Duty of Care
An Annual Holiday Site in a Holiday Park
Considering Purchasing a Cabin or Unit? Or putting your unit into a park?
We provide this information as part of our Duty Of Care. A service to you & our existing clients.
On the Web is an updated list of units for sale as they come available. www.amberlee.com.au/units for sale.
Purchasers please note we at Amberlee or Ace-Hi do not sell cabins or units we assist our clients (the vendor) and our prospective clients (the purchaser) as a service. Amberlee, Ace-Hi make no comment, claim or guarantee as to the condition of the unit. It is “buyer be wary” Amberlee are paid by the Vendor for this service. Some of the information below is useful if you are considering placing your unit into a park
We do offer some suggestion, not total, as to what to look for, only as a guide.
1.) Is the unit big enough for you and your family’s over the coming years? For resale the bigger the better!
2.) Does the Outside Living Area comply with the definition “Movable”? Is the unit a RMD Register able Movable Dwelling? Does it comply? Or a UMD Unregisterable Moveable dwelling .Does it comply?
3.) Is the unit Under 25 years old? Is there maybe a Sunset Clause of say 30 years old?
4.) Is there an independent assessment of the unit? It’s Soundness, health & safety, Plumbing & Electrical Certificate’s? Fire prevention and offsets for fire safety? Is there an offset of at least 2meters? The offset should be 3m less than 2m may require fire proving.
5.) Does the Vendor you are purchasing from have the authority to dispose of the unit chattels.
Is it unencumbered?
6.) Would the value of the unit you intend to purchase drop if the unit had to be re-located? If so! The balance you are paying over that price is premium, Not site value. If this unit is on an annual site with no long term leasehold then, under the Residential Tenancies Act only 6 months notice needs to be given for the unit to be removed from the site (conditions apply). Read the contract as to weather you are purchasing any long term rights to that site.
7.) Is the unit you are considering purchasing likely to be required to be relocated as your site becomes of more value for another use, as the park or that part of the park becomes subjected to pressures from Developers of the whole property or part of the property?
8.) Are you able purchase an ongoing guarantee of tenure, Annual rolling over, 15 year lease, 50 year lease, 99 year lease?
9.) What are, Annual fees / Body Corporate fees? They are for service supplied being some of the list below, but not restricted to: Installation, attendance and running cost/maintenance of Boom gates, Roads, CCTV, Pool & surrounds, Playground & surrounds, Trampoline’s & surrounds, Common area grounds, Common lighting, Sewage, Storm water removal, including rates, taxes land & water, property insurance not vandalism Power supply, Maintenance of grass / lawns & some trees on your site generally excluding gardens & shrubs planted by yourself, A land rental charge is included, also storage,. Most additional costs are: common utilities, gas, electricity and some other supplies & maintenance fees. Additions and upgrades in the common area are included in and around the sites are passed on as a surcharge. The above are some of he costs & expenses for which Annual fees / Body corporate fees are charged, though the list goes on.
10.) Is the property a holiday or residential property, restricted to a maximum number of days use? When you are not in attendance, will anything that impacts on your unit be reported to you, with as much background as possible? Is the Park a party park ie Amberlee is a Family Park Very restrictive of noise after 10:30 pm especially after midnight where penalties’ may apply.
Please Note: Mornington Peninsula land is extremely valuable property, generally it is rated and taxed as land in a residential area, therefore please consider your purchase there will be continually rising fees and surcharges.
Peninsula properties that are land banking as development properties or properties’ located in country Victorian areas may have and continue to have lower fees and charges, maybe these should be considered.
Sale by Price Range.
This means you are given a list of units in the price range you indicate. You assess the price you would like to offer within that range, if the offer meets the seller’s expectations a sale takes place.
Looking for a holiday home. What are my choices? What are the pro’s and cons?
Holiday Home in the Street of your choice - Cost 250k to 750K or more.
You choose the holiday home, You choose the Street, You pay Council Rates, Melbourne Water & Sewer Rates, Electricity & Gas, Land Tax if it is your second home, Stamp duty, You look after the security, the grounds maintenance, the building maintenance, You find any problems when you get there e.g. House broken into, tree damage to property, water or power not on Why?, HWS won’t fire up, What if the Neighbors don’t like tourists, it is a lot of money to lay out, You have more invested therefore a higher capital gains. There may be an opportunity to let the house out when you are not using the house in peek times. Generally not in off peek times unless it is let residentially but then it is not your holiday home any more as you cannot have it when you want it.
You choose a unit or cabin in a holiday park – Cost 20k to 250k.
Why the big price range? Units are getting bigger and better all the time.
You choose the holiday park, you choose the Cabin, and you are bound by the property regulations which include Council regulations, though the red tape is generally taken care of by the property management on your behalf.The park look after the security, the grounds maintenance, your building maintenance is your responsibility though finding the tradesman and looking after the hassles is taken care of for you, if you would like the property management will oversea the tasks for you if you are not in attendance. The property notifies you of any problems that may arise or will assist you if you find water or power is not on why? Or HWS won’t fire up, the Neighbors are tourists, lower entry price, still with capital gains. There may be an opportunity to let the unit out when you are not using it in peek times, also off peek times for casual use therefore the unit is there for you when you require it, it may become a “Lifestyle Investment” for you.
In a nut shell a Holiday Home in the Streets entry cost are higher, you have more autonomy, & more hassles.
In a Holiday Park Entry costs are less; you have Annual costs, less hassles more service.
You may choose a Holiday Park do you take a 1 year lease, a 10 year lease, a 50 year lease or a 99 year lease.
Not all parks offer all of these choices; you may choose the park by the length of lease they offer.
How do you choose a holiday park? If you choose on price what questions should you ask yourself?
Is the Park land banking? Land banking is when the real estate value is most likely worth more than the business. Is the land position obviously desirable, therefore more valuable than other area?
Is the land in the “Urban development area”, check with the shire? If yes it will one day be developed. You could be given 6 months notice to relocate. Most years 2 parks close on the Peninsula for development, in the last decade over 16 parks have closed on the Peninsula with only Cape Schanck Family Holidays opening.
What services are offered that suit you?
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Look at the Recreational Facilities for you and your family
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Ambience, you are proud of, for your use, your guests and for re sale value.
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What services provided suit you, also what security is in place, for you and your property.
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Are conditions in place that assure you of the opportunity to holiday without other persons infringing on your personal comfort or space. Is it a party park?
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What size is the site, the space size of site also aesthetics and maybe views
What are the pit falls?
It seemed good at the time but I have too many commitments to use it much! Consider the investment it may seem good when you are visiting or holidaying at the park but will you and your family get use out of it….
Amberlee Four Star Holiday Park is a more traditional Holiday Park with a lot of facilities and features, including a tranquil bush setting and excellent facilities for the children.
Cape Schanck Family Holidays at Ace-Hi is very new, CSFH have very large sites most with views either of Bass Strait and long rural views. Those investing in CSFH early may be big winners in capital gains as more parks close on the Peninsula.