© Copyright VarCity Community
Treachery the Other-side of Connecting Walls: A Builders Disastrous Effect on Our Peaceful Shelter
In the CBD of Alexandria Melbourne, Australia we had renovated our loving refuge of greater than 20 years, a secret award winning house and garden amidst the noise of the city. For greater than 20 years, it was a beautiful place of solacement, a haven of shimmering beauty and safety.
As an honoured architect creator, my friend had donated to our city with many city improvement creative proposals, but of these none were more beloved that the progressive design of the Lawrence Street, Sydney, Australia, Victorian style conversion. Featured in the Sydney Morning Herald, it was hailed as a masterpiece, weaving Victorian magic with modern-day elegance.
The Victorian transformation was a testament to architectural ingenious—a two and 1/2-story build and renovations to a late Victorian semi-attached, providing a house for a small family and a studio. The premier feature was the light tower, far above the roof with suspended stairs, acquiring the essence of the south east and north west sky. French style sash windows adorned the master bedroom, while timber casement windows decorate in the bathroom frame the views and filter the light.
However, this pleasant lifestyle was destroyed when our neighbour, a builder, entered the scene next door. Initially welcomed, his illegal actions soon created absolute chaos threatening the safety of everyone in the area. Without warning, he began demolishing our brick supporting wall, the main load-bearing wall of our master bedroom. At one point he had setup a hose from his roof diverted water into our upstairs studio, causing several thousand dollars damage to our property and undermining its structural integrity.
Further to outline the lack of building experience, we discovered that the intermediate wall lacked the required fire rating, a major oversight that endangered our safety. In spite of our urgent efforts to rectify the issue with the neighbour's and contacting the council, the council said the builder's inspector had already approved on the construction, providing no recourse and leaving us vulnerable to harm.
In spite of getting a legal judgement in their favour and recompense for restitution, the toll was abysmal and created many unpleasant memories. They were forced to sell their beloved home, we mourned the loss of our award winning sanctuary, another victim of government negligence and dicey building practices. The lack of proper oversight and governance by government and local council created the environment for this tragedy to unfold, highlighting the demand for more extensive responsibilities and protection for owners.
As we grapple with the effects of this ordeal, we are left to consider: What assistance do homeowners have when their greatest financial investment are threatened by the carelessness of dodgy builders?
Where to Start - Vote the Qualified and Worst Builders in Commonwealth of Australia..?
The Failed, Defendant, and the ending of Property CorporationToplace's Billion-Dollar Empire
from June 2023
A Failed building consultant played a crucial role in secured his bankrupt company a highly lucrative job — oversight of the collapse of Fugitive Jean Nassif's corporate empire, which went under debts exceeding $1.24 billion, including $88.5 million owed to suppliers and tradespeople.
Brand New disclosures about the ruin of Nassif's Toplace corporation have surfaced in documents shown to the Federal Court this month by administrators from dVT Group. These papers show that secured creditors such as banks with mortgages, are owed one thousand million.
Additional Applicable Info:
Riad Tayeh, Jean Nassif, and Toplace's Skyview development in Castle Hill.
Unsecured creditors, have issued financial claims totalling an est. $244 million.
Federal Court claims also show that Riad Tayeh, company founder of dVT Group of companies, played a fundamental responsibility in assuring his firm's appointment as bankruptcy administrators. In spite of being declared insolvent in June last year with $5.4 million in debt, Tayeh, now a business advisor, and business colleague Antony Resnick attended important business meetings with Toplace top managers in the weeks leading up to the firm's appointment as bankruptcy managers.
Included in those attending the meetings on Aug 2020 was Jean Nassif's 29-year-old daughter, Ashlyn, whose legal certificate was suspended while she fights charges relating to fraud tied to Toplace's Skyview development in Castle Hill.
Riad Tayeh was declared insolvent in June last year.
Just before the meetings, an arrest warrant was issued of Jean Nassif, 55, who fled Sydney for Dubai in October 2022. Jean and Ashlyn Nassif are accused of creating false documentation to secure a $150 million loan from Westpac.
