Indian-Origin Man In New Zealand Asked To Move House By 1 Metre Or...

There’s a one-metre difference between where the house is located and where it should have been

In a bizarre turn of events, a property developer is planning to sue an Indian-origin homeowner in Auckland, New Zealand, for a construction error. Reports say that there's a one-metre difference between where Deepak Lal's house has been built and where it should legally have been. And now not only is there a legal battle involving a lot of money to be fought but also the construction to be fixed. Mr Lal had tasked Pinnacle Homes to design and build his home, in Papakura. In mid-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. Now, C94 Development says that Mr Lal should either move the house or pay $3,15,000 (roughly Rs 1.6 crore) in damages. The owner of the three-bedroom house says the development has been a nightmare for him, adding he wakes up in the middle of the night and thinks how he is going to deal with the issue. Mr Lal also said the designer, HQ Designs, had filed the building consent, which was approved by the Auckland Council and, therefore, it's ultimately their responsibility. According to a New Zealand news media website, Stuff, Mr Lal's lawyer, Matt Taylor, 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.