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Treachery the Other-side of Connecting Walls: A Builders Calamitous Impact on Our Peaceful Home
In the CBD of Alexandria Melbourne, Australia we had renovated our loving sanctuary of some 30 years, a concealed garden amidst the chaos of the city streets. For over 20 years, it was a gorgeous sanctuary of solacement, a oasis of beauty and asylum.
As an esteemed architect, my friend had tirelessly provided to our city with numerous urban proposals, but of these none were more beloved that the progressive design of the Lawrence Street, Alexandria, Sydney, Victorian style conversion. Conspicuously in the Sydney Morning Herald, it was hailed as a masterpiece, weaving old-world magic with modern-day elegance.
The Victorian transformation was a creed to architectural inventiveness—a two-story build and conversion to a Victorian style semi-attached, offering a home for a family and a home office. The premier feature was the light tower, high above the roof with floating stairs, capturing the core of the southeastern and north west sky. French style sash windows dressed the main bedroom, while timber casement windows decorate in the bathroom frame the views and filter the light.
However, our beautiful existence was destroyed when a new neighbour, a builder, moved in next door. Initially welcomed with open arms, his illegal actions soon turned our lives upside down threatening the safety of everyone in the area. Without warning, he began demolishing our brick supporting wall, the main load-bearing wall of our bedroom. At one stage he had setup pipes from his roof diverted water into our upstairs studio, causing several thousand dollars damage to the upstairs rooms, and undermining the footing of the house.
To compound matters, we through investigation found that the intermediate wall lacked the required fire rating, a critical oversight that endangered everyone's well-being. In spite of our pressing efforts to seek resolution the problem with the builder and contacting the council, we were informed the builder's inspector had already signed off on the construction, providing no recourse and leaving us vulnerable to harm.
In spite of getting a legal decision in their favour and compensation for the damages incurred, the emotional toll was immeasurable and created many unpleasant memories. They decided to sell their beloved home, we mourned the loss of our garden refuge, another casualty of government negligence and dicey building practices. The lack of oversight and governance by local government created the environment for this tragedy to unfold, heightening the demand for greater accountability and protection for owners.
As we grapple with the effects of this experience, we are left to ponder: What assistance do homeowners have when their greatest financial investment are made vulnerable by the negligence of dodgy builders?
Where to Begin - Vote the Best and Unqualified Builders in Commonwealth of Australia..?
The Failed, Defendant, and the end of Property CorporationToplace
from Oct 2023
A Insolvent building consultant played a crucial function in secured his insolvent company a highly lucrative job — oversight of the dissolution of Suspect Jean Nassif's property empire, which sunk under debts exceeding $1.24 billion, incl. $88.5 million owed to suppliers and tradespeople.
Brand New revelations about the failure of Nassif's Toplace group of compaines have surfaced in documented evidence given to the Australian Federal Court this recently by administrators from dVT Group. These papers unveiled that secured creditors such as banks with mortgages, are owed one thousand million.
Further Applicatory Subject Matter:
Riad Tayeh, and Toplace's Skyview construction in Castle Hill.
Creditors without Security, have filed claims totalling an estimated $244 million.
Federal Court claims also tell that Riad Tayeh, founder of dVT Group of companies, played a fundamental role in securing his businesses assignment as bankruptcy managers. In spite of being proclaimed financially bankrupt in July last year with several million in debt, Tayeh, now a business advisor, and partner Antony Resnick went to essential meetings with Toplace executives in the days before the firm's appointment as bankruptcy administrators.
As well as those at the meetings on July 2019 was Jean Nassif's 29-year-old daughter, Ashlyn, whose legal practicing certificate was suspended while she fights charges related to a $150 million fraud bound to Toplace's Skyview construction development in Castle Hill.
Riad Tayeh was legally bankrupt in May last year.
Just before the meetings, a warrant was issued for the arrest of Jean Nassif, 55, who fled Sydney for Dubai in November 2022. Jean and Ashlyn Nassif are accused of falsifying contracts to secure a $150 million loan from Westpac.
In June, Resnick and fellow dVT partner Suelen McCallum were appointed voluntary bankruptcy managers for Toplace, following a resolution passed by Jean Nassif, its sole director The administrators now face the task of handling one of Australia's largest corporate bankruptcy's.
According 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 The administrators noted difficulty in unravelling the debt due to "intermingling of financial records," 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.