Real estate agents under fire for failing to warn buyers of 'serious defects' in apartment towers - Property News AU/NZ | propertynoise.co.nz & propertynoise.com.au

PHOTO: Toplace constructed Atmosphere Towers, left, and Merhis Group was behind Aya Eliza.(Supplied)

Real estate agents selling apartments in two Sydney high rise buildings found to have “serious defects” by government inspectors have been targeted in a fiery New South Wales parliamentary hearing.

Courtney Houssos — who is Labor’s shadow minister for better regulation — used parliamentary privilege to take aim at agents selling units in the Atmosphere Towers in Castle Hill and the Aya Eliza building in Auburn.

Ms Houssos described the buildings as “notorious” and claimed she had discovered several real estate agents had not disclosed to prospective buyers that both developments were under prohibition orders.

A prohibition order prevents an occupation certificate being issued until the developer rectifies listed “defects”.

a woman looking — **Courtney Houssos takes aim at agents for not disclosing apartment towers were under prohibition orders.(AAP: Brendon Thorne)**

It means owners are stranded and unable to move into their brand-new apartment until the order is lifted.

The apartment towers were built by subsidiary companies of two large Sydney developers.

Merhis Group was behind Aya Eliza, while Toplace constructed Atmosphere Towers.

Since December, nine prohibition orders have been issued by NSW Fair Trading in an industry-wide crackdown.

However, in two buildings — Atmosphere and Aya Eliza — the owners had moved in before the order was issued as the developer had secured an interim occupation certificate.