’Pay trades or burn’
House tagged as fallout from builder collapse turns nasty
SUBCONTRACTORS, suppliers and customers are counting the costs after yet another Gold Coast building company collapse.
AB Hill Constructions, directed by Adrian Brendan Hill, was wound up earlier this month after a creditor took Supreme Court action against it.
The Queensland Building and Construction Commission had cancelled the company’s licence in December following a volley of previous suspensions, demerits and direction orders dating back four years.
Police were called in yesterday after a house previously under construction by AB Hill was attacked by a spray-painting vandal who wrote “pay tradesman or burn” across the front of the Broadbeach Waters home.
Mr Hill yesterday said he was aware of the threatening message but that it wasn’t directed at him. He said the property owner had completed the build after his company’s licence was suspended.
“That had nothing to do with me,” he said.
“I haven’t worked on that site since December because my licence got suspended.”
The property is registered to two companies who are directed by two separate people who live in Sydney.
Mr Hill, who still holds an individual builder licence as a nominee supervisor, said the QBCC had stepped in to complete “four or five” remaining projects on his company’s books.
According to the suspended licence, the company had three jobs in 2017-18 with a value of $2.135 million. The licence showed four projects for $2.6 million the previous year and 11 jobs worth $11.06 million in 2015-16.
The QBCC did not directly answer questions on why Mr Hill’s individual licence was still active.
“When a company enters liquidation, the QBCC begins exclusion action promptly,” a statement from the regulator said.
“Provisions exist in the QBCC Act to exclude individuals and companies for three years, and if they’re involved in a separate insolvency, they can be permanently excluded.
“Mr Hill’s Nominee Supervisor licence does not allow him to contract directly with consumers.”
Mr Hill couldn’t say how much the company owed or how many creditors it had but that he “absolutely” intended to repay them.
“I’m doing everything I can at the moment to communicate with the trades and suppliers and look after my family because we’ve lost everything,” he said.
“I was a battling builder for 20 years on the Gold Coast, I did everything I could.
“I’ve lost my family house, my wife’s house - we’re trying to do everything as right as possible in very difficult times.”
THAT (THE THREAT) HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH ME. I HAVEN’T WORKED ON THAT SITE SINCE DECEMBER BECAUSE MY LICENCE GOT SUSPENDED BUILDER ADRIAN HILL