‘House mover from hell’ accused of running off with home after $1000 deposit
This man might’ve scored the cheapest house in Australia – $1000 is unheard of in this market.
The problem is, Kerry Ryan took it after paying just the deposit, and the seller can't get it back.
Kerry Ryan is the “house mover from hell” accused of running off with a home after paying $1000 deposit. A Current Affair
Turns out, Kerry’s known as “the house mover from hell” and is no stranger to A Current Affair.
“Where’s your house?” A Current Affair asked Kummar about his now vacant block of land in Brisbane’s south-east.
"Kerry's taken it," Kummar replied.
“The rest (of the money) he was to pay before he takes the house. He’s taken the house, and he hasn’t paid.”
We’ve met our fair share of characters here at A Current Affair, and Kerry Ryan is one we’ll never forget.
“Kerry Ryan. We meet again,” A Current Affair said, walking into his office in Minden, an hour west of Brisbane.
"Here we go," Kerry replied.
“I heard you scored yourself the cheapest house in Australia,” A Current Affair told Kerry.
"Listen here. Now listen here, love," Kerry said as he stood from his desk, pointing his finger.
“Somehow you’ve managed to get this house for a thousand bucks, Kerry. How did you pull off the deal of the century?” A Current Affair asked.
"Love, what are you talking about? Listen here," Kerry replied.
Kerry’s business is called Quality Homes for Removal. There’s a graveyard of homes on his property.
Kummar has been left with an empty block and thousands of dollars owed. A Current Affair
His customers Laura and Liz came to us in 2023, claiming he wouldn't deliver the houses they'd paid for, leaving them homeless.
“He’s made me suffer severely, and I’m not the only one out there,” Laura, who was living in a tent, told A Current Affair.
In the 2023 story, both of the women confronted Kerry at his office with A Current Affair.
“Kerry, Liz is living in a donga with her husband,” A Current Affair told Kerry.
"That is her choice," he responded.
"Because you won't deliver my house!" Liz yelled back.
Liz eventually got her house after almost two years of hell, but he never delivered Laura's home.
“It seems the king of excuses is making a comeback,” A Current Affair told Kerry on our latest visit.
Kerry’s accused of taking Kummar’s house on his block of land without paying full price. A Current Affair
"Love, love, love. You're very good at this. You're very good," Kerry responded.
“Thank you,” A Current Affair replied.
"Yeah, but I think you've missed your calling in life. You should have been a clown," Kerry said.
“I’ve got another question for you,” A Current Affair stated.
"Okay, yes," Kerry stated.
“Are you the house mover from hell?” A Current Affair asked.
"No, now that's a bit old, that one, come on. Haven't we got a new one?" Kerry replied.
This time, Kerry's accused of taking Kummar's house on his block of land without paying full price.
“And he hasn’t put the fence back, and he’s taken all the posts from the fence, and he hasn’t cleaned up the yard,” Kummar told A Current Affair.
A Current Affair confronted Ryan in 2023. A Current Affair
Kummar was selling the house so he could subdivide and build townhouses.
He hired Chris Clarke to manage the development and house sale.
"We put his house on Facebook Marketplace. Kerry responded to the ad, he came and had a look at it and said he'd take it, but for five grand," Chris explained.
"We agreed, and he said I'll give you $1000 deposit now and the rest when I take the house away."
"You take something, you should pay. That's it. It's not big money for the house. It's only $4000 (remaining)," Kummar added.
“I couldn’t believe when we got this email about you, three years later. I thought, ’Kerry seems to be still up to his old tricks,” A Current Affair said to Kerry.
"Kerry is as busy as ever, love, and thanks to you. I must thank you for the advertising," he replied.
“You’re welcome, Kerry,” A Current Affair answered.
"You're a lovely lady. I don't think you're real intelligent, and I say that in a nice way," Kerry stated.
Admittedly, maths isn't my strong point, but we've triple-checked the numbers, and it seems even Kerry is still coming to terms with his dirt-cheap deal.
“Let’s just think about this. You’ve literally got yourself a house for $1000. Who can buy a house for $1000 these days?” A Current Affair asked.
"No. Love, it's not $1000," Kerry replied.
“How much money have you paid?” A Current Affair questioned.
"I paid him $1000. That's what I paid him," Kerry admitted.
“For a house! That’s a steal,” A Current Affair said.
"It's not a steal, love. I don't know what's wrong with you," Kerry fired back.
“Are you the house mover from hell?” A Current Affair asked. A Current Affair
“I tell you what, I can’t find a house for $1000,” A Current Affair told Kerry.
