Victorian Retirement Village Reforms passed

The Retirement Villages Amendment Bill 2024 (Vic) (Amendment Bill) passed through both Houses of Parliament on 28 May 2025, continuing the most significant reform of the Retirement Villages Act 1986 (Vic) (Act) in over two decades.

As outlined in our previous post (which you can read here), the Amendment Bill introduces wide-ranging changes aimed at strengthening the State's consumer protections for retirement village residents.

Further changes have been made to the Amendment Bill which seek to clarify and enhance specific provisions in the Amendment Bill in the following ways:

1. Clarifying key terms: The Amendment Bill introduces a clearer legislative basis for interpreting "vacant possession" and "permanent vacation" in relation to a resident's premises.  
2. More transparency for residents: Operators must now include additional mandatory insurance information in the publicly available information statement and outline insurance details for the village during contract checks with residents.
3. Cooling-off period extended: The mandatory cooling off period will be increased from 3 to 7 business days.
4. Resident meetings: Introduction of a sliding scale in relation to quorums at residents meetings (based on the number of residents entitled to vote at a village) with the intention being to strike a balance between supporting residents’ participation and ensuring that quorums for residents meetings are workable.
5. No fees after death: Operators will be prohibited from charging maintenance or optional service fees after a resident passes away.
6. Fairer rules for pets: Village by-laws must not unreasonably prevent residents from keeping a pet in their home.

These changes are a clear signal that the Victorian State Government is serious about lifting standards and safeguarding residents' rights in the retirement living sector. The amendments position Victoria as a leader in consumer protection in the rapidly expanding and evolving seniors living industry.

If you require further information or would like to discuss how these further amendments might affect you, please contact Nikolas Miljkovic and our wider Health, Aged Care and Retirement Living team.

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