Collapsed developer Toplace has been ordered to fix yet another a defective Sydney building. Uncontrolled cracking has been found in the Kellyville apartment complex. It was the third Toplace development slapped with a rectification order in one week.
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00:00 This apartment complex in Kellyville is called the Grand, but the assessment from the Assistant
00:07 Building Commissioner was anything but. An inspection in December last year uncovered
00:12 potential serious defects, including uncontrolled cracking to basement slabs and water entry
00:18 into the building causing unhealthy and dangerous conditions.
00:22 There's clearly been a culture of cost and corner cutting in this group as well as many
00:28 others. The developer, Hector Court Proprietary Limited,
00:32 is a subsidiary of Toplace and has been slapped with a work rectification order. It's been
00:37 given six months to fix the most serious defects. But last month, Toplace went into administration.
00:44 Owner Jean Nassif is wanted by New South Wales Police over alleged fraud. He claims to be
00:50 in a remote part of Lebanon. We're happy to pay for the airfare back here,
00:54 but he has to make himself available to law enforcement in relation to their questions.
00:58 The ABC understands owners of the Grand in Kellyville still have several months to lodge
01:02 a claim for repairs with the developer's administrators. New South Wales Fair Trading says it's not
01:08 aware of any immediate safety risk to residents. It's not clear what their rights are and how
01:14 this will play out. Normally it would be very lengthy litigation that costs hundreds of
01:20 thousands if not more and may never be successful. The complex was the third Nassif development
01:26 to be hit with a work rectification order in a week, with uncontrolled cracking also
01:30 discovered at the Pemberton-on-the-Park at Botany and the Habitat building in Canterbury.
01:36 Toplace and its administrators were contacted for comment.
01:39 [BLANK_AUDIO]