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Single satellite image costs Aussie homebuyer $25,000

A disability support worker in Queensland has had her home ownership dreams shattered thanks to a photo of a bare patch of land where her unit was to be built.

Melissa Bloomfield, 28, spent a year crashing with friends to save money for a place of her own, before she signed on for an off-the-plan property in Brisbane in September 2020.

“Everything lined up so perfectly,” she told 9News.com.au.

“I’d been working so hard, doing long shifts and saving.”

Homebuyer Melissa Bloomfield stands inside her new home in Brisbane
Homebuyer Melissa Bloomfield has been left with an even bigger home loan after she was denied the Federal Government's HomeBuilder grant worth $25,000. Source: 9news.com.au

Her decision to buy had been based on the $25,000 HomeBuilder Grant, which had been announced just a few months earlier.

But all her hopes came crashing down when she received a letter of rejection from the Queensland Revenue Office.

It claimed that a satellite image of the site confirmed that a house, which had previously stood there, had already been torn down, meaning construction had started before the grant came into effect on June 4, 2020.

This made Melissa ineligible for the handout.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Melissa said, “I had absolutely no idea.”

“The unit was sold to me – by the real estate agent, the developer – it was all sold to me with the $25,000 pretty much promised.”

“I was just waiting for the grant to come through. I thought there was no way it would be rejected.”

A satellite image of Melissa Bloomfield's development site
A satellite image was used by the Queensland Revenue Office to reject Melissa Bloomfield's application for the Homebuilder grant. Source: 9news.com.au

With letters from both the developer and builder confirming that construction work didn’t start until at least August 2020, Melissa said it feels like the Government has broken its promise.

While she’s lodged an objection to the Queensland Revenue Office’s decision, she faces a tough financial future.

“I’m already working a ridiculous amount of hours,” she said.

“I finally thought I would have a little bit of break once I moved in, that I could finally slow down for a little bit, but no.”

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