Tōtara Gardens Retirement Village

Now the practical part

The money — what comes back to your family

You've seen why you'd love it. This is the part most families only discover at the exit statement — so we put it in plain sight. Every figure is from the village's own filed Disclosure Statement.

Capital Back score

Above average · #126 of 520

Better than 76% of NZ villages — yet the market median is just 46. The sector is tough.

Deferred fee

28%

charged on your entry price

Your share of capital gain

operator keeps 100% of any uplift

Time to get capital back

~251 days

median of 6 recent resales

Fees after you leave

Stop

good — many villages keep charging

Before you sign, get independent eyes on the contract.An ORA-review lawyer or independent financial adviser — never paid by any operator — checks what it really means for your family.

⚖ Get independent advice →

How the 55 is built

Nothing hidden — every component

The Capital Back score is a transparent weighting of five filed terms — you can see exactly where this village wins and loses. Full methodology →

Move-in fee you don't get back Deferred Management Fee — weighted 30%

28% deferred fee — lower is better.

Share of capital growth Capital gain to resident — weighted 15%

0% — the operator keeps any resale uplift.

Speed your capital returns Filed resale times — weighted 30%

251 days (median of 6 recent resales).

Fees stop when you leave Weekly fees on exit — weighted 15%

Charges end on vacancy.

100

Interest if repayment is slow Interest on delayed capital — weighted 10%

Interest is payable if capital is returned late.

100

The filed terms, in plain English

What the Disclosure Statement actually says

Every operator uses different words for the same thing — we normalise them so you can compare like with like.

Deferred Management Fee

28%

Accrues over your first 3 years, charged on the entry price.

Market: median 30%; only 16% of villages charge under 25%.

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Capital gain

0% to the resident

Any increase in the licence value at resale is kept entirely by the operator.

Market: just 8% of NZ villages share any capital gain.

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How fast your capital comes back

~251 days median of 6 recent resales

Your capital is repaid once the unit is re-licensed to a new resident. (Operator-stated average: 247 days.)

Market: median 128 days; some villages still average over a year.

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Fees & interest on exit

Resident-friendly

Weekly fees stop when you vacate, and interest is payable if your capital is returned late.

Market: 220 of 520 villages keep charging weekly fees after you've gone.

Before you sign the ORA

The reckoning usually arrives too late

You're buying a licence to occupy, not the home — you can't sell, rent or borrow against it.
A large deferred fee is gone within a few years, whatever the unit later sells for.
Your family carries the risk of how long resale takes — and the operator's ability to pay.
None of this is hidden — it's all in the Disclosure Statement most people sign without reading.

Have someone independent read it first

We'll connect you with a retirement-village review lawyer or independent financial adviser — no operator pays to be here.

Request an ORA review → Talk to a financial adviser