Gympie’s Hampton Home Builders owed $1.6m at time of liquidation

New details have emerged about the amount of money owed to creditors - and how much they can expect to get back - by a regional Qld building company forced into liquidation.

New details have emerged on the amount of money owed to creditors by Gympie’s Hampton Home Builders (directors John David and Karen Robinson pictured), which was forced into liquidation by the federal court in July 2024.

A Gympie building company liquidated by the federal court was carrying more than $1.6 million in debt at the time it was wound up, new documents show.

A newly published statutory report into the liquidation of Hampton Home Builders reveals the company owed $970,197.77 to the Australian Taxation Office when it was wound up in July, 2024, following an application from the federal body.

Hampton Home Builders was started in October 2018 by Karen Robinson, who directed the company with John David.

Its licence was suspended by the QBCC in September 2023.

The report by KordaMentha liquidator David Johnstone, lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, says Hampton Home Builders also owed $308,660.31 in superannuation to 56 employees when it was shut down.

The company had only $18.26 in its bank at the time of liquidation.

New details have emerged on the amount of money owed to creditors by Gympie’s Hampton Home Builders (directors John David and Karen Robinson pictured), which was forced into liquidation by the federal court in July 2024.

It is also owed $54,016.90 awarded by the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal in relation to a building costs dispute with Southside couple David and Samantha Fensham-Elms.

However Mr Johnstone said it was “unlikely” the debt would be recovered by the company, and in August Mr Fensham-Elms said he had reapplied to open the QCAT matter.

While Hampton Home Builders had more than $6200 in building equipment and assets on its books, Mr Johnstone says its age and expected realisable value meant it was “not commercial” to try to recoup anything on it.

There was also uncertainty around “potential claims” from the Queensland Building and Construction Commission under the Home Builder Warranty Scheme and what effect that may have on the amount owed.

The report by KordaMentha liquidators, lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, says Hampton Home Builders owed $308,660.31 in superannuation to 56 employees when it was shut down, and more than $1.6 million in total.

Mr Johnstone said it was “unlikely” any creditors would be paid as a result of the liquidation.

Even the liquidators were not expected to recover their costs, estimated to be between $10,000 and $30,000.

Mr Johnstone said in his report Hampton Home Builders had stopped trading in November 2023 following the loss of its licence, and investigations into the company’s affairs did not find any contraventions of the directors’ duties.

No evidence of preferential payments to creditors, uncommercial transactions, or unfair loans was found during the liquidation investigations, Mr Johnstone said.

“At this stage we have not received sufficient evidence to pursue an insolvent trading claim and as we are unfunded in this liquidation we are unable to undertake substantial investigations,” he said.

Mr Johnstone said further investigations were needed into $330,000 funds paid into the company by Gympie region couple Keith and Christine Bagnall, and the unpaid staff superannuation, to finalise the matter.

There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on behalf of the Bagnalls.

“Given the lack of assets … it would be appreciated if any creditor would advise us they would be willing to fund any recovery action,” Mr Johnstone said.

Originally published as Gympie’s Hampton Home Builders owed $1.6m at time of liquidation