The ACT's Affordable Home Purchase Scheme was designed to help low and middle-income earners buy their first home, but participant Kathy Bai says the experience has gone from a 'blessing' to a 'disaster'. Ms Lawther was selected in December 2021 to buy a three-bedroom townhouse in Whitlam for about $440,000. Construction was meant to start in 2022 and finish in 2023, but work was delayed for years.
Almost five years on, Ms Lawther says she is 'stuck in a no man's land, where I'm a home-owner but I have no home'. She is disputing incomplete works and has refused to sign her certificate of occupancy, prompting the builder to issue formal notices of breach of contract with the threat of potential buyback action. She was also told to leave the property when she brought an independent assessor to her practical completion inspection, with the builder later saying independent inspectors would not be allowed on site prior to handover.
Another buyer, Kathy Bai, was told her home was completed in late 2025 but has yet to move in while she disputes issues with the property. 'It's kind of like you're talking to a wall,' she said, adding that she felt let down by the Suburban Land Agency.
Suburban Land Agency chief executive Adam Davey acknowledged the homes are taking 'an extraordinarily long time to finish' and said the ACT government has been providing rent assistance to 11 buyers for about two years. He said the scheme has 'broadly speaking' worked, with 170 of the 181 participating homes now occupied. The agency recently sent its own inspector to examine quality and completion issues and is providing reports to the builder and buyers.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr told the Legislative Assembly that the Suburban Land Agency is working with buyers and builders to avoid buyback action. He said the scheme 'has generally been positive' but added that 'one builder in particular has been very difficult to deal with' and that 'the behaviour of the builders in this instance' was not acceptable.
Independent MLA Fiona Carrick, who has fielded complaints from buyers, called on the agency to 'look after the people purchasing these affordable homes' and to 'redesign' the program so that delays of five years do not happen again. Buyers also said they were shocked to discover their homes were not built from brick, despite brick being the only external material on the inclusions list. The Suburban Land Agency endorsed foam cladding but admitted the builder failed to properly communicate the change.