Couple furious after winning $2.7 million house, describe it as a ‘nightmare’
Published on Oct 12, 2023 at 1:18 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Oct 12, 2023 at 4:10 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
This Australian couple says winning a $2.7 million mansion has turned out to be a less than rosy experience.
The couple won the house after participating in a lottery, but now the pair say they feel deceived.
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The lottery was hosted by LMCT+, an Australian company owned by businessman Adrian Portelli.
Portelli bought the house at auction and then gave it away as part of ‘The Block’ lottery.
The Melbourne property is worth around AUD4.2 million, equivalent to roughly $2.7 million, but the Griffin family who won the home isn’t happy.
According to the Griffins, Mr Portelli actually removed a lot of items from the house before giving it away.
The Griffins say they’ve got CCTV footage that proves that Mr Portelli removed some goods from the home.
Among other things, they say Portelli removed a BBQ smoker, a robotic lawnmower, a treadmill and Smeg appliances.
The Griffins want everything back, as they believed those things were all part of the house, and they’ve now sent Mr Portelli a bill for $64,000.
Pictured below, left to right – Andrea Griffin, Adrian Portelli, Kevin Griffin
In short, the Australian couple says they were deceived because Portelli never told them some of the items they saw when they first inspected the house would be missing once they moved in.
By contrast, Portelli says the items were put there for the purposes of the promotional video and weren’t part of the win, under the lottery terms and conditions.
“I’m sure there’s a ton of homeless people at the moment that would die for a [$2.7 million] house and a roof over their heads,” Portelli said in a video he shared to Facebook.
This sounds like the start of a soap opera, so stay tuned for further developments.
Because it feels like there’ll certainly be some.
Alessandro is an automotive journalist with 10 years of experience covering supercars, automotive history, emerging vehicle technology, and luxury transportation. He wrote the first article published on SupercarBlondie.com when the website launched in 2022 and has since built a reputation for insightful reporting across the automotive and transportation industries. His expertise is grounded in hands-on experience. Alessandro has driven every Tesla model ever produced, from the original Roadster to the Cybertruck, and regularly covers the latest developments in electric vehicles and automotive innovation. His passion for transportation extends beyond cars, he has even flown a Boeing 787 Dreamliner simulator in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His reporting spans everything from classic American muscle cars and rare automotive discoveries to luxury yachts, private aircraft, high-end watches, and cutting-edge vehicle technology. Known for his deep knowledge of automotive history and ability to uncover the stories behind iconic vehicles, Alessandro brings readers a blend of historical context, technical expertise, and first-hand experience.
