Cairns scam victim reclaims house she lost to bankruptcy after continuing to pay mortgage

PHOTO: Robyn Hausler continued paying her mortgage and rates for six years, not realising her property had become the Crown’s. ABC Far North: Sharnie Kim

Imagine paying your mortgage and rates for six years, only to realise you do not legally own your house — that is what happened to a Cairns woman who went bankrupt after falling victim to a romance scam.

Key points:

Robyn Hausler’s home became the Crown’s property when she went bankrupt in 2013
The Cairns resident had no idea she’d lost her house until she tried to refinance
The Federal Court has now ruled that she can have her property back

Robyn Hausler went broke in 2013, but instead of repossessing the Trinity Beach duplex where she had lived for 20 years, her bankruptcy trustee disclaimed the property, meaning it became the property of the Crown.

Unaware of this, Ms Hausler stayed on at the property and continued making mortgage repayments to her bank, only realising something was amiss when she tried to refinance.

“My mortgage broker rang and said the new bank I had chosen was having trouble registering the loan on the title,” Ms Hausler said.