Questions families ask
20 straight answers about retirement villages, care homes and paying for care. Each comes from our advice guides, which cite the official sources, and links to more.
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Retirement villages
What is an exit fee?
An exit fee, also called a deferred management fee, is the share of what you paid that the village keeps when you leave. You do not pay it up front: it comes out of your refund. Of the 233 villages whose exit fee we could check, 172 keep 30% and 47 keep 25%. On a $600,000 unit, 30% is $180,000.
Read more: How village fees work, with a worked example
Do we own the unit?
Usually not. In most villages you buy the right to live in the unit, under an occupation right agreement (the contract that lets you live there). Ask your lawyer exactly what kind of right yours gives you, and whether you own anything.
Read more: Occupation right agreements: what you are signing
What is a disclosure statement, and when do we get it?
It is the village's summary of the deal. The law says the operator must make sure you have it, with the Code of Residents' Rights, the code of practice and a copy of the agreement, before you sign. You must also get independent legal advice. Ask for it early.
Read more: Reading a disclosure statement
Can we change our minds after signing?
Yes. You can cancel an occupation right agreement within 15 working days of signing, without giving a reason. Your deposit and any progress payments must then be refunded, with interest, within 10 working days of your request.
Read more: Your rights before and after you sign
When is the money paid back after leaving?
It depends on the contract. Some villages pay only once the unit is taken by the next resident; others promise to pay within a set time, often 12 months. As at 18 September 2026 the Government had announced a maximum of 9 months, but that was not law yet, so the terms of your contract apply.
Read more: When you are repaid
Does the weekly fee stop when Mum or Dad moves out?
Ask, because it depends on the contract. Some large operators say it stops as soon as you leave. The Government has announced that weekly fees would stop when a resident moves out, but as at 18 September 2026 that was not law.
Read more: Questions for the fees section
How do we check a village is registered?
Search the Retirement Villages Register, kept by the Companies Office. Each village page here shows its registration number and its statutory supervisor, an independent party that holds residents' deposits and watches the village's finances. We matched 435 of the 491 villages on this site to the register.
Read more: The Retirement Villages Register
Care homes
What does a care home cost each week?
The weekly price of a standard room is capped for each district (the Ministry of Health calls it the maximum contribution). From 1 July 2026 the cap runs from $1,513.33 to $1,634.43 a week, GST included. It is the same for rest home, hospital and dementia care, and the same whether you pay yourself or the Residential Care Subsidy pays.
Read more: The cap in every district
What does that weekly price cover, and what costs extra?
It covers accommodation, meals, cleaning and laundry, nursing and care, doctor visits, Pharmac-funded medicines, dressings, continence products and some therapies. Extras include premium rooms, private specialists, dentists and opticians, personal items, hairdressing and entry fees for shows and concerts. Ask for every extra charge to be written into the Admission Agreement before you sign.
Read more: What a care home costs
What do the levels of care mean?
There are four levels of full-time care. Rest home care is 24-hour care for people who cannot live safely at home. Hospital-level care is for people who need nursing. Dementia care adds staff to rest home care. Psychogeriatric care is specialist hospital care for high needs. A needs assessment decides which level is needed.
Read more: Compare the types of care
Our first choice is full. What happens?
You can only move into a home that has a suitable vacancy, even if the need is urgent. You may have to take a place somewhere else, and you can transfer to your preferred home later, when it has a room at your level. Ask your preferred homes to put you on their waiting list.
Read more: Choosing a home when places are short
How can we tell how a care home did at its last audit?
Every rest home and hospital must be certified by the Ministry of Health. The Ministry grants 12 months when it wants a closer look, 24 or 36 for a typical home, 48 for a clean record. Each care home page here shows its certificate length and links its audit summaries. In a report, look for findings rated moderate, high or critical risk.
Read more: Rest home audits and how to read them
Paying for care
Who qualifies for the Residential Care Subsidy?
People 65 or older, or 50 to 64, single and with no dependent children, who have been assessed as needing long-term residential care. Work and Income also tests assets and income. When we checked on 15 October 2026, the asset limit for a single person was $300,811.
Read more: The Residential Care Subsidy
Most of our money is in the family home. What then?
The Residential Care Loan is for people who still own the home they lived in before care. It is interest-free, paid directly to the rest home, and usually repaid when the home is sold or on death, whichever comes first. Applications take 6 to 8 weeks.
Read more: Selling the family home to pay for care
Can we give money to family before applying?
Work and Income does not count up to $8,500 a year of gifts made in the 5 years before you apply, up to $42,500 in total, or up to $27,000 a year of gifts made more than 5 years before. Gifts above these allowances can affect the assessment. Get legal advice before giving money or property away.
Read more: Gifts and the subsidy
Getting help
How do we get a needs assessment?
Contact your local needs assessment service (NASC), or ask your GP or the hospital team how referrals work. For help at home, you should hear from NASC within 2 weeks of being referred, or within 2 working days if it is urgent. The assessment itself may take up to 3 hours.
Read more: Getting a needs assessment
What is respite care, and how much can we get?
Respite care is short-term care in a care home to give a carer a break. If you meet the criteria, you are allocated up to 28 days of planned respite care a year. Full-time unpaid carers may also get the Carer Support Subsidy.
Read more: Respite care and short stays
Is help at home funded?
It can be, after a needs assessment: personal care such as showering and dressing, household support such as cleaning or meals, and support for a carer. Cleaning may not always be fully covered. If you pay privately, ask every provider for a written quote: most do not publish their rates.
Read more: Care at home: what is funded
Who runs Villagewise, and do villages pay you?
Villagewise is a small independent project based in Auckland. No village, operator or care home pays to be listed, ranked or left out, and nobody can pay to change what a page says. The shortlist service is free for families.
Read more: About us, and how to correct a listing