buy new homes, which they are doing,” she said.

Ms Pradella said to help those ineligible for the money, Seachange was offering a $25,000 You Deserve It grant.

“We felt the need to help those who miss out on that opportunity, and it’s already working with dozens of people expressing interest in our resorts over the past two weeks,” she said.

“The value of living in a safe and supportive community like ours has never been greater, with new inquiries growing as COVID-19 restrictions have eased.”

RETIREES AND SENIORS ARE A LARGE SEGMENT OF THE PROPERTY MARKET

KIRSTY CHESSHER-BROWN