Residents demand immediate action as retirement dream turns into nightmare

What seemed like the perfect coastal retreat has become a complicated ordeal for residents of a once-promising community, as unexpected challenges and disputes disrupt their plans for a peaceful retirement.

Unresolved tensions have left many questioning what the future holds for their once-cherished haven.


At the heart of the controversy is the complex's dual nature as both a strata complex and a retirement village, governed by overlapping regulatory schemes that have left residents grappling with opaque contracts and unexpected fees.

The situation has escalated to the point where residents are now calling for government intervention to resolve a bitter and exhausting fight.

Barbara Allen's story is emblematic of the issues Harbour Pines residents face.


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Families were caught in a legal dispute over the lease-for-life contract at a retirement village. Credit: Facebook


At 92 years old and living with Parkinson's disease, Barbara sought more independence.

She moved into the village in February 2023 after investing $184,000 of her life savings into a $260,000 unit under a 'lease-for-life' agreement.

This type of contract allows residents to live in their unit as long as they can but does not grant them ownership of the property.


'It only lasted one day,' Mr Allen said.

'She thought she'd be able to carry on a normal life, [but] she fell over and took all the skin off her arm and she went to hospital.'
Instead, they are subject to exit fees and other charges upon leaving.

Tragically, Barbara's stay at Harbour Pines lasted only a day before a fall sent her to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with dementia.

She never returned to the unit and passed away in June 2024 without receiving any refund on her lease.

Her children are now embroiled in a legal dispute with Adder Holdings, the operator of Harbour Pines, over the return of her investment.


The Allen family's lawyer has accused Adder Holdings of unconscionable conduct for signing Barbara up to the lease, given her advanced age and health issues.

'Given this is currently before the court, Adder does not wish to comment further on this matter other than to say they are serious allegations that are strongly disputed by Adder,' he said.

Adder Holdings, however, contests the allegations, asserting that Barbara could agree at the time.

The Allens are not alone in their struggle. More than a dozen residents and families have voiced serious concerns about Harbour Pines's financial management, with some being pursued for what they describe as exorbitant fees and unexplained charges.

The case of Gail De Lacy, a legally blind and cancer-stricken resident who was taken to court over a disputed emergency maintenance fee, highlights the aggressive debt recovery practices employed by Adder Holdings.


Despite legal advice that she did not owe the money, the court ruled in the company's favour, and her estate was left with less than half of what she paid for her unit after her death.

The residents' attempts to take control of the situation have been met with resistance and legal setbacks.

A group known as 'the targeted 10,' including 92-year-old Bert Lenane and his wife Peggy, have faced claims of arrears in the tens of thousands of dollars.

Their efforts to appoint a new manager for the property were invalidated by the State Administrative Tribunal, which ruled that a meeting they held was not correctly recorded.

These disputes have prompted calls for an inquiry into the strata management industry, with consumer groups highlighting unethical practices, lack of transparency, and insufficient oversight as key issues.


The Consumer Protection Commissioner for Western Australia has acknowledged receiving complaints about Harbour Pines and is working to improve the village's financial transparency.

At the national level, scrutiny of retirement villages has intensified following reports of 'corporatised elder abuse.'

Federal Financial Services Minister Stephen Jones has engaged with state counterparts to address the conduct of retirement village operators and explore harmonising regulations to protect consumers better.

Legal reforms in Western Australia, set to take effect in December, aim to establish more straightforward rules for lease-for-life holders and maintenance responsibilities.

These changes offer hope for a cleaner, more accountable sector, but as lawyer Haydon Bawden points out, enforcement is key.


The plight of Harbour Pines residents serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities seniors face in retirement living arrangements.

As a society, we must prioritise the protection of our most vulnerable members, ensuring that their retirement years are spent in comfort and dignity, not embroiled in legal battles and financial uncertainty.

