By Maggie Wilkinson
Retirement communities are a relatively new phenomenon in England, having popped up in America, about 35 years ago. They are an absolutely marvellous new way of life for people who are retired, or thinking about retiring.
The only criteria is that most developments have planning permission to meet the needs of over 55’s.
The luxury retirement villages are a brilliant concept offering tremendous advantages for those who choose to live in one. They offer you a very liberating and empowering new life…
The Benefits:
- The immediate joy is that you no longer have to do all the costly, hard work chores of household and garden maintenance. You can forget gutter clearing, mowing, window cleaning, it’s all taken care of. You will own your own home, and pay an annual service charge which covers the cost of the maintenance of the gardens and all the resources onsite. Your time now is entirely for you to enjoy – a true reward for the hard working part of your life.
- You will have more disposable income because won’t be paying to heat and decorate rooms you no longer need; your living space will be tailored to your exact personal requirements. Don’t think of it as downsizing – smartly think of it as choosing a property that’s an exact fit for you.
- Over time, you can take the pleasure of making your home just how you like it, but rather than re-decorating and renovation, re-vamping and making good, it will feel more like painting a beautiful new picture, because your canvas is so fresh and brand new for you.
- Enjoy booking the guest suite for your visiting friends and family who wish to visit you at your retirement flat, or alternatively, you may choose an apartment with an extra room for when you want to spoil your visitors. The communal lounge and coffee area, as well as the verdant grounds give you lots of airy spaces for you to entertain your guests.
- When you move in, to your over 55 community, you will really have fine-tuned your life, including All The Stuff. All the things we accumulate, that creep in and clog up a home will be sorted and moved on, that in itself is quite a relief. The things you bring will be the special things, just what you’ve selected. De-cluttering brings calm and clarity, and you might think, hmm, now’s the time to travel perhaps, go out and see some different parts of the world. Now is your time without worrying about the garden needing watering whilst you’re away.
- You can bring your furry friend – Burghley Retirement welcomes well-behaved pets, just drop them a note to let them know before you move in.
- Retirement village homes are so safe, because the security is excellent. You can rest easy knowing that the House Manager is onsite all week, and that the only entry to the apartments is with a key fob.
A retirement community, or village, works so well on many levels for people who are getting older who have much left to discover, do and enjoy, and the best thing is that this new life can be exactly what you choose.
