Pros. Levande Maybrook Retirement Village in Cromer NSW is situated in a beautiful, tranquil location overlooking the bush. The Village comprises of separate, individual buildings, the Grange (at the top of the road), the Manor (the main building block) and the Grove behind and below the other two. Maybrook Retirement Village is a very safe, secure place in which to live in retirement. The communal spirit, friendliness, and hospitality of the residents is excellent. Cons The Monthly Recurring Fee (Levy for Services) that Residents pay at Maybrook is an unethical extraction of Maybrook Residents assets as every year the Operator Levande proposes increases by sometimes up to treble the Sydney CPI. (Consumer Price Index) For instance, this year the proposed increase is 10.42%. Sydney CPI is currently 4.4%.This fee pays for services, gardening and cleaning and ongoing building/unit maintenance this fee is not good value for money as the cleaning, gardening is substandard and maintenance is a disappointingly slow process and is certainly not value for the Monthly Recurring Fee (Levy for Services) For example, the proposed increase this year includes an extra four hours per week for the grounds and gardens contractor, which the Residents Committee does not support. There is evidence that the gardening contractor is not meeting the terms of the current contract, so the Operator cannot justify the additional $12,000. This amount accounts for about 1.4% of the total levy increase. The Residents Committee has an extremely difficult task every year in negotiating with the Operator on behalf of the Residents an increase amount that’s fair and reasonable, but it is seldom achieved and some Residents are now experiencing financial difficulties with the recent higher cost of living, this proposed increase will only exacerbate their financial difficulties. In conclusion. We have lived in our one-bedroom unit since November 2015, when our Monthly Recurring Fee was $535.00. At that time, maintenance, cleaning, and gardening were conducted to an acceptable standard, and we had no concerns about these services. Our Monthly Recurring Fees for services have increased to $1017.00 that, in our view, are substandard, especially cleaning and gardening. While this may not be unlawful, we believe it is unfair and unethical. David Marshall Levande Maybrook Resident.
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