Key Takeaways

  • Barbara Allen and her family are embroiled in a bitter legal dispute with Adder Holdings, the operator of Harbour Pines retirement village, over a 'lease-for-life' contract signed under contentious circumstances.
  • Residents of Harbour Pines, including a group known as 'the targeted 10,' are challenging Adder Holdings regarding claims of unpaid fees and are seeking intervention from consumer protection groups and legal avenues.
  • National consumer groups have called for a federal inquiry into the strata management industry due to concerns over unethical practices, lack of transparency, inadequate oversight, and aggressive debt recovery methods.
  • Reforms to the retirement village sector in Western Australia, aimed at protecting residents and providing clearer regulations around contracts and village management, are set to be implemented in December.
How can unclear rules put your retirement savings at risk? What should you check before signing a retirement village contract? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below.
 

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My Godmother is in a nursing home in Woy Woy, and it is a matter of you get what you pay for. It looks brand new, although it is a few years old now, the staff are absolutely lovely and the inmates (her words not mine) are happy to be there mostly, there are a couple of dementia patients who need extra attention but, the staff go the extra mile when required. However, expensive as all hell, gone are the days when you can get a relative into a nursing home for the cost of their age pension.
Is there no such thing any more as Concessional Residents?
 
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I've been looking to move from my hellhole for quite a while now and what I found makes me sick. Retirement villages like this one that cost a fortune and you never own. I found one for $900 a week and YOU MUST EAT THEIR FOOD. Aged care... no such thing. CARE LESS maybe. This months account from Provider shows 5 visits from them they NEVER MADE and never have done but they have taken money from my Carer's money to pay for it. They have done very little for me and most of what I have, walker, original second hand scooter, new bed and mattress I BOUGHT MYSELF. I don't even get consistent staff and when I asked one of them if they had read my file I was told "oh no we don't do that". This was one of the bosses and I asked how he knew what was going on with people was told "we don't need to know". I now discover that they have bumped up the cost of my Lite-n-Easy food. Originally I was told that after 6 months I could control my money but after 7 years they still have not let go. I've sent emails to the PM and Premier but only the Premier was kind enough to reply. The Aged Care Minister in Canberra even had the hide to ask me what I thought of "the work I did for you". Funny about what she was claiming was work I DID MYSELF.
You know, they’re real shitbags some of these supposedly caring individuals aren’t they……….the kind of people that you want to put a curse on when they reach the arse end of their lives….
 
I do realise my comment will be unpopular, but I feel I need to express my opinion on retirement villages.

My husband and I moved into an Oak Tree Retirement Village in the Lake Macquarie area of NSW in September 2019. It was a brand new village at that time and we were among the first residents. The contract was clearly explained to us by the manager of a sister village nearby. We then had an appointment with the marketing manager who went through every detail again. Our daughter in law checked it out as well, and when it comes to money, she doesn't miss a trick! We fully understand the contract we signed and are happy with it.

In the five and a half years we've lived here, our life has been better than we could have hoped. The front gate closes at 4pm daily and doesn't open to non residents until 7am next morning. Those visiting residents can of course be let in by the residents.

There are daily activities for those who wish to participate. On Friday night we have Happy Hour, well, happy three hours actually, where we have a two course dinner cooked by residents. Obviously not every resident comes. We have approximately 80 residents and the village can't expand any further. About 30 residents attend every week. Our free monthly barbecues are attended by almost everyone. There are no cliques here, and with with a couple of exceptions, we all get on.

Our manager is young and enthusiastic. Nothing is too much trouble. Our dishwasher broke down recently and, although it took two and a half weeks, it was replaced with a new one at no cost to us. We have a great gardener/handyman who looks after our gardens and minor repairs. Major repairs are carried out promptly by licenced tradespeople. We have solar power and a storage battery. Our pool and bowling green are always in use, and the community centre is used by residents for large private parties. The kitchen has two cooktops, two ovens and two dishwashers. All crockery, glassware and cutlery is supplied.

All in all, hubby and I believe it's the best move we ever made. We feel safe here and have made many new friends. Also, our family can relax, knowing we're being looked after. All this comes at the princely cost of $130 a week.
 
I do realise my comment will be unpopular, but I feel I need to express my opinion on retirement villages.

My husband and I moved into an Oak Tree Retirement Village in the Lake Macquarie area of NSW in September 2019. It was a brand new village at that time and we were among the first residents. The contract was clearly explained to us by the manager of a sister village nearby. We then had an appointment with the marketing manager who went through every detail again. Our daughter in law checked it out as well, and when it comes to money, she doesn't miss a trick! We fully understand the contract we signed and are happy with it.

