The bulldozers are preparing to knock down his former home in St Peters to make way for the $16.8 billion WestConnex motorway after it was compulsorily acquired by the state government.
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Richard Capuano has already spent tens of thousands of dollars in legal and other fees trying to secure what he regards as fair compensation for the two-storey terrace in Campbell Street.
Now he says he is being subjected to unconscionable behaviour by the acquiring agency, Roads and Maritime Services, as he fights it in the Land and Environment Court.
Mr Capuano's property has already been valued four times as part of the compulsory acquisition process by experts commissioned by him, RMS and the NSW Valuer-General.
On Wednesday night he was forwarded a letter from lawyers acting for RMS, Clayton Utz, with details of another valuation recently carried out. It was not good news.
"In the course of Friday's inspection, it became apparent to RMS's valuation expert that there are building/engineering issues concerning the physical condition of the dwelling, which are outside of his expertise," the letter said.
"Accordingly, RMS intends to rely on expert building/engineering evidence in the [Land and Environment Court] proceedings."
The letter informed Mr Capuano that RMS was engaging a building/engineering expert to investigate and suggested he consider doing the same, which is set to cost him thousands of dollars.
Mr Capuano – who says he has not been told the nature of the building/engineering issues – is exasperated by what he believes is "bullying" behaviour.
"Why have they commissioned another valuation when they've already completed two of their own and they're going to bulldoze the house in three weeks?" he asked.
He said no such issues had been raised in the previous four valuation reports.
"They obviously don't like it when residents go to the Land and Environment Court," he said.
The Clayton Utz letter raises the issue of Mr Capuano swearing at the most recent valuer – something he acknowledges doing but argues he has been provoked by the unfair nature of the valuations to date.
It comes after Premier Mike Baird and Finance Minister Dominic Perrottet announced changes to the compulsory acquisition system in October, 2½ years after the Coalition government received recommendations about how to make it fairer.
A spokesman for RMS said Mr Capuano had been treated according to the Land Acquisition (Just Terms Compensation) Act, which included "reimbursing the cost of an independent valuation" and payment for "a range of additional relocation assistance measures".
The spokesman noted that Mr Capuano's property, which he bought in 1998, "was marked as a road reservation during the 1950s".
"As Mr Capuano's appeal against the Valuer-General's determination is currently before the Land and Environment Court, Roads and Maritime is unable to comment further," he said.
