Three years ago, recently divorced Garry Lees used his settlement to buy a one-bedroom home at Oasis village in Windang.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Now, the prospect of being kicked out of the caravan park within months is terrifying for the 65-year-old.
"To lose that, I'm out in the gutter," he said of his home. "At the end of the day, you can't treat people like that.
"This is my home, I love it here. I'm not going anywhere."
Neighbour Jan Hardy, 70, who has been living there for five years, is also worried about the future.
"They think they can bulldoze it and build a multi-storey resort," she said.
Affiliated Residential Park Residents Association (ARPRA), a body representing residents living in residential land lease communities, has expressed concerns for the 41 homes and 70 people who reside at the Oasis resort.
In 2018, Oasis Motor Inn was sold to international investors, with the sale including the residential village.
"Twelve months later, [park manager] David Wei of S & Q Assets, called a meeting of all residents, and he claimed that he thought he owned the homes when he purchased the park," Maryann Kirkby, ARPRA's Illawarra regional manager said.
Ms Kirkby said the operators had served residents with termination notices late last year, informing them that all homeowners' site agreements were being terminated under the Residential Land Lease Communities Act 2013, and they had 12 months to vacate the park.
ARPRA says this was because S & Q Assets had been unable to secure an approval to operate from Wollongong City Council.
The notice was subsequently overturned by the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
"We have recently received another notice, citing a reason for the termination, and his reasoning is lack of authority to use the land," Ms Kirkby said.
Residents were given three options to act by June 15 - move their houses, sell the houses to somebody who would move them, or negotiate with the owners for compensation.
"Council are being very co-operative and helping us," Ms Kirkby said. "We can't see these elderly people displaced. If this operator is able to do this, to me it paves the way for any other operator of these parks to do the same."
ARPRA believes the operator is seeking to circumvent compensation to homeowners, and that by scaring them out of the community so that they leave on their own, the owner will not have to pay compensation.
"Some of these properties, even though they might be a caravan or something like that, they can't be moved," Mr Lees said.
"He's saying, 'pack your house up and get out'. Where the hell do you go? People haven't got the money to move their houses."
Mr Wei said they'd had "quite a few" meetings and consultations with "tenants, because they are leasing the land" and ARPRA, and while they had asked residents for ideas, none had come up with workable solutions to issues.
"No-one can expect this matter can be a quick fix, so by law they have a 90-day window period," he said.
"But on the other hand, through the legal process they can apply through the tribunal to determine whether or not they are entitled to stay here.
"Not all the tenants are in the same situation, and not all are in the same scenario."
A Wollongong City Council spokesperson said council has been working with park operators of Oasis Resort Caravan Park for several years to address issues of non-compliance.
"Mediation and communication involving park resident representatives, the park operator, ARPRA and council has been undertaken in relation to land use, safety of dwellings, park design and use, fire risk and flooding," the spokesperson said.
"The decision by the operator to proceed to termination notices following mediation is disappointing.
"While council does not have the ability to influence the decision of the operator of the park, we remain welcoming of an application at any time that is consistent with the requirements of the Local Government Act.
"Council is currently assisting NSW Fair Trading in relation to the termination notices.
"Currently Oasis Resort Caravan Park does not have an approval to operate or a valid and complete application lodged, which is required under the Local Government Act. Council has pursued the park operator to lodge a competent application for a licence to operate consistent with requirements of the regulations.
"No other applications for any other activity have been lodged with council."
We depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.