Leaked messages reveal panic over ‘threats’

Customers are revealing what happened to them before a company went bust.

Customers have revealed they are “scared” and “distressed” after claims that tradies threatened their homes would be damaged unless they paid thousands of dollars — just days before a major Victorian builder collapsed.

News.com.au broke the news on Monday that construction firm Grandeur Homes had gone bust with 108 projects left in limbo and had previously revealed that some customers were facing a “nightmare” as building on their dream homes had stalled.

Just nine days before the company’s demise, news.com.au was told Grandeur Homes was not in any “financial difficulty”.

Now customers have spoken about claims they were being chased by tradies who remained unpaid just days before the company’s collapse.

Gurwinder Singh had signed up to build his home with Grandeur Homes for almost $295,000 in 2022, with building commencing the following year.

The Melbourne man’s house is still not finished but he told news.com.au that he has been left “really distressed” after receiving what he claims were threatening phone calls from multiple tradies demanding money be paid just a day before the company’s collapse.

He claimed his property was at high risk of being vandalised.

“The company has shared my personal contact details with the all the trades (and) I was getting threatening calls from the trades who were not paid for their jobs,” he claimed.

The WhatsApp chats showing the customer questioning who has his keys. Picture: Supplied

Mr Singh shared a WhatsApp message from Grandeur Homes that showed the four trades that had been given his details.

A call log also seen by news.com.au revealed when the phone calls had been made over a series of hours on August 29.

In the WhatsApp message, Mr Singh can be seen asking Grandeur Homes who had the keys to his house.

While Mr Singh only heard from three of the trades, he described the experiencing as leaving him “numb”.

He said the first call he got the tradie initially demanded $10,000. But Mr Singh told him: “Look mate I don’t have any money”.

Gurwinder Singh house at the moment. Picture: Supplied

Mr Singh said the tradie claimed he would come in and remove the work he had done if the money wasn’t paid. He told him his issue with payment was with Grandeur Homes and not him.

Then he got another call from a tradie, who wanted him to cough up $3000, otherwise he was told he would also come into the home, Mr Singh claimed.

“I tried to make him understand what you are doing – threatening to do wrong with my property – it’s not going to help me or not going to help you. As you are not being paid for what you had done by the company, but threatening to basically smash up my property. I said whatever your concerns are you should be calling Grandeur Homes,” he added.

“That was about a 15 minute talk. He said ‘I will come in and take equipment from the property or I pay him $3000’, which I simply refused as I don’t have $3000 in my bank account to pay him.”

Gurwinder Singh’s house is not finished. Picture: Supplied

Inside his house. Picture: Supplied

Another demand came through for $4000 from a tradie, who also threatened to remove work they had installed, Mr Singh claimed.

The tradies were initially aggressive at first on the phone calls, he claimed, but calmed down after he was at pains to point out that they were hired by Grandeur Homes.

However, it left him unsettled.

“I was really distressed, I didn’t know what to do to protect my property,” he said.

“I was numb and unable to think much.”

Mr Singh added he had paid Grandeur Homes around $190,000 already for the house.

After reeling from the phone calls and unsure on what to do, his friend told him the matter was “serious” and he needed to report it to the police.

The dad-of-two attended his local police station to report the incidents. News.com.au has approached Victoria Police for comment.

Police advised him to check the property and was relieved to find it was not vandalised.

“I’m still worried,” he added. He said his neighbour had warned him “to stay alert because she recorded some movement” on her camera.

“She said there were a few people trying to break into my property, when she spoke from her cameras ‘hello who is in there’ they ran away,” he claimed.

Gurwinder Singh said he was distressed by the phone calls. Picture: Supplied

His family are waiting in India for the house to be finished. Picture: Supplied

While Mr Singh has been building the house, his family has to remain in India, including his wife and children, aged six and two.

“My family basically is being forced to live in India as I can’t afford $2000 in rent and electricity and gas bills and $2500 in mortgage all at once,” he added.

“It’s hard to maintain all expenses and be paying $2500 in mortgage repayments. I’m living in shared accommodation at the moment and trying to keep up with this mortgage.”

Gurwinder Singh is worried about his house. Picture: Supplied

Meanwhile, another Grandeur Homes’ customer, Pradeep Yallaula, and her partner, said they were also met by two tradies at their house who demanded money from the couple.

She claims the couple were told by one tradie that they were owed $10,000, but would accept $4000 and if they didn’t pay up that their home would be “vandalised”.

“They have the house keys because they were working on it and they were threatening to vandalise the house or spoil (it) unless they are given the amount,” she told news.com.au.

“So we tried to explain to them we do not have any contract with you guys … you can you check with the Grandeur office.”

Pradeep Yallaula's home which was being built by Grandeur Homes before its collapse. Picture: Supplied

She said the tradies were not aggressive but very firm, while the couple had already paid around $320,000 to Grandeur Homes for their build.

“I said: ‘This is not going to work, you are a victim and we are victim, you might get your money but slowly – we are in the middle,” she said.

The experience left her feeling “very unsafe”.

“I feel very stressed out as the fence is not built around the house, we can’t move in and I feel very scared,” she said.

The couple are currently installing cameras on the outside of the house, while a neighbour is keeping watching with her own security equipment. They also plan to make a report to the police.

News.com.au contacted Grandeur Homes for comment.

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Originally published as Leaked messages reveal panic over ‘threats’