Member for Terrigal Adam Crouch says amendments to the Residential (Land Lease) Communities Act, recently passed in the Legislative Assembly, will go a long way in protecting and enhancing the rights of those living in land lease communities on the Central Coast.
Crouch recently met with Shadow Minister for Fair Trading Tim James to represent the concerns, views and challenges faced by land lease community residents in the Terrigal electorate under existing legislation.
“The statutory review of the Residential (Land Lease) Communities Act 2013 has served as an excellent opportunity to examine the existing legal framework of the Act, and the amendments we have voted for will ensure residents’ rights in land lease communities across our state are strengthened, enhanced and protected,” he said.
“Identified loopholes in the legislation have been an ongoing issue for residents at land lease communities across NSW, especially on the Central Coast, with many facing multiple unreasonable site fee increases over the years.
“A number of these residents rely on the aged pension, and these communities should be there to provide a lifestyle for those in their twilight years rather than causing undue and unnecessary cost-of-living stress.”
Addressing Parliament, Crouch thanked the residents of land lease communities in his electorate for their strong advocacy for change and coming forward to tell their stories of hardship.
“I would say to those operators who have been doing the wrong thing – your time is up, and you will now have to treat these residents with respect and dignity,” he said.
Key amendments of the Bill include: limiting the fixed method site fee increase to once a year and stipulating that the calculation for these increases can rely on only one factor; changes to billing and charging procedures for utilities including price cap for electricity charges in communities with embedded networks; and requiring operators to review site fee increases within one year after the commencement of the Act.