They thought they’d bought their perfect home. It took one night for the dream to start crumbling
Karina and Ryan thought they'd bought a dream home for their family and two young sons.
Instead they’re living in a demolition site - a shell of a house that was riddled with termites, black mould and a giant beehive.
They thought they’d bought their perfect home. It took one night for the dream to start crumbling Nine
And it begs the question - where do you go for answers.
The building and pest inspector?
The real estate agents?
The former owners?
Or is it simply a case of buyer beware?
The couple purchased the house at the start of this year.
"Came through and it was beautiful. The whole backyard was completely overgrown, but we had a vision ... to feel safe, you know, to have the kids be able to ride around," Karina told A Current Affair.
"(We wanted) a bit of land close to the beach, so they (the kids) can ride their motorbikes out the back" Ryan added.
But the dramas started the very first night they moved in.
They thought they’d bought their perfect home. It took one night for the dream to start crumbling Nine
One of their sons showered in the main bathroom upstairs when the house started flooding.
"It was just a waterfall," Karina said.
Downstairs under the bathroom, but in the ceiling, there were old water stains on the wood, new pine noggins reinforcing the floor, and the shower waste pipe was floating in the roof cavity - not even attached to the drain.
A few nights later, the wall in the master bedroom was warm and humming.
Inside they found a giant beehive.
Then, weeks later, the family says they started getting sick.
"My son couldn't get out of bed. His legs were aching. I had like this feeling down my arms," Karina said.
It was black mould exposure - and it didn't take long to find the source.
Every floor board they pulled up, every wall they tore down - mould.
And worse ... termites.
"This is some of the termite damage," Ryan said as he pointed to some of the structural beams in a bedroom upstairs.
"You can see the track marks from downstairs where they've made their mud tunnels," Ryan said.
Ryan and Karina had organised Michael Lotz from Naraic Building and Pest to conduct a presale inspection.
A giant beehive was even found in the house. Nine
It's clear in his detailed report, he found various defects in the home - like signs of dampness and minor termite damage noted on one window sill.
He made the standard recommendations for further inspection – but apart from an external search for termites, Ryan and Karina didn’t take those steps.
“Obviously, we went through the report and nothing seemed too out of the ordinary. There was a little bit of work to do here and there, but as a 20-year-old house, you expect that.” Ryan said.
When A Current Affair called Michael Lotz he said he couldn't recall the house, or any contact with Karina and Ryan after the sale.
Karina and Ryan are now sifting through a mountain of paperwork - like quotes for repairs, and reports on the structural and health and safety risks of the home that advise it is not safe to continue living there. Nine
"I do do a thorough inspection on every single property. I look at every single property as if I'm the one spending money. I can't say anything more other than that," Michael said.
During a pre-sale inspection, a real estate agent from LS Properties told Karina and Ryan a flexi hose in the master bedroom's ensuite had leaked while the house was vacant.
Karin anad Ryan say the agent told them repairs were conducted through insurance.
But weeks later, the agent said he had new information, and that the repairs were conducted privately.
There is no suggestion the agent was aware of any other issue in the house.
The former owners were Greg and Megan Pentland, who lived at the property before renting it out.
When approached by A Current Affair Greg said he wasn't aware of the termite damage and felt for the new owners.
"I have no idea. I had it all checked - so absolutely no idea" Greg said.
Perhaps they too inherited the hidden problems - but now it's the new owners paying the price.
"You can see here where they have replaced the gyprock and the ceiling," Ryan said, pointing out the living area downstairs, below where the flexihose had leaked.
The family getting sick. It was black mould exposure - and it didn’t take long to find the source. Nine
'There's damage - termite damage - quite significantly through here, and (it was) just patched over,' he said.
Melany Dowse, from Attwood Marshall Lawyers, stressed from the outset it is always a case of 'buyer beware'.
"The first thing you need to know is that once the purchase is finished it's almost too late, unless you know there has been active concealment of defects," Ms Dowse said.
She said building and pest reports should be viewed as just snapshots of a house - and any issues flagged must be investigated.
"Everything like this should be in writing and should be available," she said.
"The underlying principle of purchasing a property is buyer beware. You really have an opportunity prior to settlement to be able to do your investigations."
"If there has been active concealment of defects then it is possible to commence proceedings for damages," Ms Dowse said.
"It isn't an easy case to prove and most of the time you're going to want to have your house fixed before spending money on legal fees."
Karina and Ryan are now sifting through a mountain of paperwork - like quotes for repairs, and reports on the structural and health and safety risks of the home that advise it is not safe to continue living there.
"This one here (a report) just states that the termite damage is definitely not within the timeframe of us living here," Karina said.
The family need to move out - problem is Karina and Ryan have no money left.
"I feel for them - that's horrible," former owner Greg Pentand told A Current Affair.
"You know we put everything into getting it - this is our last house." Ryan said.
"I just want my son back, I want my house back, and I just want to have fun because this year has not been fun at all." Karina said.
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