BRIDGEWATER Aged Care Facility administrator PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) has rejected claims that it tried to push investors into selling the home to increase the organisation’s profit.

A strata holder at the residence spoke to Star last week with concerns that PWC had pressured investors to sell for a lower price to boost the money it would get in administration fees.

The investor, who is also a Hume resident, said he thought PWC had been allocated a number of beds during the takeover from the home’s owners, Vitality Care, in May.

He also said he felt the home could still be operating if, instead of selling it, someone had leased it.

“PricewaterhouseCoopers came in and as far as they’re concerned, they wanted us to sell,” the investor said.

“They still wanted their money so they wanted the sale to go ahead quickly at a lower price so they could get the dollars from the beds they owned.”

But PWC administrator Stephen Longley said the beds spoken of by the investor were owned by Vitality Care, not PWC, and the prices offerred during sale discussions were low because of the debt the facility carried.

“We were never going to get paid any more or any less if it was sold or if it closed,” Mr Longley said.

“The sale had no impact on us. We were going to get paid anyway.”

Mr Longley said PWC exhausted all options in the battle to keep the facility running and said nobody had been prepared to lease it.

“That was a possibility that was explored but no one was interested. No one was prepared to rent from so many different parties (investors),” he said.

“I think at the end of the day all everyone wanted was for it to stay open for the residents.”

Bridgewater’s residents are being moved to other aged-care facilities.

Mr Longley estimated the home would be fully closed by mid to late November.

Source: Roxburgh Park, Craigieburn Star - By Cimara Pearce