All retirement villages in New Zealand have associated costs, such as weekly fees. These generally cover things such as council and water rates, building insurance, external maintenance (including gardening), upkeep of communal facilities, staff costs, gardening and management of the village.
You are responsible for paying for your personal costs, such as personal contents insurance, internal maintenance to your dwelling, power, phone and paid television/streaming services. You may also find that some activities/outings incur additional costs too.
When deciding on a village, some questions to ask any potential village manager include:
- Are the fees ‘fixed for life’ or will they increase? If so, by how much and how often? Do you have a say in this?
- What does the village insurance cover? What do you need to insure? Who pays the excess?
- What happens to the fees if you go into hospital, go on holiday or the number of people in your dwelling changes?
Download our full checklist to help you decide if village life could suit you.
Updated: 20 Jul 2023