DSCV manages retirement village disputes in a flexible and inclusive manner that prioritises the independence of all involved. Our staff aim to support solutions that promote understanding and communication. DSCV can receive referrals for retirement village disputes from individuals, villages and referring agencies.
What types of situations can DSCV help with?
Issues between residents
- Communication issues
- Behavioural concerns
- Use of facilities
- Noise
- Residents’ committees
Issues between residents and village management
- Management of facilities
- Contract disputes
- Management of complaints
- Communication issues
If you have a dispute but it’s not on this list, you can contact us to discuss your situation. We may still be able to help you. We encourage you to give us a call on 1300 372 888.
What are the possible outcomes when working with DSCV?
If the person, committee or village that you’re in dispute with engages with our service, DSCV can help by:
- Sharing information and offers between you, leading to a resolution
- Organising a telephone, video or in person mediation, where professional mediators support you and the other person, committee or village to reach an agreement
- Providing effective communication strategies for you and the other person to resolve the dispute between yourselves.
To assist vulnerable people or groups, we can engage with support people or advocates. This can include family members, friends, advocates or other professionals.
Your rights and responsibilities
Retirement villages in Victoria have internal dispute resolution schemes. If you are seeking further information on your rights and responsibilities as a resident or an operator of a retirement village visit the Consumer Affairs Victoria website (External link) or give them a call on 1300 55 81 81.
DSCV services can be accessed before, during or after attempting to resolve a dispute through a village’s internal dispute resolution scheme. Having support from an impartial service, like DSCV, can work alongside these internal processes.
Suzie’s story
Suzie was having issues with her village manager, especially in relation to the use of the bowling green by residents.
Suzie had received a Warning Letter from the village manager saying that she had threatened another resident during a disagreement about the green’s use. Suzie denied that this ever happened and felt like she was being punished for no reason.
Suzie wanted to be able to access the bowling green a couple of times a week. She tried to raise the issue with the village management but felt like they did not listen to her, and that they took sides with some of the other residents.
Suzie called DSCV and explained her concerns. Our staff took down the contact details of the village manager and opened a case. DSCV spoke with the manager, who explained that they would establish a roster for use of the bowling green. This enabled Suzie to have fair access to the bowling green.
Deepak’s story
Deepak was having difficulties with another resident in his village, Peter. He found Peter’s behaviour aggressive and was nervous about interacting with him and so communicated with Peter mainly via email. Deepak did not like this dynamic, as he felt scared when leaving his villa.
Deepak called DSCV and explained his concerns surrounding Peter’s behaviour and their relationship. Our staff took down Peter’s details and sent him an email, encouraging him to contact our service.
After receiving this email, Peter was made aware of how serious Deepak’s concerns were. Instead of responding to DSCV, Peter spoke directly with Deepak and apologised for his actions. Peter agreed to be more mindful in his interactions with Deepak.
Deepak then informed DSCV that the matter had been resolved, as he and Peter had reached an agreement independently.
Alex’s story
Alex had concerns regarding the maintenance of common areas in the village and was having difficulty communicating with the village manager about his concerns.
He had raised them with the manager on several occasions but felt like his emails were being ignored. Alex was particularly concerned about the state of the gravel paths in the village, as he believed these to be dangerous.
Alex called DSCV and explained his communication issues and concerns. Our staff took down the manager’s details and sent her an email, encouraging her to contact our service.
The manager spoke with DSCV and explained her perspective on the situation. She then agreed to attend a mediation with Alex to work towards a resolution together.
In the mediation, it was agreed that Alex and the manager would have regular meetings to discuss the maintenance of the village to ensure ongoing communication.
In these meetings, the manager was able to explain the steps the village was taking to rectify the issue with the paths, such as gathering quotes for levelling out the gravel, which reassured Alex that the issue was being resolved. This arrangement allowed Alex to feel his concerns were being taken more seriously by the manager and helped to improve their relationship.