Even a civil tribunal win didn’t get Maria’s money back after she paid $45,000 to an unlicensed builder

It was 2021 and the decision to build a granny flat under her Sunshine Coast home was a straightforward one for Maria Coulter.

It was meant to make life easier for the nurse, who wanted to rent her house to tenants and then move to a more remote area for work.

Four years on, and tens of thousands…