A woman who has been financially ruined by the collapse of a building company has been dealt a fresh blow.
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A NSW government compensation scheme has handed her just 20 per cent of the money she gave to the Greenbuild Group Pty Ltd/Wentworth Homes company, which is now in voluntary liquidation, to build her new home in north Orange in NSW's Central Tablelands.
Fiona Bond said she understood she would be compensated for most of the $406,000 she paid the builder before the company went broke and the builder left Orange.
I lost all the money I had.
- Fiona Bond, homeowner.
Instead she has been given just $98,000 through the Home Building Compensation Fund administered by Icare.
Ms Bond said there was no mention of 20 per cent compensation on the insurance form the builder gave her.
"I lost all the money I had," she said.
"They only give you 20 per cent back. It's pretty awful. What the government is doing is not helping people at all."
However, a spokeswoman for Icare said that was the limit of the safety net available to home owners.
"Essentially the HBCF covers home owners for 20 per cent of final contract price including variations up to $340,000 in the event of a builder's or contractor's insolvency, death, disappearance or licence suspension," she said.
Ms Bond said she was now up to $300,000 out of pocket and unable to get a home loan due to her disability.
She now has to try to project manage the completion of the build and has asked Orange tradies to help her out.
The situation has been made worse by the collapse of a retaining wall on the property which broke part of the building's frame.
She said she understood homeowners, tradies and building supply companies had lost a total of about $2.5 million due to the collapse of the company last year.
Ms Bond said she knew of young couples who had to get increased mortgages of up to $200,000 to finish their projects. "Because I am disabled I can't get a mortgage," she said.
She said she was asking tradespeople to help her finish the work on what was meant to be her new home after moving from Sydney.
Ms Bond said she had been overwhelmed by the support already offered to her.
She said that included Matt and Tanya Bryant, of Bryants Glass in Cowra, in Central West NSW, who provided and installed windows, valued at $50,000, for her home for free after they were also caught up in the collapse.
"I was just blown away. I just burst into tears. I am so grateful for the kindness and generosity of Matt and Tanya Bryant. I can't thank them enough," she said.
"Christine of Christine Ghrayche Interiors, has so kindly offered her services free of charge. I thanked her so much, and she said 'that's what the people of Orange do. They all help each other at times like this'."
"I also had an offer of free help from Chris Scoins, managing director of Grounded Electrical and Data, Orange. Another wonderful, kind person based in Orange."
The Icare spokeswoman said homeowners needed to research builders.
"Before signing a contract with a builder, homeowners should check their builder has a Certificate of Eligibility. Before building work commences homeowners should ensure their builder can provide a Certificate of Insurance," she said.
"These set out the types of construction and how much work a contractor or builder can take on."