Australian couple moves house from wrong plot

An Australian flag is held in Sydney, Australia, on Thursday, April 25, 2013. (AP / Rick Rycroft)

An Australian couple has moved house, literally, after realising it was placed on the wrong plot of land.

Melanie and David Moor said they set up their home to “relax” at a five-acre block two hours’ drive west of Melbourne.

They put up the pre-fabricated house in March 2024, including installing the plumbing and electricity, for a new life in rural Victoria.

Five months later, they got the bad news.

“We got the call from the council to say that we had to stop works because it was on the wrong block -- and we actually owned the block next door,” Melanie Moor told AFP on Thursday.

“It’s just been a nightmare.”

The couple said the plot’s boundaries were unclear and they had relied on the local council and the real estate agent for the right advice.

A spokesperson for the Corangamite Shire Council declined to comment.

AFP was unable to reach the real estate agent.

The couple moved their house about 100 metres (330 feet) by truck to the right plot on April 2.

They are now living in a caravan while the home is secured to the correct site.

They also need to connect the house’s power, water and septic amenities -- at a heavy financial cost.

Melanie Moor has an autoimmune disease, and her husband has liver disease, the couple said.

“The idea was that I could actually relax a little bit and work from home,” David Moor said.

Under an agreement with the owners of the plot where the house was originally put, the couple said they have until May 2 to restore that land to its original state.

But they are thankful their home is now in the right place.

“It was a relief seeing the truck take the house across the property,” Melanie Moor said.