✨ Governance of CCRC/LifePlan Communit

Wait lists for both new residents moving in and established residents is complex. Our units are no all alike, and neither are the desires of the new residents or established residents either. Units are filled when there is a "fit" between the resident wants and what is available at that time. Some people want a specific type of unit but one does not become available for some time so they remain on the wait list for a long time. Others want a specific type of unit that coincidentally becomes available immediately. Fate intervenes. Marketing typically gets prospective residents in as soon as possible, so they are high on the list for their "fit." Established residents might have to wait longer.

It is difficult for established residents to know what units are available if they want to move. Typically one must ask their friends to find out where there are empty units. The nicer units that function as showcases are probably held for prospective residents.

Maura Conry

NaCCRA Forum Facilitator

When you say "the resale value of a villa would significantly exceed the entrance fee paid by a new resident moving into an apartment" should I assume the resident gets the resale value?

In my CCRC ownership receives all entrance fees and usually unless the apartment is much smaller than the "villa" and the residents tenure in the villa is not very long, the fee for the apartment could exceed what the resident originally paid. Hence an additional payment to ownership of the difference between the villa original entrance fee and the current apartment entrance fee.

I believe you need to be logged in to your account in order to reply and then you have the option to "Reply to Forum" and "Private Reply (via email)."

This reply is for Richmond.

I am wondering why for this Forum, when I get the daily email about posted messages, there is no option for "Reply to Sender". Most other emails from other forums provide this option. Is this something I have to configure?

Also the option for Remember me on this Computer doesn't seem to be working, at least not for me. Does this work for others or is this a known issue?

Thanks.

Susan,

In our CCRC the internal wait list is mysterious. Residents do not know their position on the list and this causes anxiety.

JY,

Our contracts state that management will "USE BEST EFFORTS" to accommodate the transition from villa to apartment. There has been no set policy but the understanding had been that apartments would first be offered to current residents. This is no longer the case even though there has not yet been a policy change. Apparently management plans to adopt a new plan.

Richmond,

Our one bedrooms are over 1000 sq ft and are very limited in number so there is no glut of one bedrooms. Those on the transfer list are usually requesting a larger unit.

David,

At our CCRC the resale value of a villa would significantly exceed the entrance fee paid by a new resident moving into an apartment. For a number of years the movement from villa to apartment was not significant. Now, as our population has aged and spouses have died there is a significant shift in the waiting list for apartments.

Thanks for sharing this, Jennifer. One more thing to remember.

I was always wondering about the wait list. It is a black box managed and controlled by someone in marketing. They can do anything they want with it, the resident or the prospect would never know how it might be manipulated, depending on what's more beneficial to the community. There is nothing that I have seen in any contracts about a right to be informed about where on the wait list one might be....

When I first started "shopping" for a CCRC, we needed a cottage with a garage (probably referred to as a villa or garden home in other communities) so that we could shelter a '35 Chevy. But I knew from my parents' experience in their CCRC that mobility issues or a desire to downsize might result in a desire to move to an apartment that would be closer to the dining venues, meeting rooms, game rooms, tavern, etc. So as I toured communities I would ask about when the time came for a cottage resident to ask for an apartment. Do on-campus residents get placed ahead of "outsiders" on any kind of Wait List? Most said, "yes." However, one said, "No preference would be given, they'd be placed at the bottom of the Wait List no matter who was ahead of them." I eliminated that CCRC from consideration.

But this made me extra sensitive to that on-campus-already priority "issue," so I made sure our Residence Agreement contained the language that gave us priority over outsiders.

A resident on my street who had lived here longer, wanted to move to an apartment. Marketing told her there was a long wait. I advised this resident to read her contract to make sure SHE had the same language as our contract and if so, inquire about whether the long wait had outsiders ahead of her. It turned out that Marketing was completely unaware of the priority commitment that was, indeed, in my neighbor's contract. She got an apartment right away.

BUT ---- somehow that clause disappeared from the contracts about 3 years after ours. Our state requires a CCRC to create an annual Disclosure Statement, with sample contracts. I had decided to get each year's, so I had an 8-year "library." I leafed through and saw when the priority for on-campus transfers was no longer there.

I then knew to advise cottage/villa/garden home folks who moved in after the language change to get their name on the Wait List NOW, even though it may be years before they might want to move. Fortunately, on-campus people who get contacted about an available unit have no cap on the number of times they can say, "Not yet."

I can see how it's a sticky wicket. I've learned that lots of residents just "assume" they'll get priority over outsiders any time they indicate they're ready for a move. If they do that, they might be in for a surprise, since Wait Lists are becoming substantial.

JY

I would guess that it is a marketing issue. In my area, the demand for one-bedroom apartments is slow, but the demand for two bedroom units is high. From a business standpoint, when someone wants to move from a one-bedroom to a two-bedroom, that vacated one-bedroom will be harder to fill. The community (as a business) is served better by filling the vacant apartment with a new resident.

It's a complex calculus.

Richmond Shreve

NaCCRA Board Member

Forum Moderator

I'm curious why you state that it is not financially advantageous to prioritize new residents over those wishing to transfer from a "villa" to an apartment. Are the entrance and monthly fees different?

At my Arizona CCRC we have 54 "casitas" (duplexes) and 205 apartments of various sizes in our "Lodge." In addition there are 30 AL, 36 SNF and 24 Memory Support units. Movement between the casitas and the lodge is rare and usually the result of downsizing after the death of a partner or for financial reasons (smaller unit, lower monthly fee). The mover has to pay the difference between her original entrance fee to the casita and the current entrance fee for the desired apartment. Over many years this can be substantial.

More often, the move is from a casita to the Care Center. Sometimes this is instigated by management for safety reasons (multiple calls to security, falls, memory impairment).

All this is documented in our Resident Handbooks.

Hope that helps.

David

In our community there is a healthy mix of age groups, but as the community ages more villa residents are seeking apartments. It now appears that management is giving preference to outsiders for available apartments, even though financially that is not advantageous. How do other communities prioritize transfers?  Are there established policies and procedures? 

Have any other communities experienced this trend?