Not Long Now!!

This week I took on a retirement flat. It is a lovely property available with an age restriction meaning it is only available to those over 55. This was all OK until I came to the scary realisation that that is only 9 years for me now!!

It made me think would I like to live in one of these types of properties? Personally I think it is a bit too soon to start to think about it for me, the chance of being able to retire in 9 years time would be a fine thing!! I can definitely see the attraction in these type of flats for the older (than me) generation and their families.

Lots of times it is the families that make the decision for their elderly relatives to move in to these types of flats. They offer the priceless benefit of peace of mind. Knowing that there is an on site manager or other residents looking in on your Mum or Dad or having a 24 hour care line for them to call on in case of an emergency.

This is one of the big decisions when choosing this type of property. When purchasing a property like this the criteria may not be about the location or size but may be more about the care provided within the block and this can vary greatly.

The flat I have is pretty self contained. It has its own lounge, kitchen, bedroom & bathroom. There is 24 care line available and an on site manager. There is also the nice addition of a communal lounge & laundry facilities that mean that the resident can mix with others of they wish or keep themselves to themselves if they prefer.

This is pretty standard for retirement flats but some are completely self contained, without having any communal facilities or on site managers and just have the age restriction and care line. Others such as Alston Court in Chalkwell have loads of facilities including on site medical care, restaurant and concierge type services.

Obviously the more the facilities the more the cost and whilst the initial purchase price of the flat can be relatively cheap the monthly charges can be quite high ranging from a few pounds to a few hundred pounds depending on the block.

So these types of flats are great and I can really see the attraction but you should look in to the detail of the charges, care required and try your best to look in to the future to see what kind of care may be required in the years to come. Like I said may be not for me yet, Bingo afternoons and Vera Lynn sing alongs may not be my cup of tea at the moment but who knows, lots can happen in only 9 years!!!