Retirement Housing Ombudsman

State Liberal Member for Eildon Cindy McLeish MP has announced that a Liberal Government will create Victoria’s first Retirement Housing Ombudsman if elected at the upcoming State Election.

“The Liberal Nationals believe every older Victorian deserves a comfortable and secure retirement.”

“That’s why we will establish an Ombudsman for Retirement Housing to ensure those older Victorians living in retirement and lifestyle villages feel safe and protected,” Ms McLeish said.

The proposed Ombudsman for Retirement Housing will provide binding resolutions to eligible disputes in the retirement housing sector. Victoria has more than 440 registered retirement housing operators with approximately 45,000 residents.

Currently there is no dedicated mechanism for dealing with retirement housing disputes, which can leave senior Victorians with no choice but to launch costly legal proceedings through VCAT, or seek assistance via Consumer Affairs Victoria.

“Both these processes can be burdensome, expensive, and lead to non-binding outcomes, which create more insecurity for residents and don’t resolve the dispute,” Ms McLeish said.

“While the retirement housing sector is a highly respected industry in Victoria, there are some operators who seek to take advantage of their residents and the Liberals will not stand for that.”

“Daniel Andrews and Labor have had four years to do something to help older Victorians in retirement homes but have failed to deliver. That’s why we are going to make this initiative a priority,” Ms McLeish concluded.