Indian Man asked to Move his House in New Zealand

Wellington: A property developer has planned to sue an Indian-origin homeowner Deepak Lal in Auckland, New Zealand, for a construction error.

Sources said that there's a one-metre difference between where Lal's house has been built and where it should legally have been. Now, not only is there a legal battle involving a lot of money to be fought but also the construction to be fixed. Lal had tasked Pinnacle Homes to design and build his home in Papakura.

According to the reports, in 2020, while the company was just concluding work on the three-bedroom property, the neighbouring property owner, C94 Development, informed them of the mix-up. The work had to be stalled after that.

C94 Development said that Lal should either move the house or $3,15,000 (in Indian rupee, its Rs pay 1.6 crore) in damages.

Lal said that the development has been a nightmare for him. "I wake up in the middle of the night and think how I am going to deal with the issue," he added. He also said that the designer, HQ Designs, had filed the building consent, which was approved by the Auckland Council and it's ultimately their responsibility.

As per the sources, Matt Taylor, Lal's lawyer, had written a letter to Pinnacle Homes and HQ Designs in September 2020 mentioning that a surveyor had been hired to certify the location of the home.

"It seems likely that the issue has arisen as a result of an error made at the design stage likely to have occurred when the resource consent information was transferred by the designer to the plans submitted for building consent," Taylor was quoted as by New Zealand Herald, a daily newspaper published in Auckland.

On the other hand, Johnny Bhatti, the project manager at Pinnacle Homes, said that he realised there was something wrong when he checked the documents for Lal's house. Bhatti said that his company and the surveyor followed the plans and addressing the matter was now HQ Designs and the council's responsibility. He even added that he was willing to help move the house.

Lal said that if he moves the house, someone needs to take responsibility for this and it's not him, it's between HQ Designs and the council.

Interestingly, Nikhil Kumar, who works at HQ Designs, said that his lawyer is in contact with both Lal and Pinnacle Homes and trying to find a solution.

Bruce Wang, C94 Development spokesman, said that the other parties have to provide a solution because the current situation was preventing them from selling the property. "If it's not settled the liability will keep accruing month by month," he added.

Lal said that all he wants is a way out of this situation, adding everyone is blaming someone else. He also said that he was willing to move the house but doesn't have money to do so.

"I'm already paying $1000 a week for the mortgage on this house and the rent for the other place where I'm living," he added.

Also Read: Indian Couple in their 70s Ruling Instagram, Find Out How

Also Watch: