An Australian property developer has been awarded ownership of a Sydney house worth an estimated A$1.6m (£0.9m) after squatting in the property for more than 20 years. The case, described by local media as 'bizarre', saw Bill Gertos successfully claim the home under New South Wales squatters' rights laws.
Mr Gertos first entered the Ashbury property in late 1998 after noticing it was in disrepair and unoccupied. He changed the locks, spent nearly A$150,000 on repairs and renovations, and began leasing it to tenants. Under NSW law, squatters can be awarded ownership if they have occupied a property for more than 12 years.
The legal challenge came from descendants of the previous owner, Henry Thompson Downie, who died in 1947. They argued that Mr Gertos had not acted 'openly' and that the family had vacated the house before World War Two due to an ant infestation, after which it was rented to a sole tenant until her death in 1998.
However, Supreme Court Justice Rowan Darke ruled in favour of Mr Gertos, stating he had succeeded in taking and maintaining physical custody of the land to the exclusion of all others. The Downie family has indicated they will appeal the decision.
