<div>My Story – How I Lost $405,000 to Beechwood Homes
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>My name is Virginia , and I am sharing my story in the hope that no other family experiences the financial and emotional devastation that my children and I have endured.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>I paid Beechwood Homes $405,000 in good faith, believing I was entering into a building contract and that my money would be protected. I was assured my funds would be held safely and that the required insurance would be arranged. I later discovered that no insurance had been taken out on my build, despite my understanding that this was a legal requirement before construction could proceed.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Following the company's liquidation, I was informed that I was not considered to be in a building contract. The liquidator advised there were insufficient assets to repay unsecured creditors and suggested I start a GoFundMe because there was little prospect of recovering my money.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>I have since learned that my funds were paid into the company's operating account rather than being held in trust, and that they had been spent within 35 days of payment. Today, the only item I have to show for the $405,000 I paid is a single tap on my empty block of land.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Before any money was paid, Beechwood Homes knew I lived with a disability. The financial loss has affected every part of my life and has had a significant impact on my children. I struggle to get out of bed on many days, and I often cry myself to sleep. I try to stay strong for my children, but the reality is that this experience has completely destroyed my trust.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>In January 2025, while looking to build a home in Muswellbrook, I began speaking with a Beechwood Homes sales representative. After receiving an insurance payout, I contacted the representative and said I was ready to proceed.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>I was told that paying the full amount upfront was "common practice", that involving the bank would only slow the process down, and that my money would be held in trust and could not be used without my written authority. I was promised a priority build, completion by October 2025, price certainty, and discounts for paying early. I was also discouraged from approaching other builders because I was told they would charge substantially more.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>I believed those representations.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>On 16 January 2025, widespread storm damage caused power outages across Newcastle. The Thornton office was closed, and I was asked to attend the Beresfield office instead because the required documents could not all be printed. I felt pressured to sign despite my concerns. I was reassured that everything would be taken care of and that the required insurance would be arranged once power was restored.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Construction never commenced.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Instead, I experienced months of delays, excuses about quotes and tenders, and repeated assurances that work would soon begin. I was even sent to a brick supplier to make selections, only to discover the business had already burnt down.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>In December 2025, while I was still being promised site commencement and construction certificates, I have since learned that the company had already contacted administrators.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>On 23 January 2026 I was advised my refund would be processed, but it never arrived. In February 2026 I received a written apology and a conditional refund offer, but no refund was ever paid and my subsequent emails went unanswered.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>On 6 May 2026, Beechwood Homes entered liquidation.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>The liquidator advised that unsecured creditors were unlikely to recover their money. I understand there are numerous affected families, contractors, suppliers and pre-construction customers. I also understand that significant debts are owed to insurers, the Australian Taxation Office and many other creditors.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Before the liquidation, I contacted Commonwealth Bank to reverse the funds paid into the NAB account seeking to have the payment reversed. My request was declined. More recently, I have asked NAB to consider making a goodwill payment because my funds had been used to reduce the company's debts, including its overdraft. To date, no goodwill payment has been offered.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>I have also written to the Cavassini family asking whether they would consider reimbursing at least the amount that I believe would have been protected had the required insurance been in place. before the Liquidation i even offered to accept repayments over time. I did not receive a response.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>As a result of this loss, I have been forced to sell my home to repay approximately $143,000 in debt that i would not of been left with had the company refunded me.  The purchaser has kindly allowed my children and me to remain as tenants for the next nine months. i am a mother of 11 children 6 children still remain in the home the youngest being 7 years old.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>What hurts almost as much as the financial loss is believing that the protections designed to safeguard consumers did not protect my family.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>If sharing my story prevents even one family from experiencing what we have endured, then something positive may come from this tragedy.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>My Advice to Anyone Building a Home
</div>
<div>Never pay more than a 10% deposit before construction unless you have obtained independent legal advice.
</div>
<div>Never allow yourself to be pressured into signing documents.
</div>
<div>Read every document carefully and seek independent advice if you are unsure.
</div>
<div>Confirm that all mandatory insurance has been issued before paying construction funds.
</div>
<div>Keep copies of every document, email and receipt.
</div>
<div>If something doesn't feel right, walk away.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>I trusted a company that promoted family values, integrity, responsibility and "no gimmicks." That trust has cost my family everything.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>I hope my story helps protect others from making the same mistake.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Thank you to everyone who has supported my family during this incredibly difficult time.
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div><br />
</div>
<div>Virginia Fletcher
</div>

