A Forever Home Turned Into a Legal Nightmare
A couple who invested over $500,000 to build their dream home on what they believed was a five-acre block of land in Camperdown, south-west Victoria, now face the possibility of eviction. The shocking realization came when they discovered that their house was constructed on the wrong property.
Dave and Melanie Moor purchased the land in 2021 with plans to retire there. They paid $300,000 for the five-acre block and began the process of building their forever home. After obtaining the necessary permits, they invested additional funds into installing a driveway, connecting power and water, and setting up a septic system. They even moved a relocatable house onto the property, believing it to be their new home.
However, three years later, they received an unexpected and devastating revelation. Their neighbor informed them that they had built their house on the adjacent property. The Moors were given only 14 days to vacate the land, which they now claim is not theirs.
The former landowner had divided the original eight-hectare paddock into two lots. While the Moors bought the first lot, their house ended up on the second lot, which had already been sold to another buyer. At the time of the purchase, the couple trusted the council, contractors, real estate agent, and conveyancers to ensure everything was properly handled.
“We didn’t think it was true because the council signed off on everything, so we thought it was a scam,” Ms. Moor told a local news program. “It’s the pickle of all pickles. This was going to be our forever home, and now it’s our never home.”
The real estate agency involved stated that they did not make any false or misleading claims. They emphasized that it was the Moors’ responsibility to confirm the exact boundaries of the land before starting construction. The property was shown to them in August 2021, when it was still part of the larger paddock and had not yet been subdivided.
A spokesperson for the agency said it was “conceivable that some confusion arose on their part during that period.” However, the Corangamite Shire Council approved the Moors’ building permit in April 2024. The permit documents included an aerial photo that showed soil samples taken from the wrong block.
The Moors argue that the council should have noticed this error during the review process. In August 2024, Mr. Moor received a call from the council instructing him to stop work and seek legal advice after staff realized the construction was happening on the wrong property.
The owner of the correct block lives interstate and was unaware of the construction on their land. According to their lawyers, the owner was shocked to learn that someone else had moved a house onto their property. They have been patient but are now at an impasse without legal assistance.
The Moors claim they cannot afford to move the house to their intended block. The contractor who originally moved the home warned that the structure may not survive another relocation. “We’ve spent over $500,000 on this,” Ms. Moor said. “It’s our life savings, we’ve got nothing left.”
The Corangamite Shire Council has declined to comment, stating that the matter is now a legal issue. As the situation unfolds, the couple faces an uncertain future, with their dream home now potentially lost due to a series of missteps and misunderstandings.