In July, Resnick and fellow dVT partner Suelen McCallum were nominated voluntary administrators for Toplace, following a resolution passed by Jean Nassif, Toplace's sole director, via email just hours prior. The administrators now face the task of handling one of New South Wales' biggest corporate collapses.
With reference to Toplace's website, Jean Nassif's company has delivered around 30,000 residential units, shopping centers, and commercial properties throughout Sydney. Administrators are also investigating more than 3,000 residential apartments still under development.
Further complicating the administrators' task a staff member suggested there may be another $400 million in loans involving Nassif entities that are not yet under administration. adding that Toplace's financial books had not been properly updated since 2021.
Sydney Buildings Falling Down... Nightmare on Builders Street?!
Continuing from my opinion piece "Holding the Line" (https://shorturl.at/4xbiF), the following stories outline a persistent sickness within the Sydney housing and property market. Despite recently updated NSW Building Property legislation, many investors are forced to buy homes that do not guarantee the safety of their money and investment.
These stories often go unnoticed and become the burden of socially righteous politicians in search of votes. The diminishing hope that government and local councils will provide a safe pair of hands for Australians striving to live the Aussie homeowner dream is disheartening.
Failures of Governance
- New Tower Block Evacuated Amid Cracks Concern: (https://t.ly/8b5Xd)
- Opal Tower Evacuation Amid Structural Concerns: (https://t.ly/vy_eG)
Betrayal Behind the Walls: A Neighbor's Ordeal
In the heart of Alexandria stood my friends David and Anne's sanctuary—a walled garden amidst the chaos of city streets. For 30 years, it was a place of solace and safety. David, an esteemed architect, had graced our community with numerous urban projects, none as beloved as the Lawrence Street Victorian conversion. Hailed as a masterpiece, it blended old-world charm with modern elegance.
The Victorian conversion featured a two-storey addition and renovations to a late Victorian terrace, highlighted by a light tower soaring above the main structure with suspended stairs. French windows adorned the bedroom, while timber casement windows in the bathroom welcomed views and filtered light.
As the design set a precedent, builders and designers began poaching the concept. Paul Meek, a builder, purchased the single-storey terrace adjoining my friends' and sought to incorporate David's design concept into his new renovation.
Life was reasonable until Meek began demolishing the upper walls and roof of his terrace, causing horrendous noise and damage to David and Anne's wall. When confronted, Meek revealed large cracks on their wall but refused entry for inspection.
Eventually, David hired an unbiased engineer to inspect the wall at his and Anne's expense, as the City of Sydney had failed to include a Dilapidation Report in Meek's Development Consent.
The wall damage was just the beginning. David and Anne experienced flat car tires from builders' screws, water damage in their home, and other disruptive issues. Despite legal advice, they struggled to hold Meek accountable. Offers from Meek to repair the damage were refused, and my friends settled for a small sum for walls and ceiling damage.
Meek's negligence continued with a faulty stormwater system, causing further damage and concerns about termite risks. Complaints to the Council and Building Certifier were dismissed, leading to a futile letter of demand from David's solicitor.
After repeated flooding incidents and confrontations, David and Anne sought conciliation through the NSW Community Justice Centre, but the Meeks refused. Left with no choice, David and Anne sold their house and retired to the NSW far south coast. The legitimacy of private certifiers approving building works remains under scrutiny by State and Local Government and Royal Commission investigations.
Conclusion
"We did everything we could to resolve these issues; however, although we received minor compensation, it was nothing compared to the stress we endured trying to get our neighbor to build responsibly, and a state government and local council who could do nothing to protect us due to a lack of proper governance."
Australian homeowners are left to ponder: What other disasters are waiting to destroy their dreams? What recourse do house, apartment, and property owners have when their sanctuaries are threatened by greed, incompetence, and negligence? Even with recent legislation in NSW, it fails to provide complete protection for homeowners.
The Wall