Charles spent $95k fixing fire-damaged home, only to watch vandals burn it to the ground
After forking out $95,000 to fix up a fire-damaged home, Charles Corby watched his hard work go up in flames just as it was ready for tenants.
Corby bought the burnt-out Moree property in northern NSW for $80,000, with plans to flip it into an affordable rental.
Charles Corby’s hard work went up in flames just before the property was about to be listed. A Current Affair
But before anyone could move in, it was torched by arsonists – again.
“It feels like it’s a bit of a slap in the face,” Corby told A Current Affair.
The property investor and developer had stripped the property back to the studs and installed new flooring, plumbing, electrical wiring, a kitchen, and bathrooms.
But security measures like fencing and boarded-up windows proved to be no match for pyrotechnic vandals, who repeatedly targeted the property during construction.
Handyman Mitch, hired to watch over the house, said intruders had previously damaged the freshly repaired walls.
“Yeah, multiple attempts at vandalism during building. They come and just put their boots into the wall,” he said.
Charles Corby A Current Affair
During the latest incident, intruders allegedly damaged security lights and broke through the doors before a fire started in the kitchen, leaving extensive smoke damage throughout the home.
Corby was interstate when he learned what had happened – but he didn’t hear about it from the police.
“Unfortunately, I found out about the fire through the electricity company that called me,” he said.
“They said sorry to hear about the fire, and I said, ‘Oh, what fire?’”
Some of the damage to the home. A Current Affair
The attack comes amid ongoing concerns about youth crime in Moree, where police have trialled drones to help tackle offending.
Corby said he struggled to obtain a police report, which delayed his insurance claim.
The latest repairs are expected to exceed $100,000, on top of the $95,000 already spent restoring the property.
He is now weighing up paying for the damage himself to avoid higher insurance premiums across his other investments.
Despite being hit twice, Corby has no plans to walk away, hoping to rebuild the property and find tenants to help protect it against further vandalism.
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