A man whose house was gutted by fire in October, 2015, is attempting to raise public funds to demolish its remains after the City of Mandurah threatened him with legal action.
Jamie Allen said he had been refused insurance and he needed $20,000 to finish the demolition job and prevent the bank taking the land.
“The council is taking us to court as the house isn't demolished yet,” he wrote on a fundraising internet site.
“All this stress is taking its toll on both of us and we are turning to this go fund me and soon looking at going to the media for help.”
The house was destroyed by fire in little over half an hour, Mr Allen said.
“Two am on the 15/10/15 we woke up to the house on fire,” he said.
“By 2.35am the whole house had burnt down and there was nothing left to save.”
Mr Allen said a recent death in the family and job losses meant they were nine months behind in mortgage payments.
City of Mandurah chief Mark Newman said the city preferred not to turn to legal action, but burnt-out houses posed a public safety risk.
“The City will only proceed with legal action against a property owner as a last resort when we believe they have had ample opportunity to demolish the property, and when we are not satisfied the appropriate steps have been taken,” he said.
“Generally speaking, following a house being damaged by fire, the City’s process is to firstly declare the house ‘unfit’.
“The property owner would then be asked to remove the house by a specific date, which is normally between 3-6 months, depending on the risk to the community, for example loose debris.
“If the house is not demolished by the due date, the City will try to work with the owner initially as there may be issues relating to insurance, deceased estate and contractor delays that the owner may experience, which is often out of their control, so we like take this into consideration.”
He said in most cases a positive outcome for the benefit of the wider community was achieved.