What's included in your monthly Factoring Fee?
Activities
You can look forward to a wide range of social and leisure activities each day. Our events programme offers a variety of pursuits, from exercise classes, coffee mornings, wine tasting and bridge, to outings to places of interest and the theatre. (Please note, activities may vary and some activities or outings may incur a charge).
Peace of mind
Rest assured, there will always be a member of staff on hand, who you know and trust, 24/7, 365 days a year. So in the event of an emergency, such as a fall, illness or accident, there will always be someone there to help you and provide immediate assistance, day or night.
Administration
Your fee covers all on-site and off-site administration, managed and operated by Brio Retirement Living.
Heating your home
Wave goodbye to bills for heating and hot water as these costs are included, and heating is fully controlled by you through the in-home automation system.
Buildings insurance
To offer your property year-round protection, we provide comprehensive buildings insurance as standard.
Car parking
If you have your own car, or are expecting visitors, it's good to know that we provide ample parking. These are not allocated to individual apartments and cottages.
Communal cleaning and repairs
We want the communal areas in your community to be as relaxing and comfortable as your own home. Your fee pays for regular cleaning and day-to-day housekeeping, repairs and refurbishment of the curtains, carpets, furnishings and décor.
Communal maintenance
Your community may periodically require extra care and maintenance. Everyday cleaning, maintenance or repairs to the estate roads, pathways and parking areas are all covered by your factoring fee.
We’ll also take care of the grounds and gardens, repair the guttering, roofing and brickwork and ensure windows are cleaned.
Your fee additionally enables us to service and maintain the communal lifts, CCTV, heating, hot water systems, fire alarms, call systems and communal lighting.
Hub
The Hub is the heart of the community and your monthly Factoring Fee includes all of these homeowner-only benefits:
- Preferential rates in the Slate & Grain Brasserie & Bar
- Use of the Homeowners Club lounge
- Use of the Hobby / Multi-purpose room
- Use of the Fitness Suite and outdoor gym equipment
- Exclusive access to the landscaped grounds
- A 24-hour on-site staff presence
- A rapid response in the event of an emergency
- A dedicated General Manager and team
- Free advice about your home and help with paperwork and bills
- Access to a range of social, leisure and well-being activities
- Free use of WiFi in communal areas
- Free IT advice and support
Utility bill savings
We buy electricity directly from the suppliers for the entire retirement community. This means we can buy in bulk and pass on the savings to our homeowners. Homeowners are responsible for the payment of their own electricity; however, should you choose to use the Brio community service provider, you will then receive a reduced cost of approximately 20%. All residents do have the option to choose their preferred electricity supplier.
Security and safety
We want you to feel safe and secure in your new home. That’s why your fee includes:
- Video door entry system (in apartments only)
- Service and maintenance of fire alarm systems
- Service and maintenance of emergency call systems
Chapelton community membership (Landale Court only)
Homeowners of Chapelton pay a £250 membership to Chapelton Community Interest Company. This fee is included in your factoring fee. As a member, you will be entitled to participate in the management of the wider Chapelton community. To uphold the standards of community design and the specific architectural characteristic of the town, coordinate the management of common areas in accordance with the Chapelton Masterplan and the Community Deed of Condition.
Additional services not covered by your Factoring Fee
Alongside our standard service, we offer a range of optional services that can be purchased to match your personal requirements. You can select these services as and when you need them, and we regularly review your needs to make sure we deliver the right levels of support.
Our optional services include:
Care and Support
A range of care and support services tailored to your individual needs and delivered by our on-site professionally qualified Brio care team. We also offer short-term care and/or support for illness and recuperation. You can choose to pay as you need for your personal care, or, for an all-inclusive option, Brio offers a number of packages, tailor-made especially for you.
Housekeeping services
This includes help with everyday chores, including:
- Cleaning
- Laundry & ironing
- Shopping
- Preparing meals
- Spring cleaning
- Oven cleaning
Like personal care, homeowners can opt for a pay as you need, or a package can be created to suit your personal needs.
Home maintenance service
Our experienced tradesmen can carry out repairs and maintenance within your property, such as picture hanging, re-decorating or odd jobs around the home.
Shopping / escort service
A shopping / escort service is available for a member of staff to accompany you to appointments or go on shopping trips.
Sinking Fund Contribution
From time to time, it may be necessary to make major repairs to the lifts, roofing, windows, doors, driveways, paths, rain water guttering or fencing. To avoid sudden unexpected bills, a sinking fund contribution is paid at point of resale. A guide to what this contribution is can be provided by our sales team.
