Bathla Group administrators get one-year extension to navigate complex financial landscape

Administrators of the Bathla Group have been granted an extension of up to another year to run the voluntary administration, as they work to secure longer-term funding and navigate a complex portfolio of property projects and creditor claims.

The NSW Supreme Court has extended the convening period for the administration until September 13, 2027, giving administrators Teneo more time before they are required to convene the second meeting of creditors, where creditors would ultimately decide the future of the companies.

Why administrators sought another year

Administrators considered anything shorter than 12 months inadequate, given the scale of the task ahead, including assessing hundreds of individual projects, working through the group's financial records, and providing creditors with enough information to make decisions about the future of the companies.

"We have taken a cautious approach to the time frame to ensure there is sufficient time to progress and complete projects in an orderly way," Teneo's head of financial advisory Stephen Longley said.

The ability to keep construction projects moving remains dependent on funding.

"The extension gives us the time needed to progress projects towards completion but that outcome remains dependent on securing further lender support to maintain critical central functions at Bathla," Mr Longley said. "Locking in this funding is therefore an immediate priority and discussions are continuing."

Longer-term funding still not secured

Teneo has secured $4.7 million in initial funding and is continuing talks with lenders over longer-term support for active construction projects and the shared costs of keeping Bathla's operations running.

Six lenders are currently providing the initial funding, while discussions are ongoing with other financiers that could potentially join the arrangement.

The funding talks come as administrators continue to work out the financial position of the group. There are about $3.4 billion in currently known consolidated creditor claims, including approximately $3.08 billion claimed by secured lenders and $145 million owed to the Australian Taxation Office.

It is also understood to include about $48 million to private lenders and $110 million to other unsecured creditors, subject to ongoing reconciliation.

Untangling Bathla's financial records

Teneo's review to date has found the group's bank accounts had not been reconciled for some time, while its records may contain about $736 million in overstated inter-company receivables and payables, subject to reconciliation.

Key planning, design and construction information is also understood to be spread across different systems, staff email accounts, network drives and hard-copy records, rather than held in a single central repository, and reviewing these books could take many months.

A preliminary review has identified about 219 current projects carrying approximately $3.13 billion in debt, against a preliminary total value of about $4.87 billion, with figures subject to ongoing review.

Hundreds of properties face different outcomes

About $400 million worth of completed property is currently for sale or under contract.

It is expected that sale proceeds would initially be applied against secured lending, with any further amounts available to the individual Bathla companies, dependent on the outcome of those sales.

Across projects under construction, about a quarter of the lots are already subject to pre-sale contracts, while three-quarters remain available for sale.

It is understood administrators' preliminary assessment also identified about 167 undeveloped sites forming part of Bathla's land bank.

About 30 per cent are expected to be marketed for sale in their existing condition, while the strategy for the remaining 70 per cent is yet to be determined.