Gated community living for a family

[KangaKit]

Has anyone rented a house in one of the gated communities in the Gold Coast? How did u find it? Was there a rush for pool/gym etc..moving as a family.  Just wanted opinions. Thank you 

[Marisawright]

I've never lived in a gated community but have lived in lots of apartment blocks with a pool, gym etc.  Without exception they aren't used much!   A real estate agent once said to me that everyone gets excited about the pool and gym when they're buying, but once they move in, very few people get around to using them.

[KangaKit]

Great, thank you

[AliQ]

9 hours ago, Marisawright said:

I've never lived in a gated community but have lived in lots of apartment blocks with a pool, gym etc.  Without exception they aren't used much!   A real estate agent once said to me that everyone gets excited about the pool and gym when they're buying, but once they move in, very few people get around to using them.

Great info Marisawright, we're not sure yet as to what type of property we wish to buy here.

Can I please ask, did you hear a lot of "neighbour noise" when you lived in an apartment ? 

[Marisawright]

5 minutes ago, AliQ said:

Great info Marisawright, we're not sure yet as to what type of property we wish to buy here.

Can I please ask, did you hear a lot of "neighbour noise" when you lived in an apartment ? 

I’ve lived in apartments for 30-odd years. It varies, but generally I’ve been very lucky.  

[Marisawright]

Sorry, I was on my phone.

Be careful with strata titled properties in Queensland.  I'm not sure if it's still the same, but the setup in Queensland used to be disgraceful.  In other states, the unit owners hire the strata manager and have the power to sack them if they don't perform.  In Queensland, the developer sells the management rights to a manager so the owners have very little control over the standard of management or the fees that are charged. 

When looking at apartments, I always look at how many common walls there are and what they connect.  It doesn't matter much if you have common walls with a living room or kitchen, because you're there in the daytime and won't even notice noise next door.  I avoid places with common walls between bedrooms.

I won't take a ground floor or mid-floor apartment in a block that has wood or tiled floors.  A top floor apartment is always the best as you can't ever have anyone walking on your head.

Consider who is likely to be living in the block.  If it's close to a university, you're going to have a lot of students - not a good idea.  Apartments in upmarket areas are more likely to be inhabited by older singletons and couples, so not much risk of noisy parties. 

Edited September 17, 2020 by Marisawright

[Rossmoyne]

My son and his partner live in a gated community on the Gold Coast and have done so for 5 years.   There are 180 living units in this community, comprising 3 bedroom townhouses,  2 bedroom townhouses, 1 and 2 bedroom apartments.   There is a gym, sauna and pool.  Prior to Covid, I would travel from WA to spend time with them 3 or 4 times a year, and I have got to know the community quite well over the past 5 years.   There is a very mixed blend of ages and families there.   Other oldies like me, young families, professionals, uni students,  and FIFO workers like my son and his partner.   When they bought they had looked at so many properties over a 6 month period and finally chose a gated community for the security as they were away for work alternate weeks, and they liked the fact that there was a pool and gym and gardens that were maintained as part of the management fees.   

Since they have been there they have had a lot of trouble with the manager of the facility and have resorted to legal action over one issue.   So read Marisawright's comments and take them on board as it sees that Queensland strata laws are very different.

Noise wise, all is well.  Obviously you hear children playing, but that is normal and lovely to hear.   So far there have been no rowdy parties and everyone is considerate of their neighbour.   My son's townhouse is the end of a terrace of 10 so he only has one joined neighbour, and in all the time he has lived there, and during the times I have stayed there, there has been no noise at all from the joined on neighbour, who incidentally has 3 children now aged from 8 to 14 years.   It seems the joining wall is very insulated for noise control.   Talking to people I know in the complex, they all say that they cannot hear their neighbours at all, so I guess whoever built the complex got the sound cancelling part of the construction perfect.

There are many gated communities on the Gold Coast though, and this is just my comments on where my son lives.

[KangaKit]

Great thank you so much for everyone taking the time to reply.

[Coxy7]

We lived in a gated community in the Gold Coast. The pool was always empty. I liked it for a rental, definitely didn’t have the same freedom as a house though but apart from that it was good for short term.