Glass shattering without warning, cracks growing up to the roof and plummeting property values. This is the reality of many homeowners living in a Sydney suburb that has begun sinking into the ground below.
Many residents in Spring Farm, in Sydney’s west, have been left hundreds of thousands of dollars out of pocket as they deal with damaged and potentially worthless properties.
Sharon and Peter Luhr bought an investment property in Spring Farm in 2016 to help fund their retirement but instead of boosting their funds, the home has been slowly draining their savings.
“Every window and every door at the architraves are all cracked straight to the roof,” Mr Luhr told 10 News.
With glass smashing and multiple cracks appearing over the house, the couple have been forced to reduce rent dramatically just to keep tenants.
“We have had doors in the house, glass doors, just smash with no one around,” Ms Luhr said.
“It’s gut wrenching to think you fork out all this money to buy something, whether it is your home that you live in or whether it is an investment home.”
First reported by the Daily Telegraph, it’s believed the issues at Spring Farm were triggered after the land was not filled and compacted properly, before building started.
The soft land means brand new homes have begun to crack and fall apart as the earth shifts below.
Spring Farm, which is situated between Camden and Campbelltown, was built on a former chicken farm and large swathes of industrial estate.
Class action filed against council, developer
A class action was filed last week on behalf of the Spring Farm homeowners seeking tens of millions of dollars in damages against Camden Council and the developer.
Even though not every home in the suburb is damaged, the class action is encompassing all its 3500 homeowners, claiming the situation has impacted the reputation of the suburb and has made it much more difficult to sell properties.
Mayweathers, the law firm behind the Spring Farm class action, sent letters out to the neighbourhood this week.
In a statement, Camden Council said it was yet to receive any formal notice of a class action and thus was “unable to provide any comments or further information”.
Lead plaintiff Danny Moussa, who paid $560,000 for a house and land package at Spring Farm, told the Daily Telegraph he was losing sleep at night due to lying in bed and hearing the tiles and gyprock cracking.
“There’s this stress of not knowing if the house is going to come down on you one day,” he said.
Mr Moussa, whose home is less than five years old, said he and his wife had spent more than $40,000 in an attempt to repair the issues – but the problems have persisted.
“The area has a stigma, it’s called ‘Sink Farm’,” he said.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian expressed sympathy for Spring Farm residents when asked about the situation during a press conference on Tuesday.
“I think it would be horrific for anyone who’s invested in their family home, in their forever home, to have to find themselves in those circumstances,” she said.
“I wish them well.”
A directions hearing for the class action will be heard in the NSW Supreme Court this Friday.
