FAQs

Albany Meadows is a retirement development located in Balsall Common in the West Midlands. It features privately owned homes which are purchased on a leasehold basis. Each home is finished to a very high standard, offering a high quality and modern design and finishes.

Albany Meadows has been designed with lifestyle in mind, offering residents a low maintenance property with all the external maintenance taken care of, and the opportunity to be part of a friendly community.

The homes are set amongst attractive landscaping, creating a spacious and tranquil village environment. A residents’ lounge and central village green provide communal spaces that will be the social hub of village life and a Village Manager looks after the day-to-day running of the development.

Every home has a built in level of support and care provision, with additional care packages available from our CQC care partner Oak Retirement. The care and support available is bespoke to suit your needs now and in the future to ensure you can continue to enjoy life in your new home for many years to come.

Albany Meadows is available for purchasers aged 55 and over who will benefit from the lifestyle and care services that are available at the development. At least one permanent resident in one of our properties must meet this age criteria.

All of our new build bungalows, apartments and houses have been sold but you can still register your interest to be made aware of re-sale properties as they become available to purchase.

Yes, you are welcome to bring pets so long as they do not cause a nuisance to your neighbours or other residents. If you are considering getting a pet in the future this can be discussed with the Village Manager.

Yes, friends and family are always welcome to visit, whether it’s in your own home or enjoying use of the Albany Lounge and The Green with you.

As all homes have at least two bedrooms friends and family are also welcome to stay with you on a non-permanent basis.

There are no shops in the development. We are happy to help with placing online shopping orders and receiving deliveries, and Balsall Common and other nearby towns offer plenty of shopping facilities and amenities. Balsall Common is only a short distance away with local shops including Tesco, Co-op, Sainsbury’s, pharmacy, newsagents, butchers, bakery and banks.

The development doesn’t feature a restaurant. You are of course welcome to arrange meals from our care partner Oak Retirement or an alternative service provider of your choice. This would be at an additional cost.

Every property has access to at least one car parking space, and there is additional car parking provision for visitors.

Amber Infrastructure is a long term investor in these projects and will continue to oversee the management of the completed development to ensure the high standards and values of the properties and the estate are maintained for many years to come. More information is available from our sales team.

The Village Manager will be there* to ensure the smooth running and first-class upkeep of the village and its shared spaces. They will oversee the day to day running of the scheme and coordinate maintenance, services and social activities.

A friendly face at all times, they will also provide concierge style services such as taking deliveries when you are not home to helping arrange events and activities. They will also coordinate your built-in home support services and can provide extra help with things like arranging transport or finding local tradespeople for jobs inside your home.

*working hours Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm

You own your home at Albany Meadows on a 999 year lease which commenced in 2018. The reason your home is sold on a leasehold basis is to ensure that there is a consistent and high standard of maintenance and repair across the development which will benefit all residents.

Your solicitor should advise you of your rights and obligations under the lease.

A monthly service charge is applied to each home which covers all of the running costs of the shared spaces and external areas of each property, as well as a base level of care provision.

The service charge will cover key costs including:

• Buildings insurance;
• Maintenance of all external and communal areas;
• Village Manager and services;
• Maintenance and cleaning of windows, drains, guttering;
• Running and maintenance of the Albany Lounge and other communal areas;
• Communal areas electricity and water;
• 1.5 hours of per week of home support; and
• Servicing of lifts and emergency call system.

Please contact our sales team for more information about service charges and costs.

As well as enjoying the wonderful facilities and environment, residents moving into the scheme also benefit from home support services. Included within the service charge is a care provision that will provide all residents with:

• A cleaning and ironing service in the home, including general refuse removal and access to the Village Manager for other domestic support in the home*
• Access to a 24-hour help line; and
• Access to a visiting Care Manager to discuss any additional care needs and plans.

*up to 1.5hr per week

You also have direct access to a comprehensive range of additional care and support services should you need them. Provided by our CQC registered domiciliary care provider, Oak Retirement, these services are available at an additional cost.

Delivered discreetly and with complete flexibility the services available will cover everything from additional daily essentials and chores to personal care needs and specialised care.

Contact the sales team for more information about the included and extra care services available at Albany Meadows.

In addition to the monthly service charge you will be responsible for paying your own utility bills (electricity, water, telephone and broadband), council tax and television licence fee as well as arranging your contents and personal belongings insurance.

Service charges will be reviewed annually. A breakdown of the costs included in the service charge will be shared with residents so they have an accurate understanding of the costs related to running Albany Meadows. If there are any changes to service charge costs these will be reported to residents well in advance and will be transparent and open at all times.

Included within the service charge is a contribution to the sinking fund which is for the long term repair and maintenance of the buildings and the estate. This spreads the cost over time and provides an equitable apportionment between the residents both now and in the future.

Yes, there is an annual ground rent cost, which will be indexed every 10 years against the Retail Price Index (RPI). The sales team can provide you with details of this cost.

Care and support packages can be discussed with the Village Manager and visiting Care Manager from Oak Retirement. They can create an individually tailored care package and advise you of the cost. You are of course welcome to make your own arrangements with an alternative care provider if you wish.

Yes, you can make changes but you will need to let us know in advance and we will need to agree to them in order to maintain the integrity of the estate.

You can enjoy peace of mind when you are away from your home for any period of time. Just let the Village Manager know that you are away and they will keep an eye on your property, take care of any deliveries for you and respond to any emergencies such as a power cut.

All homes are also fitted with fire alarms that go to a central alarm point.

When the time comes to sell your property this can be done in the normal way. You can either appoint an estate agent or you can appoint our management team. As we often have a waiting list of potential purchasers it may be worth discussing this with the Village Manager first.

You will pay any estate agent and solicitor’s fees you incur as part of the sales transaction of your home. Or if you appoint us to sell your property, our sales fee plus your solicitor costs.

A deferred management fee of 5% of the sales value will also be applicable on the re-sale of a property at Albany Meadows.

This fee contributes to the cost of delivering the communal facilities, helps us reduce your annual service charge costs and ensures we are able to maintain the high standards of the development and resulting value of each property in the long-term.

The sales team can provide a full explanation of the deferred management fee.

We are obviously not in control of market conditions, but we are confident that the high quality way we will manage Albany Meadows will ensure that the scheme will remain very attractive for future purchasers. The estate management model we have at Albany Meadows has been created to maintain the high standards of the development far beyond new build delivery.

There is also an increasing demand for property designed for people aged 55 and over which offers high quality privately owned homes, with access to community facilities and services that make life easier and more enjoyable. Combined with flexible access to support and care services to ensure you can remain independent in their own home for a long time and the idyllic countryside location, Albany Meadows will be extremely appealing to future purchasers when the time comes to sell your home.