All retirement villages in Victoria must have an ‘internal dispute resolution scheme’ in place for managing complaints between residents or residents and operators of a retirement village.
The ‘internal dispute resolution scheme’ should outline the procedures for:
- lodging a complaint
- managing a complaint
- referring the complaint to another dispute resolution service.
Disputes between residents
We all have the right to enjoyment in and around our own home, but sometimes what you do will impact other residents, in the same way their behaviour can impact you.
Many of the same issues that occur between property owners also occur between residents in a retirement village.
Common disputes between residents can include issues about:
- noisy or wandering pets
- excessive noise
- overhanging trees
- parking across driveways.
Disputes between residents and operators
Common disputes that occur between residents and retirement villages operators can include issues relating to:
-
changes to the services offered by the retirement village
-
increases in the maintenance charges
-
ongoing charges after a resident leaves or dies
-
development or refurbishment plans for the retirement village.
Resolving your disputes
In most instances your best option is to discuss your issue and to try and sort out the problem in an informal way.
If discussions have broken down the next step is to access the village’s internal dispute resolution scheme.
If all other means have failed we can provide free and confidential dispute resolution services to help you resolve your dispute.
We will also explore if a support person or advocate for you or the other party could overcome a power imbalance or assist a vulnerable person to participate in the mediation.
A support person may be a family member, a friend, a disability advocate, a lawyer or other professional person. We'll assess if the chosen support person is suitable and will be helpful in the mediation and not escalate the conflict.
Your rights and responsibilities
For further information on your rights and responsibilities as a resident or an operator of a retirement village or a breach of the law, visit the Consumer Affairs Victoria (External link) website.
Contact us
For a free and confidential discussion on how to resolve a dispute between residents or a resident and the retirement village operators contact us.