LEFT TO ROT
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HALF- FINISHED homes have been left wasting away in an exclusive Point Lonsdale estate with frustrated and furious owners out of pocket and struggling to find answers to the debacle.
The Geelong Advertiser can reveal at least nine homes in The Point estate have been sitting unfinished for months.
In some cases, plumbing pipes are sticking out of the ground, timber frames are weathering and nails rusting. At least one of the homes will have to be completely rebuilt.
HALF- FINISHED homes have been left wasting away in an exclusive Point Lonsdale estate with frustrated and furious owners out of pocket and struggling to find answers to the debacle.
The Geelong Advertiser can reveal at least nine homes in the The Point estate have been sitting unfinished for months.
In some cases, plumbing pipes are sticking out of the ground, timber frames are weathering and nails rusting. At least one of the homes will have to be completely rebuilt.
Contractual disputes, a lack of communication and a tardy regulatory body have been put forward as explanations for the delays in construction.
Bacchus Marsh-based tradie Andrew Brown, from Intrend Homes, has been the builder on each of the nine projects, although it is understood some clients have now moved to new builders.
Mr Brown did not return calls from the Geelong Advertiser this week, but Victorian Building Authority records show he is still a licensed builder.
Eve Schoenheimer said she was meant to move into a home on Cockle Crescent in July, but all that stands there now is a concrete slab and timber frame.
She had moved from northern NSW to be closer to family, but has been forced to live out of a rental home in St Leonards.
Ms Schoenheimer bought a house-and-land package through Complete Homes last year, which at the time had an agreement with Mr Brown to be its builder in the estate.
She said she paid more than $120,000 to Mr Brown for initial works on the four-bedroom home, which started in October 2016.
But on a visit two months later, Ms Schoenheimer said she was shocked to see little progress.
“I came here at Christmas and I nearly had a heart attack,” she said.
“It wasn’t completed. It was defective. It’s still defective.”
Ms Schoenheimer said she did not know why there had been delays.
“They’ve never even agreed that they’re not doing the work and they’ve never given a reason (for the delays),” she said.
The Ocean Grove osteopath is now planning to launch proceedings in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal to recoup costs from Mr Brown.
She said ongoing legal fees and the cost of rebuilding the home could leave her more than $400,000 out of pocket.
“It’s devastating. I’ve probably been financially ruined at an age where it’s possible I might not be able to come back from it,” Ms Schoenheimer said.
Complete Homes sales agent Stefan Deffert said he stopped giving building contracts to Mr Brown in mid-2016 and is planning to seek compensation for any breach of contract.
He said he had been left out of pocket from his dealings with the builder, but did not say how much.
Mr Deffert said Complete Homes had 35 projects at various stages in The Point.
Fourteen clients have cancelled their contracts with Mr Brown and are using a new builder, while two more are in the process of ripping up their deals, he said.
Some of the homes have not involved Mr Brown as a builder.
Only three have been completed and have residents living inside them.
Multiple sources told the Advertiser some of the unfinished projects were due to non-payments from clients.
Mr Deffert, who owns a completed house in the estate built by Mr Brown, said his ability to progress works on the homes was restricted as the contracts were between the owners and the builder.
“I want to get this fixed (but) I can’t ’t get t involve involved. I’m legally not allowed to,” he said.
But Mr Deffert said he had urged everyone affected to see a solicitor.
“There’s not much more I can do . . . I probably want these homes built more than they do, to be honest,” he said.
Several owners, including Mr Deffert and Ms Schoenheimer, have lodged complaints with Domestic Building Dispute Resolution Victoria.
But, according to the agency, it is experiencing a “high demand” for its service, which is delaying assessments.
Mr Deffert said he was still waiting for a response from the body after more than six months.