Code of Operating Standards

• The role of management or managing agents and staff of retirement villages and housing estates is to provide a caring, responsible attitude towards all residents, respecting their dignity, privacy and independence as individuals.
  
  As a requirement of membership of HERVASA, villages and estates are to be measured against a listing of minimum standards, which will be known as the Minimum Operational Standards for membership of HERVASA.
• Any Qualified Manager, Supervisor or Executive Officer of the Association or a person nominated by the Executive, shall carry out the certification of compliance. A certificate will be issued to all members and must be visible in any reception area or front of house for the general public to view.
• Total compliance with these minimum operational standards at all times is a condition of membership of the Association.

• All key staff members must be suitably experienced for their role within the village or estate. This experience may be by way of qualification or work experience. There must also be an action plan in place for the employment of the previously disadvantaged.
• All staff members must be provided with a full Job Description and be bound by an Employment Contract. A company policy manual must be in place for all staff to view. View our resource center to find out how to obtain a personalized policy manual.
• The village must have a staff appraisal system in place to measure staff performances on a quarterly basis.
• Regular staff meetings must be held between management and key staff. This must be minuted and accessible to staff via a staff notice board. A copy is to be filed by the manager.
• The village must provide an annual staff training programme that should be designed to up-grade and improve the knowledge and skills of staff. Contact HERVASA to obtain our specialized training program.
• As a minimum standard, all staff must have attended a course in basic First Aid run by a reputable training establishment or person properly qualified to provide such training. Contact HERVASA to obtain our specialized training program.
• All staff must be advised of the importance of the confidentiality of resident's information and medical details and a confidentiality undertaking is to be included in all staff employment contracts. The non-acceptance of gifts or tips must be included in their employment contract. This can become a serious problem and the best solution is to have a voluntary Christmas box for staff approved by the Resident Trustee body. Funds should then be split evenly by Management and a representative of the Trustee Body.

• All member villages must comply with the standards laid down in the appropriate health and safety legislation.
• An internal accident reporting system must be established for both residents and staff. The system must include the "signing-off" of each accident report by the manager of the village or an officer appointed to do so.
• Security services which are contracted out must be in writing and all staff are to be registered security officers.
• An Occurrence log must be kept and signed off by the manager on a daily basis.
• An operations protocol must be drafted by management and given to the relevant Security firm so that they are aware of what their duties are within the village or estate.

• Village and estate residents must be able to actively participate in and influence management decisions. This is to be enabled by the establishment of an elected Residents Committee or Trustee Body.
• The Chairman of the Residents Committee must have regular access to Village Management or the Managing Agent.
• The Village must have a Dispute Resolution Policy in place and must advise all in-coming residents of the procedure that is to be followed in resolving disputes between residents, management and staff. This procedure must include a Dispute Committee comprising of three persons, one of whom must be a resident or a representative of the residents of the village i.e. an elected Body Corporate Chairman.

• All member villages must have a long-term maintenance schedule in place to maintain a satisfactory standard within the village or estate. This schedule must be reviewed and updated annually. A daily action plan for resident maintenance must be drafted and implemented. For an example of a maintenance procedure, visit our websites resource center.
• All member villages must provide sufficient funds to meet the costs of maintenance and replacement in accordance with the schedule in clause 17. Villages will be expected to establish "sufficient funds" within a three (3) year period and thereafter maintain such funds in a readily available form. The trustee body must have access to this information due to this effecting their investment should maintenance not be done.
• The village must have a procedure in place to ensure that resident requests for maintenance are dealt with promptly and thoroughly.

• Documents disclosing details regarding the village or estate must be clear in their explanation regarding:
• Monthly Levies (including details of what the levy does and does not cover).
• The provision of Maintenance (Stabilisation Funds for maintenance) Funds.
• Liability for Levies and the payment period after leaving the Village.
• Retention and Deductions upon leaving the Village (i.e. Painting or carpet replacement)
• Division between maintenance and levy costs paid by the village or estate and a description of what the user pays.
• The Village Manager must maintain replacement insurance cover on building structures at all times together with insurance to cover the cost of accommodating residents during any period of disaster or displacement. The policy must be accessible to residents and Trustees at all times (household content would be for the residents account).
• Documentation must define the responsibilities of the various parties under their specific Deed of Sale.
• The Deed of Sale must define the village policy on displacement in the event of fire or other damage to residential accommodation.

• All member villages must have in place a 24 hour monitored emergency call system. This is for Retirement Villages where there is a Health Care or Assisted Living center. (A telephone panic system could be used for the village residents.) All calls must be responded to within 5 minutes, (or such longer periods as is reasonable in the circumstances), by appropriately qualified staff (this could be Nursing or Security Staff).
• There shall be at least one emergency call device in each apartment and in all public areas of the village. (In housing estates this could be a security company who reacts to alarm systems.)
• All emergency response staff must be trained in First Aid and CPR as a minimum requirement.
• All members must provide an emergency medical procedure for village residents in the event of an incident.

• All member villages must have in place written procedures for fire and general emergency, including evacuation of village and estate accommodation.
• Written emergency evacuation procedures must be in place for serviced apartments and evacuation drills involving residents and staff must be carried out at least twice annually. (Full procedures available in our Resource Center.)
• All member villages must physically check the operational status of all call points and equipment at least annually and retain records of such testing.
• A Neighbourhood Watch Scheme, or similar, must be established to provide night security or presence during hours of skeleton staff, e.g. public holidays, weekends, etc.
• All member villages must provide adequate security lighting throughout accommodation and common areas, including streets, walkways and passages.

• All villages shall have a system of regular communication between management and residents, including a quarterly newsletter, a communal notice board and at least one meeting with all residents each calendar year.
• The village must have an Annual General Meeting of residents at which financial reporting of Income and Expenditure for the previous year and projected budgets for the coming year shall be presented for discussion.
• All villages must have a resident elected Residents Committee to meet with management representatives on a monthly basis. A monthly meeting is advisable to maintain sound operational standards.

• The following services must be available to residents, either through the village structure or through private contractors, as either part of the levy or on a “user pays” basis but organised and arranged by the village manager. This would be different in the case of housing estates.
• House cleaning
• Handyman services
• Garden maintenance service
• House maintenance
• Home medical care service
• Smoke and fire detector alarms
• An emergency home meal service
• A laundry facility
• A dining room facility
• Where there are multi-story buildings, apart from stairs, appropriate access must be provided to the upper levels and any ramps or lifts must be of such nature as to accommodate wheelchairs and ambulance trolleys.
• A fundamental requirement of all retirement villages and estates is the need to provide wheelchair access within community facilities, including toilets and dining areas.
• Member villages shall provide facilities for the following external services:
• Visiting doctors
• Clergy
• Podiatrists
• Physiotherapists
• The following social facilities must be freely available to residents and their guests and are deemed to be the minimum requirements for retirement villages (this will differ for housing estates):
• A communal lounge area
• Library Facility
• Hairdresser
• Crafts and activities area
• The village must state in the Deed of Sale or an attachment to the Deed of Sale where the village provides any of the following additional services to residents as part of their levies or on a “user pays” basis:
• In-home respiratory care for short periods
• Pharmaceutical deliveries
• Village bus or transport
• Postal Services
• Shopping for those who cannot leave their unit
• The village must provide adequate village directional signage and or information for visitors and suppliers to find their way within the village or estate.
• The village management should encourage the involvement of residents in the larger local community. This could be in the form of bar evenings or planned events.