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A Victorian entrepreneur selling tiny homes has been fined after taking payments without delivering the kits and failing to issue refunds.
Clyde North MyTinyHomeKit Pty Ltd and Property Magician Pty Ltd director Spencer Porter has been convicted and fined $750,000 after taking $1.3 million in payments for affordable ‘tiny home kits’ that were never supplied.
Through My Tiny Home Kit, an online retailer that designed, manufactured, and supplied tiny home kits, Porter collected payments from 43 customers between December 2021 and March 2024.
Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV) then received numerous complaints as Porter failed to supply home kits, supplied them incompletely, and failed to provide refunds.
Back in January 2024, Porter entered into an enforceable undertaking with the court, agreeing to compensate customers who’d paid for but not received his products, as well as to adopt better practices for future customers.
For affected customers, Porter had committed to contacting them within three business days and, subject to design confirmation, offering either a full refund within 21 days or delivery of a completed tiny home kit.
By April 2024, Porter asked CAV for an extension to fulfil his previous agreement with the court.
In November 2024, CAV took court action against Porter after he breached the agreement.
The court found that, despite his early guilty plea, Porter's offending was serious, calculated, and manipulative, targeting those least able to afford the loss, and stated that the penalties imposed were both proportionate and deterrent.
Porter filed for bankruptcy in June 2025 without delivering any products, and in October pleaded guilty to 4 charges under the Australian Consumer Law.
CAV director Nicole Rich said that despite being convicted and fined, affected customers will continue to suffer their losses.
“The affected customers should be commended for their courage in standing up to this conduct and sharing their stories in court.”
Rich said that despite the bankruptcy, the court’s criminal penalties cannot be included in it and will remain enforceable in the future.
“We won't stop pursuing businesses that deceive consumers, particularly when it’s systemic and harms Victorians,” Rich concluded.
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