aged care and retirement villages

The demand for infrastructure, health services and housing arising from Australia’s ageing population will almost double in the forthcoming decades.

The gadens melbourne aged care and retirement villages team assist clients to navigate through the regulatory framework and contractual complexities of this expanding industry. We continue to work closely with, and regularly advise, government bodies, developers, financiers, operators, managers and other major industry associations to provide ongoing advice and education such as our recent presentation to two of the major banks on the Productivity Commissions inquiry into caring for older Australians.

gadens melbourne offers a team of experienced practitioners, supported by a national team led by industry expert Arthur Koumoukelis of our Sydney office. We have made the commitment to build an expert local and national aged care and retirement village team that delivers legal and strategic, commercial advice to the private sector.

areas of expertise

Our aged care and retirement village team has acted for:

• major for-profit aged care providers in retirement villages;
• major not-for-profit/charitable sector aged care providers in nursing homes and retirement villages;
• financiers;
• corporate public sector agencies; and
• aged care industry bodies.

recent matters

Some recent matters we have been or are involved with include: 

• acting as the Australian legal advisor to New Zealand’s largest aged care and retirement village operator, Ryman Healthcare, as they enter the Australian market;
• acting for a retirement village provider in relation to contract disputes, including a dispute concerning a recent amendment to the Retirement Villages Act which attempts to make void the deferred payment provisions in retirement village contracts;
• acting for a retirement village provider in relation to general contractual advice and disputes concerning the purchase or lease contracts under which residents occupy retirement units; and
• acting for an Australian bank on financing and security arrangements for a retirement village development by a well known property development group.