Retirement village visit checklist: questions and documents

Place / actual offered home:

Date and people present:

Housing/room type and agreement:

1. Try an ordinary day

Can I inspect the exact offered home, entrance, bathroom, paths, lighting, privacy and stairs?
Accessibility varies within the same village.
Answer / source:
Can I walk my normal trip to shops, transport and medical care without driving?
A short map distance may not mean a practical trip.
Answer / source:
Who does the bins, mail, cleaning, garden care and repairs within my home?
Low maintenance does not mean every household task is included.
Answer / source:
Can I attend an ordinary activity and speak with willing residents, including those who prefer privacy?
A social calendar is not evidence of friendship or resident satisfaction.
Answer / source:
How are repairs logged and prioritised? Can I see recent anonymised response examples?
The day-to-day service can matter more than clubhouse photographs.
Answer / source:
Who responds to a 24-hour call, and is future personal care or admission to aged care separately assessed?
An emergency button or nearby nursing home is not a guaranteed care pathway.
Answer / source:

2. Get the financial consequences in writing

For this exact home, what entry or reservation payments are due and on what terms are they refundable?
Get the actual contract, not a generic marketing figure.
Answer / source:
Which recurring costs are included, extra, optional, conditional or unknown?
Rates, water, electricity, capital funds, owners corporation and services vary.
Answer / source:
Can I see entry and departure examples after one, three and five years, including exit fees, sale and refurbishment costs?
Illustrations need assumptions and may not be guaranteed refunds.
Answer / source:
Do I own the home or a right to occupy, and what are the capital gain/loss and repayment rules?
Contract date and ownership type materially affect outcomes.
Answer / source:

3. Documents and written answers to request

Current signed information statement; complete residence and management agreements and schedules
Village by-laws, current fee schedule and any prescribed standard-form contract
Most recent financial statements available to prospective residents; village maintenance budget
Itemised rates, utilities, capital maintenance, insurance, optional services and special levies
Written entry/exit calculations, triggers, assumptions, deferred fees and selling obligations
Applicable condition report, modification/pet/visitor policies and emergency-response terms

Document date / outstanding answers:

Before committing

Request the required current documents at least 21 days before signing; do not sign under pressure.
Keep future aged-care promises and optional services separate from what the contract actually provides.
Mark any unanswered cost as unknown, never zero; consider specialist legal and financial advice.

For relevant contracts entered from 1 May 2026, cooling-off runs for seven business days. CAV says required residence documents must be supplied at least 21 days before signing. Check the applicable rules, signed agreement and advice; a prospective buyer is not automatically entitled to an existing resident's annual contract check.

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 current village documents and unit-specific answers

Hello,

I am considering [Village] and would like to review the documents for [Exact unit/home and contract option].

Please provide the current signed information statement, residence and management contracts, schedules and village by-laws, together with the most recent resident financial statements and maintenance budget.

Could you also send an itemised explanation of what the maintenance charge includes and what is billed separately (rates, utilities, capital maintenance, owners corporation and optional services), plus written responsibility for internal repairs, gardens, bins, after-hours support and emergency-call response?

Please include written entry and departure examples for this agreement, showing any deferred fees, capital gain/loss treatment, sale and renovation expenses, and repayment triggers. If a future-care service is mentioned, please distinguish the actual entitlement from a possible referral.

Please note the effective date of each source and identify any amount or service still unconfirmed.

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

Compare published village fee inclusions · Retirement-village rules by contract date · Resident-life visit tests

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