Housing Options For Fiftyups

Good over 55 community living should be one level with some outdoor living be it a small garden area or sitting area. Having the over 55 resorts are amazing as you move from an area where you have lived for years and have known your neighbours and family and friends close by you move to an area where you can make new friends and neighbours in a short period of time plus you have indoor/outdoor activities available to you. It is a shame that local Councils keep knock these DA's back in some local areas and we have yo move but at least the Over 55 resorts give you another option. I do believe that we need a less expensive model for those with limited funds. These options are great for areas with housing shortage for families as it frees up large family homes for the next generation. 

That's sounds wonderful, if you have a house to sell, and you can use that money to buy an appartment, but what about those of us who are still renting? We'r hoping my husband will have enough money in his superannuation to buy us a unit, and hopefully live off the pension, that is our only option. We can't afford to rent when we retire. 

As a resident of an over 50's retirement village at Hallidays point on the mid north coast. Now 3 years in I can say truthfully that to anybody considering this type of lifestyle be very careful be very very careful . The system is basically a rort from the operators and you will be fleeced from day 1. You will be told many lies to get you in and once they get your money you will not have much hope of ever getting out , as they keep taking your money even after your demise. The RVRA is the only hope for any justice but the politicians do not want to know as obviously the owner operators are up to their usual tricks of utilising all loopholes 

What about us over 50's who don't have a lot of cash so splash around? We rent, we don't have health insurance, we both work but my husband had a stroke last month so now he lives with our son & family because I work full time in Brisbane city & they can get him to appointments in Beaudesert which I can't do. If I were to get sick to we'd be stuffed. There are more of us than you realise. I bet if you did a survey on this you would be shocked at just how many of us there are & just how much cheap rent is needed for us. 

Annie from WA At present I'm trying to get my parents who are86 & 83 years old into a retirement village, their is nowhere that has double rooms and as they have been married for over 64 years they do not want to be separated, which I totally understand. Dad is mums carer and will not be split from her . This couple can not afford to buy their own unit as they don't own any property. Their safety is my main concern but it looks like the government couldn't give a dam about people in this situation as they have nowhere to go. I,m living in a granny flat with our grown up daughter and family trying to help them out so unfortunately they can,t live with me or my husband, which by the way is exactly what the government wants us to do. Why can't there be two bedroom units for couples as with us baby boomers coming through there's going to be a lot more couples needing retirement options together and the amount of times the superannuation laws keep changing theirs not going to be any money left for us to live on anyway. It's time the government looked after their senior citizens some of which grew up at the end of the depression. Surely these people deserve better. My husband and I are now 60 yeas old and I also don,t want to be put in the same position as my parents. What a lonely way to live. 

Developers should be required by law to build accommodation for senior members of the community. Seniors don't want 2 storey villas/units, which is all the developers seem to build. Developers should have to build a percentage of single storey 2 bedroom places. I don't call 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and 2 garages downsizing. If a person doesn't want to live in an apartment or a 2 storey place or go into a retirement village there's nowhere to go if a person wants to downsize. The Government should also allow reduced stamp duty encouraging seniors to leave their 3 bedroom home on the quarter acre block. 

It's very worrying when you have no family to help you and a lot of the retirement villages don't inspire confidence in me that they are the right option for me. As a single woman currently living in a large home on 1/2 acre, the thought of living in a tiny unit/villa with no privacy when you want to sit outside is depressing. There doesn't seem to be much thought given to the design of these places in regard to privacy. Not everyone needs to be surrounded activity and people all the time. How about building a retirement village with more space between neighbours and a private little garden to potter around in? 

Hello from Qld I agree with Maree from NSW. I think a lot of people would like to downsize to a small villa or townhouse with a little garden & outside area. I could never live in an apartment. They can be very isolating for seniors. Unfortunately most retirement villages are built in the backblocks somewhere where there is no view other than looking into the brick wall of another apartment. 

Getting older is a worry when you are single and don't have the finances to have a choice where you can go when the time comes. I live in a small country town and have a Lodge that only takes people who can shower feed dress themselves and then if your unable to do that then a place has to be found for you some a long way away from friends. It is no fun getting older. 

There are a lot of Aged Pensioners that are not able to buy into a Retirement Village and they are struggling to get Public accommodation so a lot are paying high rents and not much is left after for living and they are struggling to buy food and medications. There needs to be some more allowance for people that are older that are homeless that were never before and I think it is sad that they are in that situation when your over sixty or older.