Frequently Asked Questions

As with any residence, you will need to allow for the regular expenses and services required to run a home. These include council rates, electricity, water usage, phone and pay-TV etc. If you choose to use personal services, or order food and drinks from the restaurant, these would be at your expense. Unlike some other villages, we offer delicious, great value meals ‘at cost’ for the benefit of residents, and we never charge extra for coffee, tea, Milo, opening a locked door or holding your mail while you are on holidays.

To reside in the community, you will need to enter into a 49-year lease. This type of arrangement is common in most retirement living communities and offers a sense of security and flexibility.

Your lease will be revoked, and the purchaser of the apartment will sign on for a new 49-year lease.

No! A key advantage of the arrangement offered at Renaissance Living is that no stamp duty or water rates are payable.

A deferred management fee enables beautiful lifestyle communities like Renaissance Living to offer communal facilities and specialised services at lower entry costs. Our goal is always to keep ongoing fees low and services high.

The deferred-management-fee model employed by Renaissance Living is spread over 10 years, so you can make the most of your life now. Our deferred fee is 3% per annum for each year of occupancy (capped at 10 years). Upon exit, you would also be required to cover:

A village maintenance contribution of 0.25% per annum for each year of occupancy (this is also capped at 10 years). This is a contribution towards the continual improvement and overall maintenance of the community, as well as infrastructure and capital works to the building and facilities that ensure it retains its appearance, quality, and value for the long term.

The cost of refurbishing the apartment for sale if / as required. Note that we will help you prepare it for sale on an ‘at cost’ basis and only for work that is genuinely required.

An administrative fee for expenses incurred in promoting, advertising, preparing, and selling your unit to a new resident through our real estate partner Amicum. Note that you can also choose to use an external real estate agent if you prefer, however the administration fee would still be payable.

While there is a high demand for Renaissance Living apartments, they do become available from time to time. To see if any apartments are currently available, join our waiting list or find out more:

• Visit our website www.renaissanceliving.com.au
• Drop in to visit us in person, weekdays between 10am and 4pm, or
• Call 03 9831 9876 to arrange an inspection.
• Email info@renaissanceliving.com.au

Nestled in the beautiful, leafy suburb of Surrey Hills, Renaissance Living is an independent lifestyle community for over 55s, where you’ll have the freedom of your own home, close to everything you love, without all the upkeep.

Architect-designed and built by Ravida to the highest standards of quality, luxury and energy efficiency, Renaissance Living is an intimate retirement village of just 43 spacious and light-filled 1, 2 or 3-bedroom apartments, each of which includes:

• High-end appointments from designer brands like Villeroy & Boch, Grohe, Smeg, Verisol and Caesarstone
• 24-hour security and help line
• Allocated and secure undercover parking & lock-up storage
• Fully insulated walls and double-glazed windows for peace and energy efficiency
• Independently controlled inverter heating & cooling systems
• Wi-Fi internet
• A private courtyard or balcony, and
• Much more.

With both the Through Road shops and the number 70 tramline at your doorstep, you will have a close connection to this vibrant and friendly local community.

Renaissance Living is family-owned and run by the Ravida Group. Managing Director, Don Ravida, who is actively involved in the village, knows all the residents and is caring, responsive and respectful.

The village is run with a focus on providing quality facilities and service that is always focused on meeting the needs of our residents.

Not all retirement villages are the same. Here are just some of the many reasons why Renaissance Living is very different to the large, corporate retirement facilities…

• Caring, safe and local
• Intimate village of just 43 apartments
• Focused on service and the needs of residents
• QIP Accredited
• Award winning “MBA National Lifestyle Housing for Seniors Award 2011”
• Fair and transparent deferred-management-fee model spread over 10 years
• Competitive ongoing service fee while maintaining a high level of amenity and service
• Family-owned and run by Don Ravida, who is actively involved in the village, knows the residents, and is caring, responsive and respectful
• We never charge extra for coffee, tea, milo, or for simply doing someone a favour, like opening a locked door, holding mail or watering your plants.
• Delicious, preprepared meals available for residents through our neighbourhood network
• When you vacate your property, we’ll help you prepare it for sale and help organise any work that is genuinely required on an ‘at cost’ basis
• No limits on age of entry. In fact, anyone over the age of 55 is welcome in our village and we provide and coordinate

If you’re tired of house maintenance, looking to downsize or just like the idea of secure, easy living in a fabulous lifestyle location, a Renaissance Living apartment could be your ideal next step. Anyone over 55 is welcome to live in our village.

Independent lifestyle communities are becoming an increasingly popular option for active over 55s, because they provide the opportunity to do less of the things you have to do, and more of the things you want to do. If that sounds like you, then now is the right time to consider making a move.

Anyone over the age of 55 is welcome to become part of the Renaissance Living community – you may be retired or working part-time.

YES. We understand that your pets are an important part of your life and we take a commonsense approach in assessing the suitability of your pet to the Renaissance Living community. Simply have a chat with us about your pets and we will arrange a time for you to meet with the manager to discuss your individual requirements.

