Elms Court Village
photos: operator / Village Guide
Retirement living · Upper Riccarton, Christchurch

Elms Court Village

Elms Court Gardens Retirement Village Limited · Upper Riccarton, Christchurch · serviced apartments + rest home & hospital care
Life Score
72
Strong
Capital Back
29
the money ↓
See what life here is like — then weigh what it means for your family further down.
The village

Life here

Elms Court Village is a long-standing boutique facility in Upper Riccarton, owned and operated by Steve and Rosalind Burke since 2021. The village has been transformed into a loving, community-focused home that blends independent living with comprehensive care. With just 25 serviced apartments and a 52-bed rest home and hospital, residents get to know each other quickly and enjoy a genuine sense of belonging in a peaceful neighbourhood close to local shopping.

Your home

Living options

Homes to Suit Your Needs

Choose from modern serviced apartments, studios, or rest home and hospital rooms—each tailored to your independence level and preferences.

25 modern serviced apartments and studio units
Separate ensuite, kitchenette, underfloor heating
Fridge, microwave, fire protection systems
Standard and premium rest home rooms
Hospital-level care available
License to occupy or rental options
Living options
A day in the life

What living here is actually like

Life at Elms Court Village centres on connection, activity and personalised care.

Activities & Community

An extensive activities programme is guided by dedicated Lifestyle Co-ordinators, Robyn and Susie. Weekly van outings take residents to cafes, museums, the seaside and beyond. The village features four comfortable lounges, two dining rooms, three courtyards, an in-house shop, library and hairdresser.

Daily exercises and wellness activities
Weekly van outings to cafes, museums, the sea
Organised entertainers and crafts
Games and social gatherings
Four lounges and two dining rooms
In-house shop, library and hairdresser
Monthly activities programme tailored to interests
On your doorstep

Facilities & services

Four lounges
Two dining rooms
Three courtyards
In-house shop
Library
Hairdresser
Van for outings
Underfloor heating in apartments
Peace of mind

Care for life, on site

If your health changes, you won't have to leave the place you know. Elms Court Village offers these levels of care on site:

IndependentServicedRest homeHospital
✓ Registered nurse on duty · Clinical nursing management · Personal care tailored to individual needs · Daily meals · Full laundry service
Care and community
Where it is

Setting & neighbourhood

Elms Court Village enjoys a peaceful residential location in Upper Riccarton, Christchurch, with the convenience of two nearby shopping malls—Westfield Riccarton and Bush Inn. The neighbourhood offers easy access to local amenities while maintaining a quiet, community-focused atmosphere. The village's small size fosters genuine connections between residents, creating a warm and welcoming environment.

Interested?

Like the look of Elms Court?

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Now the practical part

The money — what comes back to your family

You've seen why you'd love it. This is the part most families only discover at the exit statement — so we put it in plain sight. Every figure is from the village's own filed Disclosure Statement.

Capital Back score
29
Capital-unfriendly · #449 of 520
Better than 14% of NZ villages — yet the market median is just 46. The sector is tough.
Deferred fee
24%
~$60k on a $250k unit, over 2 years
Your share of capital gain
0%
operator keeps 100% of any uplift
Time to get capital back
~351 days
median, from 4 recent resales
Fees after you leave
Continue
charged until the unit resells
7 years
Your estate receives
$75,000
Operator keeps (deferred fee)$175,000
Share of your $250,000 back30%
Before you sign, get independent eyes on the contract.An ORA-review lawyer or independent financial adviser — never paid by any operator — checks what it really means for your family.
⚖ Get independent advice →
How the 29 is built

Nothing hidden — every component

The Capital Back score is a transparent weighting of five filed terms — you can see exactly where this village wins and loses.

Move-in fee you don't get back Deferred Management Fee — weighted 30%
24% deferred fee — lower is better.
40
Share of capital growth Capital gain to resident — weighted 15%
0% — the operator keeps any resale uplift.
0
Speed your capital returns Median resale time — weighted 30%
351 days across recent resales.
57
Fees stop when you leave Weekly fees on exit — weighted 15%
Fees continue until the unit resells.
0
Interest if repayment is slow Interest on delayed capital — weighted 10%
No interest on delayed repayment.
0
The filed terms, in plain English

What the Disclosure Statement actually says

Every operator uses different words for the same thing — we normalise them so you can compare like with like.

%

Deferred Management Fee

24% of $250,000 = ~$60,000

Accrues over your first 2 years, charged on the entry price.

Market: median 30%; only 16% of villages charge under 25%.

Capital gain

0% to the resident

Any increase in the licence value at resale is kept entirely by the operator.

Market: just 8% of NZ villages share any capital gain.

How fast your capital comes back

~351 days median

Your capital is repaid once the unit is re-licensed to a new resident.

Market: median 154 days; 21 villages still average over a year.
!

Fees & interest on exit

Watch this

Weekly fees continue until the unit resells.

Market: 220 of 520 villages keep charging weekly fees after you've gone.
Before you sign the ORA

The reckoning usually arrives too late

  • You're buying a licence to occupy, not the home — you can't sell, rent or borrow against it.
  • Roughly $60,000 is gone in deferred fees within 2 years, whatever the unit later sells for.
  • Your family carries the risk of how long resale takes — and the operator's ability to pay.
  • None of this is hidden — it's all in the Disclosure Statement most people sign without reading.
Have someone independent read it first

We'll connect you with a retirement-village review lawyer or independent financial adviser — no operator pays to be here.

Request an ORA review → Talk to a financial adviser