This fund, held in a separate account, acts as a ‘homeowners reserve’ to help us offset the cost of major repairs, replacements or improvements within the community. To make sure that this reserve is large enough to support the community’s future needs, we also regularly carry out professional surveys.
Fixed annual fees and fair increases
For added peace of mind and to allow you to accurately budget for the year ahead, our factoring fees only ever increase once a year, on 1st April. Any increases will be based upon the previous December retail price index (RPI) % figure supplied by the ONS (Office for National Statistics).
In the event of a rise, we always give you at least a month’s notice of the RPI percentage increase for the following year. And to make sure we consistently deliver good value, we regularly consult homeowners about the services we offer.
Our Essentials Package - rental made easy
For those opting to rent, our Essentials Package combines your rent and factoring fees in one simple weekly charge. Please see our Essentials Package price list for more details.
In addition to your Essentials Package, like those who choose to purchase their home, you can choose to add housekeeping, care and support and / or dining packages, to create the perfect all inclusive package for you - the choice is yours.
| Fixed charges |
Optional charges |
|
| Essentials package (rent and services fees) | ✓ | |
| Care and support | ✓ | |
| Housekeeping | ✓ | |
| Dining | ✓ |
Assured Tenancy
Brio Retirement Living only offers Assured Tenancy agreements which means, even as a rental resident you have the peace of mind that your new home is yours for as long as you wish, providing you the ultimate peace of mind.
How our fees compare
While fees will vary from Brio community to community, we have created this handy comparison table. This will help you to compare our not-for-profit factoring fees to the cost you would normally pay to run your own home. In compiling this, we have researched the following cost averages:
| Product / Service | Indicative Annual Cost | Brio factoring Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Buildings Insurance * | £263 | Included |
| Contents Insurance % | £135 | Excluded |
| Broadband ** | £368 | Included |
| Utility bills (gas, water and electricity) *** | £328 = 20% extra utility bill cost compared to Brio | Savings Included |
| Sky TV Entertainment package **** | £240 (once a month at £20) | Included |
| Grass maintenance # | £480 (grass cut twice a month at £20 per cut) | Included for Communal Areas |
| Garden improvements ~~ | £545 | Included for Communal Areas |
| External window cleaning # | £96 (once a month at £8) | Included |
| Gutter cleaning # | £95 (cleaned once a year) | Included |
| Gym ## | £828 (once a month at £59) | Included |
| Yoga ~ | £364 (once a week at £7 per class) | Included |
| Repairs maintenance ^ | £500-£1000 | Included |
| Capital Repairs Fund (1% value of a £300K house) > | £3,000 | Included |
| Home call system + | £125 | Included |
| Social club fees e.g Women's Institute = | £41 | Included |
| TOTAL | £8,211 - £8,711 |
* Buildings Insurance in the first quarter of 2017, based on data from the Association of British Insurers (ABI).
% Contents Insurance in the first quarter of 2017, based on data from the Association of British Insurers (ABI).
** Based on broadband packages recorded and analysed by BDRC Continental and Cable.co.uk between 18 Aug and 12 Oct 2017.
*** Based on a 5+ bedroom house on a dual fuel bill arrangement £1639 (once a month at £137) (source: UK Power) and 20% saving Brio Retirement Living will give.
**** Source
# Estimates based on a survey of local providers, and may vary based on location of service, quality of service, regularity of service etc. Source Source Source
~~ A recent survey commissioned by GardeningExpress.co.uk found that British gardeners will spend an average of £30,000 on their gardens over their lifetimes. Annual figure calculated by
devising annual spend by 55 years (estimate of how long you own a garden for) as an estimate.
## Based on a rolling monthly membership at Nuffield Health & Fitness Aberdeen.
~ Based on weekly class at a city centre Aberdeen yoga studio called Love Yoga
^^ Based on annual car tax and fuel for a 2017 Ford Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost Titanium travelling 7,900 miles per year (average annual mileage from National Travel
Survey) Petrol price based on 121.9p per litre (Source: The AA)
^ Varies significantly from property to property based on age of property, age of components, location, weather conditions etc. Guidance only.
> Capital repairs fund is an amount of money which is set aside to cover any major work which is needed on a property in the future.
+ Based on Careline yearly plan with 3 months free, excluding £40 one off set up fee.
= WI subscription costs
Disclaimer: We would never recommend that you make a long-term financial decision based solely on these comparisons. The illustrated figures are included purely as a guide to overall living costs. You should consider these approximate costs, or their equivalents, when making your own financial calculations. If you are in any doubt about the true cost of your retirement, we strongly recommend that you seek independent financial advice.
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Live the Brio Lifestyle at one of our retirement communities around the country
