Some villages have residents sign up to a capital loss clause – even when they get no share in the capital gain (i.e. if the value of their unit dips, then they must cover the loss plus all other fees). One Otago village has the capital loss clause so well hidden that some residents and even two lawyers missed it. The CEO justified the clause by saying that ‘they might go broke if they didn’t have it’. The residents have no say in the marketing or sale price of their unit nor who may be allowed to accept it.
