Waterford Homes collapse: Robyn Bartlett reveals plight as Highton dream home lays half-built

Not only does Waterford Homes’ liquidation put creditors in grim financial pain, none can be certain their partially built homes can even be finished.

A mother with dreams of building in Highton, says she could lose up to $150,000 after Waterford Homes entered into liquidation last week.

Robyn Bartlett said she saved for years to build her Dryden Way home, working overtime to be able to make the purchase on her own.

After signing the contract in 2020, before the start of the pandemic, Ms Bartlett expected to be would be in her home by mid-2021.

Now, with a grandchild on the way, she is still not sure what will happen next.

“There seemed to be delays from the word go,” she said.

“The frame is up and it has been left exposed for the last seven months, I don’t know whether it will need to be pulled down or where they will go from here.

Ms Bartlett’s unfinished house in Highton. Picture: Alison Wynd

“I believe building quotes have gone up an extra $80-100,000 compared to 2020. I doubt the insurance company will cover that, and I doubt they will cover the upfront variants that he has taken from us. We could be $150,000 out of pocket.”

Liquidator Ben te Wierik, of BTW Advisory confirmed Waterford Homes entered into liquidation last week, and said there were about 60 creditors, including two employees, trades and suppliers as well as the Australian Taxation Office, owed around $600,000, with that figure likely to increase.

He said there were ten homeowners with builds at various stages that had been impacted by the news.

Robyn Bartlett dreamed of her new home. Picture: Supplied.

Ms Bartlett said in December 2021, she was told her home would be back on track after already undergoing significant delays.

“We saw houses getting built all around us, they didn’t seem to have problems getting materials,” she said.

“We were really excited, and they made it sounds like we should be really excited, then it turned into a nightmare. I don’t know where we stand at this stage.

“It’s keeping us awake at night, we had been trying to call them before this and they wouldn’t answer, it was one bulls--- excuse after another.”

Last year, Master Builders Australia conducted a survey into the impacts of material shortages occurring across the construction industry, which found that 98 per cent of Victorian builders had been impacted.

It comes after reports that thirty six construction insolvencies occurred in Victoria in April 2022.

Ms Bartlett said she should have been updated on the company’s financial position ahead of investing more time and money into her abandoned home.

“My life has been on hold for two and a half years, I can’t move forward, my daughter is about to have a baby, I have missed job opportunities, interest rates have gone up, we are just in a pickle,” she said.

“I have saved and saved, I did so much overtime and they have just taken that money and wasn’t thinking of us at the time.”

Homeowners who entered into domestic building works contracts with Waterford Homes which were covered by Victorian Managed Insurance Authority, can now make a claim for any loss and damage they have suffered.

Homeowners should visit the VMIA website www.dbi.vmia.vic.gov.au or telephone VMIA directly on 1300 363 424.

Originally published as Waterford Homes collapse: Robyn Bartlett reveals plight as Highton dream home lays half-built