Arabic version: مشترون في كانبيرا ينتظرون منازلهم ضمن برنامج الشراء الميسّر

According to ABC News, some buyers who purchased Whitlam townhouses through the ACT Suburban Land Agency’s Affordable Home Purchase Scheme have waited years to move in, citing incomplete work and contractual disputes with the builder.

The scheme was created to help low and middle-income earners buy homes in Canberra’s growing suburbs of Whitlam and Taylor. Tash Lawther was selected in a ballot in December 2021 to buy a three-bedroom, one-bathroom Whitlam townhouse for about $440,000. Participants had been advised construction would begin in 2022 and finish in 2023.

Lawther said she remains unable to move into the property. Some buyers who were told their homes had reached practical completion have declined to sign occupancy certificates, saying work remains unfinished. They have received formal breach-of-contract notices that raise the possibility of buyback action. Buyers also said they were not allowed to bring independent inspectors onto sites before handover.

Suburban Land Agency chief executive Adam Davey said the ACT government had provided rent assistance to 11 buyers for about two years while work continued. He said the homes were taking “extraordinarily long” to finish. The agency recently sent its own inspector to Whitlam properties to review quality and completion concerns and has provided reports to the builder.

Independent MLA Fiona Carrick said the program should be redesigned to prevent prolonged delays and stress. Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the scheme had generally been positive but that lessons needed to be learned. Davey said 170 of the 181 homes in the scheme had been occupied, while the remaining homes had taken too long to deliver.