A builder in the Northern Territory has been ordered to pay more than $2.5 million in compensation for constructing multiple defective homes.

The decision for long-term Darwin builder George Milatos to pay five homebuyers is the latest in a decade-long fight after the properties were built in Bellamack in 2013.

ABC reports that residents who purchased the homes as part of the NT government-backed housing scheme began to notice problems like water leaks, poor drainages on balconies and lifted and cracking tiles.

In 2021, the government revealed an engineering assessment report that found the houses to be structurally non-compliant and unable to withstand cyclonic conditions.

These issues led to some of the homes being bulldozed that same year.

Milatos has been ordered to pay each of the applicants between $495,000 and $725,000, but says he cannot do so and will fight the decision made by the NT Civil and Administrative Tribunal in the NT Supreme Court.

“I’ve now got a judgement to pay them something like three times more than what it cost to build the houses,” he told the ABC.

“They’ve put everything on me … you can’t crucify me for what is design defects.

“I can’t (pay), I’m actually officially on the pension … we’ve still got to pay our mortgage for our unit.”

He claims that other parties involved in the housing scheme, Bellamack Pty Ltd and the NT government were responsible, not him.

“They know that it’s them, it’s the joint venture between the government and Bellamack, who are in the shit, the trouble, I’m just the fall guy.”

“I’m the easiest guy to put the blame on – just blame the builder.” Milatos said in the ABC report.

Milatos says he earns little more than $100 per fortnight and that he currently runs a building company, but ABC report that his building contractor’s residential licence is currently expired.

In a follow up story by the ABC today, they say NT Infrastructure Minister Eva Lawler has launched an attack on the builder.

“He needs to find that ($2.5 million) to fix the mistakes that he made as a shonky builder in the Northern Territory,” she said.

“You spend the biggest amount that you ever spend and you build a home, you want to know that you’re getting a quality process – you weren’t getting that with George Milatos.

“He needs to actually come good. There’s a process around administration, there’s a process around bankruptcy, but he needs to pay those people that he has done wrong to.”