Impact of collapse widens

COLLAPSED builder Future Urban Residential sent a concreting subcontractor to work on two job sites despite allegedly owing thousands of dollars to other small businesses.

Varsity Lakes-based Future Urban Residential went into liquidation on Monday night, and is under investigation by the Queensland Building and Construction Commission and the Australian Securities and Investment Commission.

Director Kirsty Thew and her husband Andrew Thew are previous employees of Queensland One Homes, which collapsed in July owing more than $6 million.

More fallout was revealed yesterday, as more people came forward claiming they had been left out of pocket and/or with unfinished homes.

The Bulletin has obtained an email trail between one subcontractor, who did not want to be named, who was chasing late payments of $99,275 from Mr Thew.

The itemised request, sent on February 6, detailed outstanding payments for eight different jobs completed between August and November.

In a response that same day, and another on February 19, Mr Thew assured the subbie they would be paid because he would be able to access progress payments from clients after their slabs were poured.

The concreter did the work on February 16, less than a fortnight before Future Urban Residential went into liquidation. He claims he’s owed $11,000 for the work and the first subcontractor says they still haven’t been paid.

The Bulletin has attempted to contact the couple, who have disconnected their phones and removed the company’s website.

The Bulletin has spoken to numerous subcontractors and clients who say they’ve been stung. Among them is a Western Australian property investor who engaged the company to build two homes for a total of $1.2 million.

After months of no progress, he said the Thews tried to have him sign a mutual contract termination – a move that would have voided his insurance.

Instead he found a lawyer and served his own contract termination.

The client can’t understand how the QBCC granted Andrew Thew a builder licence, which was restricted to annual work totalling $600,000 or less, and then allowed Future Urban to operate with it.

He has begun gathering other customers and subcontractors of Future Urban to share their stories and work out how far the collapse has been felt.

He said the failed business had “destroyed people’s lives”.