Angry apartment owners have been compelled to pay thousands of dollars in emergency repairs to their complex, despite the developer’s denial that structural flaws exist.
According to NSW Fair Trading, an 80-unit complex in Canterbury, Sydney’s south-west, has “severe” structural concerns and needs supporting beams in the basement car park to keep the structure upright.
It comes after an assessment by an engineering company hired by the owners’ corporation revealed concerns about the building’s structural stability, prompting an emergency meeting between the strata management, Fair Trading, and the building commissioner.
Toplace, which is controlled by notorious developer Jean Nassif, has disputed that emergency safety measures are necessary to prevent the complex from collapsing.
Leith Dawes is one of the unit owners who has been compelled to pay the debt ‘in the immediate term,’ despite having previously paid thousands for repairs and other expenditures.
‘Several structural experts have already warned that this might cost tens of millions of dollars to restore,’ Mr Dawes told the Daily Telegraph.
‘It is much beyond the typical apartment buyer to attempt to determine if the unit has major structural flaws that might lead to its collapse one day.’
Bright and Duggan, strata managers, verified that suggested repairs would be carried out to provide homeowners piece of mind and protect their safety.
It claims that basement renovations have reduced the number of available parking places and plans to file court papers on behalf of unit owners who are being compelled to pay for the costly repairs in the’short term.’
NSW Fair Trading stated a meeting was held late last month to examine construction alternatives.
‘These choices included preventive back-propping in line with instructions from the owners’ corporation’s structural experts,’ a spokesperson added.
The development business has responded to charges that the building’s structural integrity has been called into doubt, claiming that recent examinations by its engineers and the NSW Public Works Advisory found no flaws.
‘All engineers who inspected the building rejected judgments that urgent safety repairs on the structure were necessary,’ stated a Toplace representative.
He further said that the business performed ground-penetrating radar scanning of the building columns and that an independent company confirmed that the engineering firm’s allegations were “incorrect.”
Toplace has been approached by the Daily Mail Australia for more comment.
According to the developer’s website, the project is positioned on the banks of the Cooks River as part of a vibrant new center in Sydney’s inner west. Jean Nassif, the company’s owner, is a flashy property developer who became a social media celebrity in 2019 after surprising his wife Nissy with a $480,000 yellow Lamborghini for Valentine’s Day.
The 54-year-old posted a video of himself handing the expensive car to his children’s mother, with the caption, ‘Congratulations Mrs Nassif… ‘Do you like it?’
Mrs Nassif stood proudly behind the truck, blowing kisses to her fans.
The Nassifs were instantly criticized for their showy display, with a slew of meme films on social media featuring wheelie bins and toy trucks in place of the fancy automobile.