"Well, I'll sell you one. I'll move it for you," he offered.
“Will I get it? Because you do have a reputation of not delivering houses,” A Current Affair asked.
"No, that's the reputation you gave me. I was hoping you would come back. And, anybody watching this, come and see us," Kerry said.
We have a copy of Kerry's own contract. It states the cost of Kummar's house is $5000.
Kerry paid the $1000 deposit when he signed it, with the final payment of $4000 to be paid before removal of the house.
“Before removing the house, you just removed it, Kerry. Why did you remove it?” A Current Affair asked.
"Hang on. Hang on a minute. Just hang on a minute. Okay. So you find it okay for me to get a house and then find out all the wiring has been taken out, all the plumbing has been taken out, all the screens on the windows have been taken off," Kerry replied.
"Hes trying to come up with a whole lot of excuses. He's claiming that the copper in the house has gone missing. The king of excuses, as you say, exactly right," Chris added.
Chris copped these emails from Kerry:
“When you showed me the house... all the copper pipe and electrical wiring were attached.”
“All the security screens have been removed.”
A Current Affair has a copy of Kerry’s own contract. It states the cost of Kummar’s house is $5000. A Current Affair
“I will pay you once all the above has been rectified.”
“The copper pipes were stolen in 2022 and were replaced with the plastic pipes by a plumber,” Kummar told A Current Affair.
In the asbestos report done before Kerry took the house, there's a photo which looks like PVC pipes.
Neighbours also took these photos when Kerry's team took the house.
It's hard to tell, but it appears some electrical wiring, PVC pipes, and security screens can be seen.
“At the end of the day, if he wasn’t happy, he shouldn’t take the house. He knew that there’s no copper pipe. He knew that there’s all plastic pipe. He knew that all the wires were there,” Kummar told A Current Affair.
We can't be sure if anything was missing because Kerry allegedly took the house without warning.
"He was going to let me know when he was going to take the house, but he never actually did. He just went there on a Friday night and took it," Chris added.
“He’s got all the permits, and he’s actually got a police escort to remove the house.”
“C’mon, it’s only $4000, Kerry,” A Current Affair told Kerry.
“C’mon, it’s only $4000, Kerry,” A Current Affair told Kerry. A Current Affair
"No. It might only be $4000, but it's going to probably cost $20,000 to get the house rewired and get the plumbing done," Kerry responded.
We've got a hold of Kerry's plans for the house.
It appears he's moved it to Tara, a town 300km west of Brisbane.
“He’s making money out of my house, but he should have done the right thing,” Kummar said.
“You’re going to do it up and make a pretty penny?” A Current Affair asked Kerry.
"But, love, it has got nothing to do with you," Kerry answered.
“That’s what’s happening, isn’t it?” A Current Affair questioned.
"It's got nothing to do with you, love," Kerry replied.
"He hasn't changed by the sound of things. As soon as he did that, I did a search on him and saw your report on him," Chris said.
“No, no, hang on, love. Don’t you try and mix words with me. Okay, I’m 73 years old, and I can handle you,” Kerry told A Current Affair back in 2023.
“Do you remember last time, you said, ‘I’m the 73-year-old, and I can handle you’,” A Current Affair reminded Kerry during the recent confrontation.
“Well, I’m 76 now, and I’m still going!” Kerry replied.
“Good to see you’re still kicking,” A Current Affair said.
“Yeah, well, it is, love. Whenever you’re upright, you’re doing well. You seem to be a lovely lady. It’s just a shame that you don’t get your facts straight,” Kerry responded.
“It’s just a shame you don’t pay up,” A Current Affair added.
Chris has reported Kerry to the police, accusing him of theft.
Queensland Police have confirmed they're investigating.
“You’re welcome to come back again, love,” Kerry told A Current Affair as we were leaving his office.
“All right, if we get another email or complaint, I will be back,” A Current Affair replied.
"I hope you come back, looking forward to seeing you again," Kerry stated.
“I’ll be back. See you in another three years,“A Current Affair responded.
"And you'll probably look a lot better than you do now. And you look lovely," Kerry said.
“Oh, I thought I looked better than last time?” A Current Affair asked.
"Well, you do, but the next time you'll probably look a lot better than you do now," Kerry answered.
“Do you know what? You’re probably right. Some things don’t change with you, though. You’re still up to your old tricks,” A Current Affair responded.
"No, no, no. Don't start that, love. You're up to your tricks because you do not want to know the truth," Kerry said.
"Mate, come and finish your job here and pay the money," Kummar demanded.
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