Christine Messenger

Anonymous

Jacqueline Skehan

Tomislav Simunic

Zed Seselja

Tony Muston

Melissa Roughan

Jayde Streeter

Clare Clulow

Builder collapse leaves Family with devastating loss

platform

Platform is iOS

Android

Adyen Google Pay Development Audience

$opt_dummy_attribute

English only

Deprecate Stripe Legacy

dyn_template_ids

Adyen V6 Bene Transfer & MyMoney Campaign Organizers - test01

Bene transfer V6 and AdyenV6MyMoney Campaign Organizers - production

OneTrust next-app audience

fundCountryCode

NextDoor Share Option Users

Fundraisers with Reactions feature capability

fundCurrencyCode

US + Non-charity COs Only

locale

fund country is US and user language is English

personId

comms-internal-person-ids

Enhanced Story Experience Users

Suggested Goal Experience Users

user language is English and fund country: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

Poster share - new funds eligible (newest 9/18)

Streaming widgets beta user

paymentProcessor

3DS payment method

user language is English and fundCountry: US, AU, DK, FI, IE, NO, SE, CA, GB; 

currencyCode

Money Box Donation List Prompt Experiment Audience

GoFundMe Employees

ipAddress

Mark Rieth IP Address

Version 9.2.0 and above

Fund is in English speaking country

desktop

Android v12.11.0 and above

Platform is Android

paymentMethodType

checkoutType

Payment method type group to be vaulted on success

admin pr kit prod

EUR Donation Upsell

Share Text generation Skip Fundraiser

(prod) new funds eligible for amp12 (UGC gallery)

fintrac_cad_idv_form_v2 audience

paymentProcessorAccountId

fallback mode accounts

proCampaignId

p2p legacy startfundraising page

AMP24 New Funds Only PROD (DO NOT MODIFY)

Eligible for Profile Share Badge

countryCode

charityId

UKCharities

Federated Search Internal Testing

route.pathname community

US Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks Feature Audience

Supporter Comments Eligible Funds

International Only

fundId

braze fundraiser group 

Payment Identity Transfers ATO Risk Check (Targeted) - Production

Fundraiser Saved Payment Method Rate Limit Bypass (Production)

leaderboard-partner-id-audience-givepanel

Version 9.2.1 and above

AUD Donation Upsell audience

fundraiserCountryCode is US/EN

Active Fundraiser - Smart Default Cadence

DAF Internal

Vault on success card payment method

Platform is iOS v11.0.0 and above

Desktop users

Person ids

United States (US) users

allow yuno fundraisers for test

Mexico country code

Posters INTL

NPO Profile Opted-In

iOS at or above 12.4.0

non-US recurring donors

Canada Campaign Owner Group

Fundraiser Without Meta Link

Scheduler payment tester gorup

charityCommunityId

Charities allow to be claimed unclaimed (PRD)

Canada (CA) users

UC Tipping v20250115 International

pymk_production_xplr_fe_team

Android at or above 12.2.0

Profile photo entry point audience

smart goals (fundraiser/manage) on test01

Activity Tracking v1 Beta Testing

start gfm intl allowed locales

Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

NPO upsell education category

unclaimed charities

prod_ach_audience

AI Chatbot Audience

amp13 only new funds (prod) (anyword auto)

UC Flow Enabled (Prod)

Payment Identity Beneficiary Verification - Production

shared notification bell audience

Custom users

ach frontend audience

Android v11.0.0 and above

Users Receiving Payments Paused Notifications

smart goals test01

Manage Coach - US English Organizers Only + new funds only

Team EGG - IP Address list

NPO recommendations prod

Fundraiser Without Instagram Deep Link

Native 11.4.0 and above

UC Tipping v20250107

Users Receiving Braze KYC Validation Failed

ai_title_page

anyword

openai

control

manual_entry

userEmail

template_id

userId

fundUrl

isCharityCo

email

appVersion

shouldBucketIntoExperiment

isEligibleForProfileBadge

partnerId

donationCadence

isActiveFundraiser

isPartner

isMobile

npoProfileOptIn

fundIsLinkedWithMeta

hasSessionDonation

categoryGroup

isCampaignOwner

fundHasInstagramDeepLink

Native 11.3.0 and above

Native 11.4.0 and higher

New funds eligible - Video Sharing (PROD)

GB Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks V3 Rollout Audience

Thank you V3 testing whitelist

isRecurringFriendly

Is Recurring Friendly

Excluded funds - Video Sharing

NPO upsell animals category

NPO upsell disaster relief category

Logged In Users

CH Donation Upsell audience

Android v10.6.0 and above

NPO upsell essential needs category

NPO upsell medical category

userCurrencyCode

Localized Currency

NPO upsell cancer category

v11.5.0 and above

testAudience

pathname

Survicate

appVersion is at or above 12.8.0

Non-charity fund

isChallengeFundraiser

challenge-fundraisers

Payment Identity Launch Verification - Production

New funds eligible - Posters v2

CAD Donation Upsell Audience

Braze Email Tester

NPO Profile Opted-Out

iOS App Version

hasKnownDonors

PYMK has donors

iOS v12.3.0 and above

Builder collapse leaves Family with devastating loss

Still $17,590 to go. Help us build momentum.