Mistake on map costs $30k

A couple who snapped up their dream block of land off the plan have been left $30,000 in the red after learning the plot was 130 square metres smaller than advertised.

Melissa and Byron paid $599,000 for what they believed was a 588 square metre block of land in the Byron Park Estate at Tahmoor, in Sydney’s southwest.

But their hopes were shattered when their own builder discovered that the actual size of the land they had acquired was only 452 square metres, A Current Affair reported.

This revelation meant that the dream home they had already designed would no longer fit on the smaller plot.

Feeling disappointed, the couple made the difficult decision to exercise their legal rights and withdraw from the contract.

However, the move left them $30,000 out of pocket in lawyers’ fees, stamp duty, among other fees.

Despite being no longer bound to the block, Melissa and Bryan remain bitter about the affair.

Buyer Bryan expressed his frustration, telling A Current Affair: “Well, it was the biggest block, but it turns out it’s not.”

The discrepancy in measurements was reportedly unnoticed by multiple parties involved in the process, including the developer, the surveying company responsible for the subdivision, Wollindilly Shire Council, a contracted engineering consulting group, and the seller.

The couple has expressed concerns about other blocks within the estate, suspecting that similar issues may exist.

Developer Tony Khoury says a draft survey plan prepared by an independent licensed surveying contractor contained an error in the total area of lot 16, which was ultimately relied upon during the sale and included in the contract.

The matter is with NSW Fair Trading.