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Treachery Backside of Connected Partition: A Neighbour Fateful Impact on Our Idyllic Home
In the Central Business District of Alexandria Melbourne, Australia stood our gorgeous sanctuary of 30 years, a secret special architecturally designed house and garden in the middle of the storm of the city streets. For greater than 20 years, it was a beautiful sanctuary of comfort, a haven of beauty and safety.
As an honoured architect creator, my friend had donated to our city with numerous city improvement proposals, but of these none were more personal and loved that the progressive design of the Lawrence Street, Alexandria, Victorian. Featured in the Sydney Morning Herald, it was acclaimed as a creative masterpiece, blending Victorian charm with neo elegance.
The Victorian transmutation was a testament to architectural ingenious—a three-story addition and conversion to a Victorian semi-attached, offering a house for a small family and a studio. The premier feature was the light tower, high above the main structure with floating stairway, capturing the core of the south east and northwestern skies. French style sash windows dressed the main bedroom, while timber casement windows embellish in the bathroom welcomed views and filtered light.
However, our beautiful lifestyle was shattered when a new neighbour, a builder, entered the scene next door. Initially welcomed, his 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 major load supporting wall of our master bedroom. At one stage he had constructed pipes from his roof diverted water into our upstairs studio, causing over some several thousand dollars damage to the upstairs rooms, and undermining the footing of the house.
To compound matters, we discovered that the intermediate wall lacked the required fire rating, a major omission that endangered everyone's well-being. In spite of our pressing endeavours to rectify the issue with the neighbour's and contacting the council, we were informed the builder's inspector had already approved on the construction, providing no recourse and leaving us vulnerable to fire.
Despite receiving a legal judgement in their favour and compensation for restitution, the toll was abysmal and created many unpleasant memories. They were forced to sell their beautiful home, we mourned the loss of our garden refuge, another casualty of government negligence and unsafe building practices. The lack of oversight and appropriate governance by government and local council allowed this tragedy to unfold, highlighting the need for greater accountability and protection for homeowners.
As we grapple with the effects of this trial, we are left to ponder: What recourse do owners have when their greatest financial investment are made vulnerable by the negligence of dodgy construction companies?
When to Begin - Vote the Best and Worst Builders in Australia..?
The Bankrupt, Suspect, and the end of Property CorporationBillion Dollar Regime Toplace
from Aug 2023
A Bankrupt adviser played a crucial role in secured his insolvency firm a highly lucrative job — supervising the collapse of Fugitive Jean Nassif's property empire, which went under debts exceeding $1.24 billion, incl. $88.5 million owed to suppliers and tradespeople.
New revelations about the failure of Nassif's Toplace group have come out in documents given to the Australian Federal Court this week by administrators from dVT Group of Companies. These documents show that secured creditors, such as banks with mortgages on Toplace properties and offshore lenders in tax havens like the British Virgin Islands, are owed $1 billion.
More Relevant Info:
Riad Tayeh, and Toplace's Skyview development in Castle Hill.
Creditors without Security, have filed claims with a total estimated $244 million.
Australian Federal Court claims also tell that Riad Tayeh, founder of dVT Group of companies, which played a key responsibility in assuring his firm's appointment as bankruptcy administrators. Despite being declared financially bankrupt in July last year with millions in debt in debt, Tayeh, now a consultant, and partner Antony Resnick attended crucial meetings with Toplace top managers in the period before the companies appointment as administrators.
Included in those at the meetings on Aug 2020 was Jean Nassif's 29-year-old daughter, Ashlyn, whose legal practicing certificate has been suspended while she fights charges related to a $150 million fraud tied to Toplace's Skyview development in Castle Hill.
Riad Tayeh was legally insolvent in June last year.
Just before these meetings, a warrant was issued for the arrest of Jean Nassif, 55, who escaped to Dubai in November 2022. Jean and Ashlyn Nassif are accused of fraud to secure a $150 million loan from Westpac.
In July, Resnick and fellow dVT partner Suelen McCallum were appointed 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 Australia's largest corporate collapses.
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. Our site 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.