Member for Burnett Stephen Bennett has helped to introduce major reforms that protect retirees living in retirement villages and manufactured home parks.
Mr Bennett, the Shadow Minister for Housing and Public Works, said it was past time for amendments to be pushed through after many reviews of the Act including the LNP’s review in 2012.
The Housing Legislation (Building Better Futures) Amendment Bill was passed in state Parliament last night with support from the LNP, addressing concerns raised by the many, often elderly and vulnerable residents who live in retirement villages and manufactured homes parks.
Some residents have been victim of bewildering and complex contracts that favoured the village or park operator and left them financially penalised.
Mr Bennett said the reforms were “consistent with the rights of every person to an adequate standard of living” and sought to protect the most vulnerable in our society.
“Given our rapidly aging population and increasing need to provide more aged care and nursing home facilities, these issues need close attention to ensure regulations are working so that elderly and vulnerable Queensland and their families are not being ripped off by unscrupulous operators,” he said.
“Access to housing is a basic right and for our senior citizens, secure accommodation, both for personal security and for tenure, have become increasingly important.”
Mr Bennett said the sensible raft of changes balance the need to protect residents in retirement villages, rental accommodation and manufactured homes parks, and the viability of operators.
“While residents might say we haven’t gone far enough, and operators might say we have gone too far – I believe we’ve found a good balance that protects our most vulnerable and elderly Queenslanders and still supports a healthy retirement environment,” he said.
Mr Bennett stressed that with 42,000 Queenslanders living in 315 retirement villages, there were many aged-care facilities who operated fairly, clearly focused on the welfare of their residents.
“We were all mortified when we saw the ABC Four Corners programme, ‘Bleed them dry until they die’, laying bare the high entry and exit and service charges by some retirement villages”, he said.
“While there’s a need for scrutiny and reform, we should not discredit the entire sector, because there are many good operators out there – including in Burnett and Bundaberg.
“I’ve witnessed first-hand the grief and despair of residents in Manufactured Homes parks who have suffered at the hands of unscrupulous park operators. Some had to walk away from their home with nothing to show for it because of the lack of clarity in the industry.
“These sensible reforms will go a long way towards a fix.”
Mr Bennett thanked locals who approached him to voice their frustrations.
“We have listened to those concerns and acted in their best interests to ensure the system is fairer for our senior citizens,” he said.
Key parts of the new laws:
• Transparent pre-contract disclosure with retirement village operators, and a new 2-stage, 21-day process for the contract.
• Banning misleading and deceptive documents from operators to current or prospective residents
• Transparency about charges, fees and fee increases
• Exit entitlements to paid to residents within 18 months of leaving – applicable to all current residents, people exiting now with unsold units, and new residents (and an independent review within two years on how this is working)
• Funding for 5 key organisations for advocacy and support services to retirement village residents
• A distinction between “reinstatement work” and “renovation work”, and who is responsible for these costs
• More frequent new valuations on unsold units
• Clarity around redevelopment of retirement villages
• Manufactures Homes Parks limited to one rent increase per year, transparency of market rent reviews and no rent increases outside agreement terms
• New dispute resolution behavioural standards and process for residents in Manufactured Homes
• No more meter reading and utility administration fees in Manufactured Homes parks
ENDS.
Thursday, 26 October 2017