In the five and a half years we've lived here, our life has been better than we could have hoped. The front gate closes at 4pm daily and doesn't open to non residents until 7am next morning. Those visiting residents can of course be let in by the residents.

There are daily activities for those who wish to participate. On Friday night we have Happy Hour, well, happy three hours actually, where we have a two course dinner cooked by residents. Obviously not every resident comes. We have approximately 80 residents and the village can't expand any further. About 30 residents attend every week. Our free monthly barbecues are attended by almost everyone. There are no cliques here, and with with a couple of exceptions, we all get on.

Our manager is young and enthusiastic. Nothing is too much trouble. Our dishwasher broke down recently and, although it took two and a half weeks, it was replaced with a new one at no cost to us. We have a great gardener/handyman who looks after our gardens and minor repairs. Major repairs are carried out promptly by licenced tradespeople. We have solar power and a storage battery. Our pool and bowling green are always in use, and the community centre is used by residents for large private parties. The kitchen has two cooktops, two ovens and two dishwashers. All crockery, glassware and cutlery is supplied.

All in all, hubby and I believe it's the best move we ever made. We feel safe here and have made many new friends. Also, our family can relax, knowing we're being looked after. All this comes at the princely cost of $130 a week.
It’s good to hear you have found what seems to be a good, reasonably priced place. I hope the same company stays on for the rest of your time there. Many places have high rates to enter, monthly or quarterly fees like body corp fees in units etc and then excessive amounts of money withheld on exit. Stay there as long as you can and good luck.
 
What we must prioritise is relatives who could not be bothered to check on the contract, but are quick to complain when they think they might miss out on some money. There is a reason these contracts should be read and explained prior to signing. Companies are never in it for anything but themselves
 
I am having to sell my home that my husband & I built in 1996 due to health reasons. And I can tell you I WILL NEVER move into a retirement or nursing home here in Australia. My family is upset with me as I am going to buy a caravan and live in that until I die. At least I will have a say how I lived and how I am treated.
We are happy with land lease. We keep the capital gains, no exit fees and can leave it to our children
 
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I just hope all non-believers and buyers have another good look at the contracts BEFORE diving in. Relatives helping out their parents, grandparents and such should offer to at least give their help by checking/looking at the documents without the background thoughts of how much they might lose or gain. After all they should have an income and assets in their own savings and superannuation, just as we have earned that money, paid off our houses etc; it did not always come easy to most of us but we persevered.

Buying and living in a caravan might be convenient but there are still the daily/weekly fees to the caravan park to be paid and not many parks are legally permitted to keep a ‘tenant’ indefinitely.
 
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This kind of thing is exactly why we decided to aim for aged care at home, in a house we built as age friendly. My Johnny was very, very ill for many years, but, he was content here.
His aged care package allowed us to have everything he needed to keep him comfortable. He loved the extra attention, extra outings, and meeting lots of new people.

The same provider, Hammond Care, did an amazing job supporting my sister and I during the worst of my mums dementia years. Mum was level 4 and it was very handy. Between the two of us and Hammond, mum spent her final years in her own home and only spent her last few days in a hospice.

I know not everyone is able to do this, but the alternative choices need deep scrutiny.

So, when the time comes and I can no longer cope, I will go with home aged care without hesitation. Also .... I own my house and no circling vultures can get their filthy claws onto it.

This is a very sad situation. The only way we will see action against it is if a politicians mum or dad gets caught in the Web.
 
Adder Holdings Pty Ltd, whose director is none other than Lindsay Edward Quann, a slimy individual of American origin.

As of 19 June 2010, he has been subject to a ban from being a director of a self-managed super fund (SMSF) for an indefinite period as ordered by the Australian Taxation Office.

This thief should be banned from holding ANY position in a company or organisation where financial gain could be obtained by nefarious practices.

