Aged-care home visit checklist: rooms, care and written fees

Place / actual offered home:

Date and people present:

Housing/room type and agreement:

1. See an ordinary day

Can I inspect the exact offered room, bathroom, call bell, privacy and outdoor access?
The agreed price and care environment must match the actual room.
Answer / source:
How are meal choices, medication support, personal routines and privacy handled on an ordinary day?
Observe a normal mealtime if possible.
Answer / source:
Who is present overnight and on weekends, and how are call bells and changes in needs managed?
Support depends on actual capacity, not branding.
Answer / source:
Can the person keep visitors, preferred activities, outdoor time and their GP connection?
Meaningful everyday life includes relationships and choice.
Answer / source:
What does official Star Ratings and current regulatory information show, and how are complaints resolved?
Use official, dated quality sources rather than marketing claims.
Answer / source:
What are the rules for moving rooms, transferring care or leaving if needs change?
Avoid assuming an automatic future placement.
Answer / source:

2. Read the written quote

Which care-fee arrangements and accommodation arrangements apply separately to this person's history?
Previous fee protections may not determine accommodation-retention rules.
Answer / source:
What is the written full room price and which RAD/RAC or DAP/DAC options may apply?
Capital accommodation and daily fees are different.
Answer / source:
Which daily fees, assessed contributions and other charges are confirmed or still awaiting assessment?
Unknown cannot be treated as $0.
Answer / source:
Which higher everyday living services are truly optional, individually priced and not part of essential care?
HELF cannot be required to secure a room.
Answer / source:

3. Documents and written answers to request

Written offer for the exact room, full price, bathroom/room category and conditions for room moves
Service agreement and accommodation agreement, including the applicable care and support obligations
Itemised basic daily fee, assessed contributions and any fees not yet confirmed
Written treatment of RAD/RAC retention and DAP indexation where the arrangements apply
Optional HELF service list and separate agreement specimen (not a requirement for admission)
Current official quality/complaints information, visitor policy and escalation arrangements

Document date / outstanding answers:

Before committing

The published full RAD is not an annual expense or a requirement to pay everything upfront.
A HELF agreement is optional, separate and cannot be signed as a condition of securing a room.
Ask for the exact resident's fee and accommodation arrangements; do not infer them from one date.

The service and accommodation agreements identify the room, care, rights and fees. A Higher Everyday Living Fee agreement is optional, separate and entered only after moving into care; it cannot be required to secure a room. Applicable fees and accommodation arrangements must be checked individually.

4. Ask for it in writing

Use this editable, generic message. Replace the bracketed placeholders yourself. It is not sent by this website, and no draft is saved or uploaded.

Document request to copy into your own email

Subject: Request for aged-care room offer, agreements and itemised fees

Hello,

We are considering permanent residential aged care at [Home]. Before deciding, please provide a written offer for the exact room, including its bathroom arrangement, the full published and agreed room price, and conditions for room changes.

Please send the proposed service agreement and accommodation agreement, an itemised schedule of daily fees and assessed contributions, and a clear indication of which amounts are still subject to assessment. Please explain any RAD/RAC retention or DAP indexation that would apply to the individual's arrangements without assuming a particular fee cohort.

Could you also provide details of overnight and weekend support, responding to call bells, care planning as needs change, visits, complaints and official quality sources?

Please provide a separate list of optional higher everyday living services and individual prices. We understand an optional HELF agreement is not a condition of securing the room.

Please identify the dates of the documents and outstanding uncertainties.

Thank you.

If copying is unavailable, select the text above and copy it manually. No message is sent, and no person-specific information is requested on this website.

Official sources and further reading

Aged-care fees by entry and accommodation dates · Aged-care quote budget · Compare aged-care homes

Editorial review 2026-11-13. General information only; the applicable contract, assessed charges and provider answers control your individual circumstances.