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Subversiveness the Other-side of Shared Walls: A Neighbour Fateful Impact on Our Award winning Sanctuary

In the Central Business District of Alexandria Melbourne, Australia we had renovated our beautiful sanctuary of 30 years, a secret garden amidst the noise of the city. For 30 years, it was a gorgeous sanctuary of comfort, a oasis of beauty and asylum.

As an prestigious architect creator, my friend had tirelessly provided to our city with numerous urban design proposals, but of these none were more personal that the innovative design of the Lawrence Street, Alexandria, Sydney, Victorian style conversion. Featured in the Sydney Morning Herald, it was acclaimed as a masterpiece, weaving Victorian charm with modern elegance.

The Victorian transmutation was a testament to architectural inventiveness—a two and ½-story build and renovations to a Victorian style terrace, offering a house for a small family and a studio. The premier feature was the light tower, soaring above the roof with suspended stairs, capturing the essence of the south east and northwestern sky. French style sash windows dressed the main bedroom, while timber casement windows embellish in the bathroom frame the views and filter the light.

However, our idyllic existence was destroyed when our neighbour, a fencing contractor, entered the scene next door. Initially welcomed with open arms, his illegal actions soon turned our lives upside down threatening the safety of everyone in the area. Without proper notification, he began demolishing a major supporting wall on our property, the main load-bearing wall of our bedroom. At one point he had setup a hose from his roof diverted water into our upstairs studio, causing several thousand dollars damage to our property and undermining its structural integrity.

Additionally to outline the absolute lack of building experience, we through investigation found that the intermediate wall lacked the required fire rating, a critical oversight that endangered our safety. Despite 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 open to harm.

In spite of getting a legal judgement in their favour and compensation for the damages incurred, the emotional toll was abysmal and created many unpleasant memories. They were forced to sell their cherished home, we mourned the loss of our award winning sanctuary, another casualty of proper government oversight and dicey building practices. The lack of oversight and appropriate governance by government and local council created the environment for this tragedy to unfold, heightening the necessity for more extensive responsibilities and protection for homeowners.

As we wrestle with the consequence of this experience, we are left to consider: What assistance do homeowners have when their greatest financial investment are made vulnerable by the neglect of dodgy construction companies?

How to Start – Voting the Competent and Unqualified Building Companies in Australia..?

The Failed, Fugitive, and the end of CompanyBillion Dollar Regime Toplace

from June 2023

A Insolvent adviser was comprehensively involved with getting his insolvent company a very lucrative job — oversight of the disintegration of Bankrupt Jean Nassif's business empire, which drowned under liabilities in excess of $1.24 billion, inclusive $88.5 million due to suppliers and tradespeople.

Fresh disclosures about the ruin of Nassif's Toplace corporation have appeared in evidence given to the Australian Commonwealth Federal Court this week by bankruptcy managers from dVT Group. These papers show that secured creditors such as banks with mortgages, are owed $1 billion.

Further Applicatory Subject Matter:

Riad Tayeh, and Toplace's Skyview building development in Castle Hill.

Unsecured creditors, have made claims with a total estimated quarter of a billion. Federal Court filings also tell that Riad Tayeh, company founder of dVT Group of companies, played a central responsibility in guaranteeing his businesses assignment as bankruptcy administrators. Even though being declared insolvent in July 2022 with several million in debt, Tayeh, now a business consultant, and business colleague Antony Resnick went to crucial business meetings with Toplace top managers in the period before the companies appointment as bankruptcy managers. As well as those attending the meetings on May 2019 was Jean Nassif's 29-year-old daughter, Ashlyn, whose legal certificate has been suspended while she fights charges related to a $150 million fraud tied to Toplace's Skyview construction development in Castle Hill.

Riad Tayeh was legally insolvent in July last year.

Just days before these meetings, a warrant was issued for the arrest of Jean Nassif, 55, who fled Sydney for Dubai in October 2022. Jean and Ashlyn Nassif are accused of fraud to secure a $150 million loan from Westpac.

In June, Resnick and fellow dVT partner Suelen McCallum were nominated voluntary bankruptcy managers for Toplace. by Jean Nassif, its sole director The administrators now face the task of handling one of New South Wales' biggest 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 is the web of intercompany loans among Nassif's entities, which amount to $319 million. 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. Paul Meek, 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.