An older couple has been saved by a favourite Aussie television show during a financially taxing battle with the retirement village they bought into.
Walter and Carola Sadlo approached Nine’s A Current Affair at the start of 2023 with their story, detailing the fight they were engaged in with their retirement village in Sydney’s south-west.
Buying into the village, they were told they could get a new air conditioner installed in their newly built home for an additional $10,000 but when it broke in 2018, the couple was told the $1,375 repair fee would need to be covered themselves.
After taking the situation to the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) – arguing the retirement village should pay the repair fee – the couple lost and the village came after them to pay their $59,000 legal fees.
NCAT ruled the Sadlos should pay $25,000 of the legal fees over an extended period.
When A Current Affair and host Ally Langdon shared the older couple’s story, the show was flooded with emails from viewers wanting to help.
“They wanted to pay their legal bills because none of us wanted to see this beautiful older couple kicked out of their home,” Ally said on the program on Tuesday.
As a Christmas miracle, Ally was able to present the couple with some great news – two weeks out from a major surgery for Mr Sadlo who would have had to put it on his credit card.
Ally revealed, “Their legal bill was taken care of, that was gone and Wal could get his operation in a couple of weeks’ time and they could still keep going down to Macarthur Square once a week and have their little lunch dates.”
“He was so overwhelmed and both of them insisted ‘No, no, no, we can’t accept, we’re not accepting, we’re not accepting’, but it was too late… it was already done.”
The retirement village was contacted by HelloCare for comment.
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