Have your say about residential parks
Residential parks in South Australia provide affordable housing options for the community. The State Government is seeking views about whether legislation needs to change to improve safeguards for residents while ensuring that parks remain a viable business for park owners.
Presently, it is not clear to some residents that while they may own their own home they do not own the land. If a park owner changes business interests then residents must leave the site and relocate their dwelling. This can be quite costly for residents and also upsetting for them to leave their community and family support networks.
The lack of long-term security for residents, who are often senior citizens, can cause uncertainty.
It is essential to strike the right balance between providing protections for residents and ensuring that parks are profitable for owners. The discussion paper focuses on three key themes:
- Disclosure
Ensuring all residents are well informed before signing a lease to move into a park and also during their tenure.
- Safeguards
Many residents have made a significant financial investment in their home and therefore should be protected throughout their current tenure and beyond.
- Thriving Residential Parks
It is important that residential parks are successful businesses and continue to provide affordable housing for South Australians.
The discussion paper is available at www.yoursay.sa.gov.au/residential-parks
Your feedback on the discussion paper is invited and will contribute to assisting the State Government in developing the necessary changes and improvements.
Feedback can be provided to Consumer and Business Services (CBS):
For queries about this discussion paper call the CBS Customer Service Centre on 131 882.
Submissions close 5pm Friday 8th July 2016
Download the discussion paper