First home buyer left ‘shell shocked’ after receiving $60,000 bill before her ‘mom and dad’ are forced to save the day
- Woman, 31, hit with hefty leak repair bill
- But “mom and dad” have offered to pay
- Other residents are less fortunate and are likely to sell
- Do you know more? Send an email to: max.aitchison@mailonline.com
A Sydney woman has been left ‘shell-shocked’ after buying her first home but was billed for $60,000 due to water leaks in her building.
The 31-year-old, who wished to remain anonymous, bought a one-bedroom apartment in Alexandria, Sydney’s inner city, in 2019.
But the entire apartment building has been hit with a $7.85 million bill due to waterproofing issues.
The woman must pay $ 60,000 within the next three months, otherwise she will face interest charges.
The 31-year-old woman, who wished to remain anonymous, bought a one-bedroom apartment in Alexandria, Sydney’s inner city, in 2019 (pictured)
But she’s now hit with a huge bill due to waterproofing problems in the building (first of three special levy bills pictured)
After all the rate hikes, Covid and lockdowns and is it real? A $60,000 bill that not many people have lying there,” she shared news.com.au.
But she admitted to being “one of the lucky ones” because her parents have offered to cover the costs for her.
Others on the block aren’t so lucky, though.
“I would have been one of them and I’m lucky mom and dad saved the day,” she added.
“I feel sorry for people who have had to have difficult conversations and make difficult decisions when it has been their home for years and they had to move.”
She added: ‘A lady who spoke on behalf of quite a few owners – she had spoken to 10 owners who are going to sell because they can’t get the money,’ the woman claimed.
The woman’s parents have offered to pay the estimated $60,000 billion
“I suppose I’m going to see a lot of for sale signs.”
The woman said she knew there were water-tightness problems in two apartments in the building that were identified when she bought her apartment, but was shocked to discover the magnitude of the problem.
She complained that the “whole situation is downright unfair.”
“I feel a little stuck putting so much more money into this place. I wanted to leave in a few years. I always wanted to sell and upgrade something, but it put me off because there’s so much money going into it, so why would I do that to break even?’ she said.
Other residents have complained of mold, which was confirmed by the strata commission that had offered to provide mold cleaning, dehumidifiers and air purifiers to affected units’.
The repairs are expected to take three years.
The strata commission told news.com.au the building was 20 years old and “it is overseeing the restoration work to ensure the integrity of our building is restored and maintained.”
“Our priority at all times is to ensure that all residents of our complex have a safe and healthy place to live,” they said.
To be clear, the strata commission expressly rejects that it has failed at any time in its obligations to manage the building and finds the allegations deeply offensive. We are deeply concerned about the baseless nature of these allegations.”