I’m a retired psychology academic who has experience living in lifestyle villages. My partner Judi and I moved into a Retirement Village seven years ago, and we now live in a Land Lease Community on the NSW south coast.

We knew nothing about lifestyle villages when we signed the RV contract, but luckily, we had chosen a low-risk home with a fair financial package.

I joined the Board of the Retirement Village Residents Association (RVRA). I was mentored by the then President, Jim Gibbons, on the steep learning curve on the legislation and challenges of retirement villages. I was shocked by the appalling conditions some residents were experiencing and set out to provide easily accessible information to assist them in dealing with their problems. Diane Hart (now RVRA Vice-President) and I drafted over 30 Information Sheets (available to RVRA members).

When friends made comments such as “But you’re too young to be in an old people’s home” or “But I’ve heard those villages rip you off”, I realised that the baby boomers who were thinking of downsizing also needed accurate information. So, I set out to write a brief booklet about how to choose a safe RV home.

My sister suggested that Land Lease Communities should be mentioned. I’d never heard of them! So, I set out on another steep learning curve that included reading the excellent articles from ARPRA and The Tenant’s Union and a lovely driving holiday exploring LLCs and RVs up and down the coast.

I talked with many residents and non-residents to help me understand their concerns about lifestyle villages and summarised these in the 21 BUTS. Feedback from readers led me to highlight risk prevention. The “brief” booklet kept growing and growing.

It’s been a two year journey with heaps of help from many people who have encouraged me all the way (several of my draft readers decided to move into a village!). I’m still shocked by some of the horrendous stories, but I’m also confident that, with due diligence, you can find a low-risk home in a lifestyle village. Nowhere is no-risk, not even your own home and plot of land in suburbia.