Creditors are poised to shut down a troubled Canberra building company that united criticism from homeowners and trade businesses earlier this year.
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The applications to dissolve Andara Homes Pty Ltd were welcomed by former clients, who said the move would avoid others suffering delays and financial loss.
![Homeowners Ling Palm with her husband Nicholas Palm and design consultant Angela Penhallow. The Palm's had got Andara Homes to build their home in Ngunnawal in July of last year but switched builders in December. Angela worked on several projects for Andara Homes [not the Palm's] and she is owed money too. Photo: Jeffrey Chan](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/6aa3099c-f0fb-4f51-a29e-3125c1380347.jpg/r0_0_2000_1333_w576_h298_fmax.webp "Homeowners Ling Palm with her husband Nicholas Palm and design consultant Angela Penhallow. The Palm's had got Andara Homes to build their home in Ngunnawal in July of last year but switched builders in December. Angela worked on several projects for Andara Homes [not the Palm's] and she is owed money too. Photo: Jeffrey Chan")
ASIC and court records show an application to wind up the company was filed in the Queensland Supreme Court on August 21, with an application by a separate creditor filed in the Federal Court eight days later.
One owner of a northside home said the deregisteration of the company, led by sole director Simon Anderson, might provide quicker compensation options.
"This is potentially good news for those of us that want to claim on insurance – while [Andara] remain[s] registered, the courts are our only recourse," the man said.
Others, including Ngunnawal homeowner Nicholas Palm, said the company's demise would be welcomed even though the tens of thousands of dollars lost on legal fees and building delays would not be recovered.
"We know we're not going to get any money back, so the only satisfaction we're going to get out of this is knowing that he won't do what he did to anyone else," Mr Palm said.
Mr Anderson and a company in his name are the only remaining shareholders, with the ASIC register altered last month to remove holdings of Mr Anderson's brother, and a company in the brother's name.
Court records show Andara Homes, whose registered office moved to Sydney in May, is a plaintiff in four current Canberra-based Federal Court cases where it seeks to set aside statutory demands to pay debts.
Mr Anderson was unable to be reached. He has always disputed claims of wrongdoing and said building delays involving the Palms were due to the couple changing their minds.
Canberra solicitor Rod Barnett, who represents some former Andara clients, said legal precedent suggested later creditors seeking a wind-up order should join the first petition, which returns to court in Brisbane on September 19.
"[However] unless the solicitors acting on behalf of [the Queensland court applicant] are co-operative (and they have not been to date), a formal application will have to be made by this office in Queensland, seeking the appointment of an alternative liquidator resident in the ACT."
