Potential homeowner loses $$$ as ‘housing developer’ vanishes

Apr 22, 2010 News

Two years ago, Veronica Taylor thought that she had entered into a great deal when a housing developer offered to provide her with a $4.6M house with only a 10 percent deposit.
Today Taylor, like many others, who fell prey to the apparent scam, is still without a house and she is desperately seeking the developer for a refund of her money.
From all appearances the developer, who is only known to Taylor as Fazal, and who uses the company name Umana Development, has disappeared. Several attempts by this newspaper to contact him at his registered place of business failed.
Recounting her ordeal, Taylor said that in 2008 she had returned home from Barbados to look at her ill mother when she heard about the offer.
“I call him on the phone and he told me to come in and talk with him.”
This Taylor did and was advised that she was required to make a down payment of $460,000 for a house on a plot of land 80×45 feet at a location called Sarah Johanna Gardens, Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara.
The deal was so good since it promised water, electricity and telephone services as well as proper drainage and paved roads that Taylor accepted.
Satisfied, Taylor paid her down payment of $460,000 in October 2008, with the agreement that she and her family will be able to move in by June the following year.
Arrangements were to be made to pay the balance when she would have taken possession of the house.
“We’re still waiting,” she said.
In fact Taylor never saw the house that she was promised. As a matter of fact she has not even seen the area where the house was to be built.
“When we call him (to go and see the place), he keep saying over and over that next week we will take a drive up to see the land. He even told us that he was in the process of clearing the bushes and the first house will be ready to go up in a month, foundation done. That was all he keep saying,” Taylor told this newspaper.
Her suspicions were aroused when she saw a news item involving the developer in a land dispute.
“I decided to go in to him for a refund of my money. He only gave us $200,000 in November last year and promised to repay the rest of our money close to Christmas. When I call him (in December), he tell me that I will get the money at the end of January this year,” Taylor related.
“Now when I call him I could hardly get him on the phone, is either the phone turn off or something,” she added.
Even visits to the Umana Development Office proved futile as no one except for an associate was there.
“I met a man there name Best who told me that Mr. Fazal will call me but that is all I’m hearing,” Taylor told Kaieteur News.
From all appearances, the developer has fled since for the past two weeks Taylor has been checking at the office but no one is there.
According to Taylor, other potential homeowners have withdrawn their money from the proposed project since they recognized at an early stage that there might be some fraud involved.
Taylor visited the Brickdam Police Station yesterday to report the matter but according to her the police there did not take her report.
She claimed that the rank she spoke with informed her that they had detained the man on similar allegations but were advised against charging him because of a clause in the contract that the clients had signed.
She is expected to meet with Divisional Commander George Vyphuis today with a view to obtaining further advice on the matter.

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Potential homeowner loses $$$ as ‘housing developer’ vanishes

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