This was published 3 years ago
Sushant and Anamica Chakravarty transferred more than $78,000 last year to build their dream home in Officer, an emerging suburb in melbourne’s south-east.
Ten years after arriving in Australia from India, the construction of this five-bedroom property was going to be a symbol of their family’s success.
To construct the $1.5 million property, they chose Hallbury Homes, a small company branded as a luxury builder with an impressive display home in Langwarrin.
“I thought we’d picked the best,” Sushant says.
But less than five weeks after the final payment was transferred, the company went into voluntary administration, leaving the Chakravartys with only a grassy block and no sense of what would come next.
The couple were among at least 40 would-be homeowners left “high and dry” when the company appointed administrators on January 5.
Corporate filings show the company owes $8 million to 401 creditors, including contractors and homeowners around…