VV VillageVitals
Capital Back 19⚖ Get independent advice
St Stephens Close
photos: operator / Village Guide
Retirement living · Ashburton, Ashburton

St Stephens Close

St. Stephen's Close Charitable Trust · Ashburton · independent living with townhouses and units
Capital Back
19
the money ↓
See what life here is like — then weigh what it means for your family further down.
St Stephens Close St Stephens Close St Stephens Close
The village

Life here

St Stephens Close offers independent living in the heart of Ashburton, with a thoughtfully designed community of townhouses and units. Residents enjoy the freedom to come and go as they please, while leaving behind the burden of maintenance and security concerns. It's retirement living that lets you focus on what matters—your interests, your family, and your peace of mind.

Your home

Living options

Independent Living

Choose from comfortable townhouses and units designed for modern retirement living.

✓ Townhouses
✓ Units
✓ Lock-and-leave security for travel
✓ Low-maintenance living
A day in the life

What living here is actually like

Life at St Stephens Close is about freedom with support.

Community & Lifestyle

Residents benefit from a secure, attractive community setting close to local amenities, with onsite facilities and activities designed to enhance wellbeing and social connection.

✓ Onsite facilities
✓ Community activities
✓ Close to local amenities
✓ Secure community environment
On your doorstep

Facilities & services

Onsite activities
Community spaces
Secure grounds
Peace of mind

Care for life, on site

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

Independent
Care and community
Where it is

Setting & neighbourhood

St Stephens Close is located at 19 Tancred Street in Ashburton, Canterbury. The village sits within easy reach of local shops, services, and community facilities, making it an ideal base for those who value both independence and accessibility to everyday amenities.

Interested?

Like the look of St Stephens Close?

Get the brochure, current pricing and availability, or book a look around — sent straight to you. No pressure, and we'll never pass your details to the village without asking.

We only use this to send you village info. Independent — no operator pays to be listed.
✓ On its way

We'll email the details shortly.
Want a second opinion on the contract too? Get independent advice →

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
19
Capital-unfriendly · #486 of 520
Better than 7% of NZ villages — yet the market median is just 46. The sector is tough.
Deferred fee
22.5%
~$66k on a $294k unit, over 3 years
Your share of capital gain
0%
operator keeps 100% of any uplift
Time to get capital back
—
not enough resales disclosed
Fees after you leave
Continue
charged until the unit resells
7 years
Your estate receives
$235,000
Operator keeps (deferred fee)$59,000
Share of your $294,000 back80%
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 19 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%
22.5% deferred fee — lower is better.
44
Share of capital growth Capital gain to resident — weighted 15%
0% — the operator keeps any resale uplift.
0
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

22.5% of $294,000 = ~$66,000

Accrues over your first 3 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.
!

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 $66,000 is gone in deferred fees within 3 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