Frequently Asked Questions

“Life Right” is simply the “right of occupation” of a portion of a housing development scheme (or village) for the duration of the lifetime of the occupier at no rent. Payment for the Life Right is by way of a lump sum. A levy is payable for the running expenses of the village.

The cottage or flat is occupied by an Occupier. The Occupier or Occupiers are written into the Life Right Agreement prior to occupation. The Life Right contract is written around the Occupiers, not the person or body who paid for the Life Right. The Life Right Agreement is cancelled by mutual agreement with the Society when the Occupier or the last of joint Occupiers dies or voluntarily signs a relinquishment form giving up their right of occupation. They might do this to move away from the village or to move into frail care.

The refund is the full value of the Sponsorship Amount paid back to the Sponsor. The refund is repaid when the Life Right has been re-purchased and paid for by a subsequent Sponsor. The refund is subject to the conditions of the Life Right Agreement.

The Life Right is paid for by a “Sponsor.” The Sponsor may be the occupier, but not necessarily. A trust may be the Sponsor and often children sponsor a Life Right for their parents. There can be and often is more than one Sponsor. The Life Right Agreement is, however, written around the Occupier. The Occupier is responsible for the levy, not the Sponsor. The Sponsor is only referred to in three instances. Firstly to identify the Sponsor, secondly to sign the agreement as the Sponsor and finally the Sponsor is referred to as the person to receive the Life Right refund.

The Sponsorship Amount is the amount paid for, or the purchase price of, the Life Right to occupy a cottage or flat in one of the villages controlled by the Society. The Sponsorship amount is loosely based on the price for a similar unit in the local community.

As the cottages or flats are owned by the Society and the purchase made is of a Life Right to occupy a cottage or flat, there are no transfer fees. There are similarly no lawyers fees or conveyancing fees. The sales of Life Rights are concluded by our staff within the villages and no commissions are payable.

The monthly levy covers the running costs of the villages. This includes but is not limited to rates, water and sanitation, security, insurance, garden services, bus services, common area housekeeping, bank charges, audit fee, staff salaries and communal electricity consumption. Electricity and telephone charges are levied separately and are based on the resident’s actual usage. Levies do increase each year and are based on the actual cost of running the villages. Capital expenditure items such as vehicles, lawn mowers, re-tarring of roads and re-modelling of cottages is not a levy cost but a capital account cost. Similarly, all the depreciation is paid in the head office account and not by the residents in the village levies.

You can turn down the offer of a cottage or flat without losing your place on the waiting list. As a waiting list member you have paid to be on the list and to move up as somebody ahead of you buys a unit, hence you cannot move down the list. It is your right to turn down a unit offered to you. You could also purchase the unit and leave it vacant for the most part of the year only visiting occasionally until you are ready to take up full time occupation.

The Margate Retirement Village does not allow cats or dogs. Umdoni, Widenham and Ramsgate Retirement Villages allow small dogs but no cats. Caged birds are allowed in all four villages.

Margate Retirement Village has a sizeable frail care and dementia facility. This facility is also used by the Ramsgate Retirement Village. Umdoni Retirement Village has a 20 bed frail care facility, Widenham Village Frail Care will be built in due course.