YES. You are most welcome to invite guests to stay at your home for up to eight weeks a year. We even have a separate guest apartment set aside for family and friends to use for a small fee. If your friends or family intend to stay for an extended period of time, please have a chat to the manager. To maintain safety and security, you will need to notify the manager prior to your guests’ arrival.

YES. Renaissance Living has a fully licensed commercial kitchen and bar for residents to enjoy from time to time, offering a wonderful selection of delicious options. You’re also welcome to invite your family and friends. Plus through our neighbourhood network, we also offer delicious, preprepared meals delivered to your apartment whenever you want.

Renaissance Living features an array of facilities and services designed to support your active and social lifestyle. Our Active Health and Leisure Centre includes a fully equipped gym, heated exercise pool and hydrotherapy bath.

We can even organise for visiting health and beauty practitioners, so you can enjoy all kinds of personal services, including hairdressing, podiatry treatment, manicure, medical services and massage, just moments from your doorstep.

Other key facilities at Renaissance Living include:

• Licensed commercial kitchen and bar
• Private dining and meeting rooms
• Swimming pool and gym
• Outdoor entertaining areas, including barbecue deck, terrace and central courtyard
• Games area, for billiards, cards, chess and conversation
• Vegetable / flower garden
• Meditation/yoga room
• Library
• Guest apartment
• On-site management and staff
• Dedicated parking for guests’ cars and bicycles.

One of the other great pleasures of living at Renaissance Living is that our friendly staff look after all the maintenance, right up to your front door, and they are there to help with whatever you need, from picking-up and dropping off your chemist prescriptions, shopping, laundry, dry cleaning or meals, to arranging cleaning for your apartment.

Yes! Through the village management and residents committee we offer a range of fun and fully optional activities every week, as well as feature presentations, concerts and outings (See our ‘Resent happenings’ tab on our website). We also support our residents and the residents committee in organising their own events. If you’d like to see an example of what goes on at Renaissance Living in a typical week, please ask for a copy of our weekly activity schedule.

YES. If you’re in the mood to get out and about in nature, the beautiful parklands of South Surrey Park and Wattle Park are just a stroll away, along with public and private golf courses, bowls, leisure, sporting and social clubs.

Renaissance Living offers the convenience of being just a 20-metre walk away from the flourishing and friendly Through Road shopping strip, with its vibrant array of stores and services, including:

• IGA supermarket
• Bakery, 2 Cafes, 2 Restaurants
• Milk bar,
• Take-away food outlets
• Wine merchant
• Gift Shop
• Chemist / Post office
• Medical centre, osteopath, chiropractor, periodontist, dentist
• Dry cleaner and laundry
• Op shop

Many of these local outlets are happy to take phone orders and can deliver upon request.

No problem. You can take your car of course from the safety and comfort of our secure basement car parking. Or take public transport, with the No. 70 tram stop at your doorstep, you are in easy reach of the area’s best shopping, restaurants, cafés and cinemas. You can also take the tram all the way to Docklands, Camberwell Junction or just to Riversdale Station for a quick trip to the city. Or grab one of the regular local buses to Chadstone, Box Hill or Doncaster – the options are endless!

The award-winning Renaissance Living community includes an array of environmentally sustainable features designed to improve energy efficiency, reduce costs for residents and help the planet. These include:

• Double-glazed windows for thermal efficiency and sound reduction.
• The maximisation of natural light and winter sun wherever possible.
• Verosol, heat and light control window blinds to help keep your apartment cool in summer and warm in winter.
• Large rainwater tanks – collecting building water run-off for use in landscaped areas and for cleaning common areas.

In addition, each apartment is divided by 258mm-thick walls, comprising plasterboard, metal shield framing, insulation, air space, Hebel panel, top hat battens and further insulation – all designed to maximise thermal efficiency and reduce noise.

Your weekly service fee is comparable to the body corporate fee of a standard apartment yet provides an array of extra services and features as well as covering the running of the community: Services include

• Access and use of games room, library, heated pool and hydrotherapy bath, fully-equipped gym, health & leisure center, reception, piano lounge, barbeques, vegetable garden and meeting rooms
• Full cleaning, maintenance and repairs for the communal areas, including lifts, A/C units for communal areas including the heated pool and landscaped areas.
• 24-hour emergency call system, help line and monitored security system
• Communal area rates, plus discounted council rates on your own apartment
• Building and public liability insurance (please note that this does not cover your personal effects and it is advised that you obtain your own contents insurance)
• Implementation of a comprehensive waste management plan that includes removing and wherever possible, recycling all household and common-area rubbish
• Staff to assist with co-coordinating social activities and special events such as community barbeques, private functions, craft, social clubs, wine group, outings, group exercise sessions and many more activities
• Programmable C-Bus system and motion sensors in all communal areas to control lighting and air conditioning.
• Free private WiFi network in your apartment as well as free community WiFi in the common areas.