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A group of Perth residents who thought they would be living in the homes of their dreams this year say they have been left angry, stressed and defeated by ongoing construction delays by WA property developer Nicheliving.
Key points:
- People who bought properties in a Tapping development are frustrated about delays
- Some say they have been forced to pay tens of thousands in rent outside their budget
- The company has not responded to requests for comment
A group of 10 people who purchased house-and-land packages in the company's Tapping development, north-east of Joondalup in Perth, have banded together to take their complaints to the company's office next week.
Standing among piles of brick and half-finished properties surrounded by scaffolding, James Sprague was among the buyers who described a litany of delays and a lack of communication from Nicheliving in response to their concerns.
A mangled street sign for Eugene's Loop, where most of their homes are located, was resting on the ground.
"It's incredibly stressful," Mr Sprague said. "Also, it just it makes me angry.
"Building a house is supposed to be a fun time, all that sort of stuff. It's cost me so far $75,000 in rent and still counting."
There are about 80 properties in the development, where the deserted streets remain lined with unfinished homes.
No comment from company
Nicheliving declined to comment to the ABC when contacted about a customer complaint last week, and did not respond to further requests for comment this week.
Loading...Mr Sprague said he had been unable to get any answers about the status of construction on his property, which he said was supposed to have been completed by February.
He said he was also concerned about weather damage to completed works at the property.
Emily Greenway said she started the process to build her small, three-by-two home with an alfresco in February 2020.
She said work on her property had not progressed for the past 10 months – since August last year — and she felt she had been given "false promises".
"At this point I don't even want to live in the property," Ms Greenway said.
"I'm just completely over it, just defeated.
"I can't move on with my life. I've just been kind of stuck in the same situation for two-and-a-half years."
Losing hope
Ms Greenway said she was disappointed with the company's response when she raised her concerns and had lost hope that pursuing legal action or making complaints would have any effect.
"I think at this stage, they need to probably just stop taking on other jobs, stop advertising for other jobs and just focus on the developments that they started three years ago," she said.
Steven Gagliardini, who purchased his property in August 2021, said he understood delays in the construction industry because he worked in building services himself.
But he said he felt deceived by the communication he had had with the company.
"I'm just hoping that we can have some form of commitment from Nicheliving as to the road forward," Mr Gagliardini said.
"If it has to be finished in 12 months, just give us a deadline of that period of time."
Delays are subject to regulatory complaint
Building and Energy, which deals with consumer complaints in the industry, said it could not comment on any complaints or investigations that may be in progress until there was an outcome that could be made public.
It said any person who entered into a home-building work contract valued between $7,500 and $500,000 may lodge a complaint with Building and Energy in relation to an alleged breach of contract.
That included delays that exceed the specified days set out in the contract.
"Building contract complaints must be lodged within three years of the contract date or the cause of action arising," the organisation said in a statement.
"If a building contract value does not fall within the values mentioned above, owners may wish to seek independent legal advice."