Nick Buonanova awarded just $10 in compensation after waiting 18 months for stairs

A Gold Coast man building a luxury waterfront home was given compensation worth less than two cups of coffee after waiting 18 months – and spending thousands – for a staircase to be built.

A Gold Coast man has been given $10 after waiting 18 months for stairs to be built in this home.

A Gold Coast man building a luxury waterfront home was given compensation worth less than two cups of coffee after waiting 18 months – and spending thousands of dollars – for a staircase to be built.

Nick Buonanova was awarded just $10 for the inconvenience of a breach of contract by Adam Miller, of Global Stairs, who had been given $9000 to build a staircase inside a Broadbeach home.

It was just a fraction of the more than $2000 Mr Buonanova originally wanted to alleviate the 18 month wait.

The $10 was awarded to Mr Buonanova by the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal earlier this month.

The dispute had started simmering in 2019.

A Gold Coast man has been given $10 after waiting 18 months for stairs to be built in this home.

QCAT Member Jane Bishop detailed in her decision how Mr Buonanova had asked Mr Miller in February 2019 to build a staircase in his Monaco Street, Broadbeach home.

Mr Miller began work in March 2019.

The QCAT documents state that when the building approval was about to lapse in June 2020, Mr Miller still had not completed the stairs.

Mr Buonanova claimed Mr Miller’s delay in completing the stairs meant he needed to spend about $2071 getting the development approval extended.

QCAT Member Bishop found this was not the case.

“The evidence before the tribunal is Mr Miller was one of several contractors who had not completed work and issued certificates on or before the first lapsing date of June 27, 2020,” the decision states.

“Even if Mr Miller had completed the work within five or six weeks as indicated in the receipt, Mr Buonanova would still have needed to extend the building approval.”

QCAT was also provided with a number of text messages Mr Buonanova sent to Mr Miller in an effort to get the stairs completed.

In July 2019 he warned he would be issuing charges as the lack of stairs was causing delays.

In October 2019, Mr Buonanova text Mr Miller that they “need these stairs sorted”.

On February 11, 2020, Mr Buonanova text Mr Miller: “Adam I should be top of list please fix and finish my stairs”.

The QCAT documents state Mr Miller did not finish the stairs until July 2020 – 18 months after they were started.

“The Tribunal has found that Mr Miller’s breach did not cause or materially cause Mr Buonanova’s loss,” QCAT Member Bishop wrote.

“However, a breach of contact does entitle Mr Buonanova to nominal damages, where causation is not established. The Tribunal makes an award of $10.”

Mr Miller was given 28 days to pay the $10.

Mr Miller told the Bulletin there were a number of changes made to the stairs design during the process.

The Bulletin visited the Monaco Street home on Wednesday and it appeared abandoned.

The front garden was overgrown, the front door boarded, glass broken in a garden bed and the intercom on the locked front gate did not work.

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