HOUSE OF PAIN
I was evicted from my newbuild block of flats three years ago after ‘cracks’ were found – I’m £500,000 in debt
A DAD who was evicted from his newbuild block of flats three years ago has said he is £500,000 in debt having never been allowed to move back in.
Tuesday marks three years since 130 residents of Mascot Towers in Sydney, Australia, were evicted after major cracks were discovered in the building.
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Anthony Najafian told : "It's like we're stuck. We've fallen through the cracks and nobody can help."
He and his wife bought the apartment in 2010 but a few years later and after welcoming their first child, they purchased another place to live and rented out the Mascot unit.
When residents including his tenants were forced to leave, Anthony thought it would just be temporary, but three years have since passed.
And most residents remain angry at the system after those residing in the faulty high-rise building never lived there again.
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Most of those affected have been receiving some assistance from the government.
However, apartment owners such as Anthony who were not living in the tower at the time say they've been left behind.
While owners who lived in the building will continue to receive rental assistance of up to $400 a night until June 30 next year - around ten mum and dad investors have received no financial help at all.
The shocked father said: "Every day that you wake up, you're not sure if it's real.
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"But you then quickly realise that I have purchased a property that no longer exists.
"I've literally lost an apartment in metro Sydney."
With two mortgages, a million dollars of growing debt, a single income and creditors chasing, the future for Anthony and his family is looking bleak.
He continued: "We felt it was safe, we felt we were protected. I just would have never imagined that my apartment would just completely disappear.
"This was not caused by us. This was caused by the system that was in place for dodgy developers and engineers to thrive and operate.
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"We hardly find any reasons to smile these days. We're just waking up one day hoping that it ends as quickly as possible so we can progress. But… there's no end in sight for us."
Fair Trading Minister Eleni Petinos failed to acknowledge their plight when talking to 9News, instead referring to the assistance given to owner occupiers.