New government data shows complaints from retirement village residents in New South Wales have plunged over the past 12 months as the statewide resident population increases.
The FY23 to FY24 NSW Civil & Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) Annual Report has revealed a 14.5% drop in complaints to the tribunal over the past 12 months.
Retirement village complaints made to the tribunal, which hears and decides civil and administrative cases in NSW, accounted for 0.09% of the 52,208 complaints about all housing types.
Retirement Living Council Executive Director Daniel Gannon said the data highlighted increased satisfaction with the services retirement villages offer in NSW and nationwide.
“Fewer complaints mean happier residents and better living experiences in retirement villages across NSW,” Daniel said.
He added there were 47 complaints made from 76,000 residents in NSW retirement villages in FY23.FY24, or 0.06% of all residents.
“While 47 complaints across NSW is 47 too many, such low volume shows that retirement village residents are having a positive and uplifting experience,” he said.
The taxpayer-funded ABC devoted episodes of its 7.30 program to attack the retirement living sector and land lease operator Lifestyle Communities last year.
“Occasionally, there is an inaccurate perception that some people have bad experiences in these wonderful communities. That sentiment is not backed up by data, facts or evidence,” Daniel said.
“Given the retirement village resident population in NSW has increased by 39 per cent over the last decade, it’s remarkably positive that complaints have decreased by 13 per cent over this time.”
