Guiding Your Transition into Lifestyle and Retirement Living

Lifestyle and Retirement Living Conveyancing in Queensland

Conveyancing for land lease and leasehold villages

Moving from your own home into lifestyle or retirement living is a big step, for you and your family. We guide you and your family through the process, explaining how it works and what you can expect from the fee structure, so you can move forward with clarity and confidence.

Our dedicated team has extensive experience acting for clients entering a leasehold village or a land lease village. We understand the questions that arise at this stage, and the importance of getting it right.

Where needed, we can also coordinate the sale of your existing home alongside your retirement living purchase, helping ensure the transition is smooth and well-managed.

We are proud to deliver our lifestyle and retirement living conveyancing service at a fixed fee of just $885 (including GST, excluding outlays). Click on the button below to have a personalised quote emailed to you, or download our digital flyer.

If you have any questions about the process, please use the contact form or call us. With eight offices Queensland-wide, our experienced team can assist you wherever you are.

Our Team

Managing Solicitor – Lifestyle and Retirement Living

Our Lifestyle and Retirement Living team is headed by Cameron Hagan. With qualifications in law and business administration, and extensive experience in property law and conveyancing, Cameron is focused on delivering practical advice that drives real outcomes for his clients.

Having worked closely with operators, committees, residents and key stakeholders, he brings a deep understanding of how retirement communities operate beyond the legal framework. Whether acting for incoming or outgoing residents, Cameron provides clear, confident guidance every step of the way.

Lifestyle and Retirement Living FAQs

Retirement villages are communities designed for people over a certain age (generally 65 years old) who want to live independently while enjoying access to shared facilities, services and a social community environment. Residents usually live in their own villa, unit or apartment and enter into a legal agreement with the village operator. Retirement Villages are governed by the Retirement Villages Act 1999.

A lifestyle village (also known as a manufactured home or land lease community) is designed for independent living, typically for people aged 50 and over. Residents generally own their home but lease the site from the park owner and pay site rent. Like a retirement village residents enjoy access to shared facilities and a social community environment. Lifestyle villages are regulated by the Manufactured Homes (Residential Parks) Act 2003.

Retirement villages work by providing residents with a right to live in a home within the village, together with access to village facilities and services. Depending on the village, residents may enter into a lease, licence, freehold purchase or other residence contract. Residents usually pay an ingoing contribution, ongoing fees and, in many cases, exit fees when they leave.

Retirement living is a housing and lifestyle option for people who are retired or approaching retirement. It allows residents to downsize, reduce home maintenance and live in a community with access to shared facilities and optional support services.

A retirement home is a general term often used to describe accommodation for people 65 years and older, whereas lifestyle villages are designed for people who are 50 years and older. In Australia, a retirement home may refer to a home in a retirement village, an independent living unit or, in some cases, residential aged care. It is important to check the legal structure before signing any agreement.

In a retirement village, residents usually enter into a residence contract and may have a lease, licence or freehold interest depending on the village model. In a land lease community, residents usually own the manufactured home but lease the land or site from the park owner under a site agreement that is governed by the Manufactured Homes (Residential Parks) Act 2003

Retirement village and land lease facilities vary between villages but may include community centres, swimming pools, gyms, bowling greens, libraries, gardens, BBQ areas, workshops, visitor parking and organised social activities. Some villages may also offer optional services such as cleaning, meals or transport.

Legal advice is strongly recommended when buying or selling in a retirement village or land lease community. The contracts can involve complex rights, fees, exit obligations, disclosure requirements and settlement conditions. A lawyer can help you understand what you are signing before you commit.

In Queensland, you may be able to complete a land lease transaction yourself. However, legal advice is recommended because manufactured home contracts, site agreements, disclosure periods and park owner requirements can be complex. Mistakes may cause delays or financial consequences.

Yes. Under the Retirement Villages Act 1999 (Qld), you generally have a 14-day cooling-off period. During this time, you can terminate the contract by giving written notice to the scheme operator. The cooling-off period allows you additional time to reconsider your decision after signing and seek further legal or financial advice if required.

Yes. Under the Manufactured Homes (Residential Parks) Act 2003 (Qld), you generally have a 7-day cooling-off period after entering into the site agreement with the Park Owner. If you decide not to proceed during this period, you may terminate the agreements by giving written notice in accordance with the Act.

Stamp duty depends on the type of transaction. In Queensland, transfer duty is generally not payable on the purchase of a manufactured home in a land lease community. In a retirement village, duty depends on the legal structure, such as whether the interest is leasehold, licence or freehold. Contact Keylaw for legal advice.

Stamp duty depends on the type of transaction. In Queensland, transfer duty is generally not payable on the purchase of a manufactured home in a land lease community. In a retirement village, duty depends on the legal structure, such as whether the interest is leasehold, licence or freehold. Contact Keylaw for legal advice.

In many cases, you may sell your home yourself, appoint a real estate agent or use the operator’s sales service if one is offered. The correct process depends on the type of community and your contract. In land lease communities, the park owner must not unreasonably hinder the sale of your manufactured home.

Retirement villages may operate under different legal models, including leasehold, licence to occupy, freehold and strata or community title arrangements. Each model affects ownership rights, fees, resale rights and what happens when you leave.

Retirement village living costs vary depending on the village, location, facilities and contract terms. Common costs include an ingoing contribution or purchase price, ongoing service fees, personal expenses and possible exit fees when you leave.

Common retirement village fees may include ongoing service charges, maintenance charges, personal utility costs, deferred management fees, reinstatement costs and other exit-related costs. The exact fees should be set out in the disclosure documents and residence contract.

Sometimes. Some retirement villages operate under a freehold or strata title model where residents own the property. Other villages operate under leasehold or licence models where residents have a right to occupy but do not own the property itself.

A site agreement is the agreement between a homeowner and the park owner in a land lease community. It gives the homeowner the right to occupy the site where their manufactured home is located and sets out site rent, park rules and ongoing obligations.

A residence contract is the legal agreement between a retirement village resident and the village operator. It sets out the resident’s right to occupy the home, the fees payable, services provided, exit entitlements and the rights and obligations of each party.

A site agreement applies in a land lease community, where the resident owns the manufactured home and leases the land from the Park Owner. A residence contract applies in a retirement village and governs the resident’s right to live in the village under the relevant village model.

Deferred Management Fees (DMFs), also known as exit fees, are a common feature of retirement village contracts. They are generally payable when you leave the village and are typically calculated as a percentage of your ingoing contribution, purchase price or resale price, depending on the terms of your residence contract. The amount is usually linked to the length of time you have lived in the village, with the fee increasing over a specified period until it reaches a maximum percentage. Some retirement villages offer an alternative pricing model where an upfront fee is paid when you move into the village, reducing or eliminating any DMF payable when you exit. As DMF structures vary significantly between villages, it is important to obtain legal advice to understand how the fee is calculated and how it will affect your exit entitlement.

When you leave a retirement village, your exit entitlement is calculated under the residence contract. The operator may deduct agreed fees, deferred management fees, reinstatement costs and other amounts before paying the balance to you or your estate.

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