Adder Holdings is nothing more than a pit of nasty snakes.
Hi Veggiepatch- just wanted to say how very accurate your description of Lindsay Edward Quann is, although i could definitely think of a few more words to add that would not be as ‘clean’ as yours.
I hope he goes down for all the years of disgusting deceitful crimes he has committed against unsuspecting vulnerable people , for all the hurt and pain he has caused. Adder Holdings is tip of the iceberg when it comes to all the entities he hides behind.
 
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My sister is in a place referred to as ‘for the over 55s’. She wanted my husband I to move there for ‘everything’ available to them - swimming pool, cafe (but you have to pay for what you buy, operated by an outside owner so prices close to a normal cafe), Library, and a some other amenities. She paid $425,000 or thereabouts entry fee in 2019. From year 1 to year 7 there is a variable percentage fee on exit which the operators keep, the maximum retention is quite high (I think about 34% of the purchase price). Entry fees are much higher now. I calculated that if we had gone in and lived there our exit fee would be in the region of minus $150,000. In my opinion that is $50,000 less for each of our children on our demise.

We have a 4 bedroom low set home, fully owned, so why would we want to go down this road? Then, god forbid, we may have to go into dementia care - another $700,000 entry fee (at present rates) + daily fees. And after exiting the over 55s unit family of the (part-time) residents have to bring the place up to its original condition at their expense AND the owners of the village who own the land sell to another prospective ‘owner’. So that’s more sales commission loss to one ‘owner’ and sales commission to the owner of the complex and every new ‘owner’ pays all these costs again - more big profit to the complex owners. You have no authority to sell because only the house was what you bought into, not the land (that’s their property). While living there you still pay for your own gas, electricity and other costs/usage of any personal facilities in addition to paying a sort of ‘body corporate’ fee for maintenance of the grounds, rubbish clearance, maintenance of the pool etc, etc, etc.. YOU ARE THE LOSER, ALL THE WAY.

Sorry, not for us when we can, with the present government, get care at home if required. And also have an option of getting live-in home care.

Think very, very carefully and have a highly experienced & competent solicitor check out every monetary issue BEFORE signing a contract to go into a place like this.
A retirement village and an over 50’s village are two completely different things. I live in an over 50’ s village and if a when l sell l keep all the money.
I own the home and lease the land it is on.
 
We have been looking into buying into a retirement village, but looking at the fine print in most, the fees (both up front and hidden) and costs associated with buying are huge. In reality we lose out in the end, which means if we transferred to a nursing home when and if needed we would not probably be able to fund these as the retirement village would have taken so much. As we are self-funded retirees we are hit big time as they believe we can afford the huge costs now but in the future who knows. It is a mine field. When you look at the glossy brochures (which are expensive to produce) it looks a great move, but the horror stories tell it all. They are businesses out to make money and as much as they can for their investors and shareholders. Profit drives what they do. I worry that these places take advantage of vulnerable people of our generation who have trust in the advertising and miss the meaning in the fine print.
Would not go anywhere near any form of aged care, retirement villages or nursing homes...they're nothing but money-making scams.
Have had experience with both regarding my mother.
The owner of the village she was in and his wife were on million-dollar salaries....
 
I hear you and agree. I have always said I would never go into an aged care home. But seriously what are people meant to do when they can no longer care for themselves and live alone. A caravan is no good then either. This country is a disgrace the way it has allowed aged care to be run by apparent money hungry monsters who never had any intention of caring for their residents in the first place. Some of the stories make your blood boil. And I don't see it ever getting better.
 
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With living in caravan would you stay on family property or caravan park. I have nephew who lives in own caravan in park and it is full of druggies. Have to be so careful when you are older.
Not all caravan parks are “full of druggies”. Some look a bit sus, but there are many well cared for caravan parks as well.

People need to be “careful” whichever neighbourhood they move to, not just older people.
 
I think I’ll just wither away in my own comfortable house surrounded by my books & teddy bears! I’ve instructed my husband to not get any silly ideas about popping off before me or he’ll be in big trouble, more than usual. If only things worked out to suit us all. Neither of us want to end up in a nursing home but unfortunately we don’t know what’s ahead for us. I’m inspired by one of my elderly friends who had a stroke & desperately wanted to go home. Fortunately, one daughter fought for her and she’s back home & coping with a bit of help. At almost 95 she is one amazing lady.
 

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