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Jill Davies thought she had found the perfect place for a quiet, comfortable retirement. The one bedroom units being offered at the second stage of Morris Property Group's Kingston Place complex were spacious and modern, yet reasonably priced. The large courtyard would have ample room for a collection of plants and terracotta pots. The building's Eyre Street location had sentimental value, too. Her father opened a pharmacy across the road back in the 1930s. So, not longer after her mother died, Mrs Davies spent most of her life savings to purchase a ground floor unit off the plan. It was 2011. "I used to have coffee with my daughter over the road and we would watch the progress [of construction] and take pictures of it," Mrs Davies says. "It was just so exciting back then. "It is such a shock what has happened ... it is just so disappointing." Eight years on, Mrs Davies' dreams of a stress free retirement have turned into a nightmare. The 75-year-old is one of the dozens of Kingston Place residents now living with bright yellow props in either the courtyard or balcony of their units. The props have a simple purpose; to prevent the building's columns from "punching" through its concrete slabs, causing them to collapse. Access Canberra last month issued Morris Construction Corporation with an emergency order to install the supports, fearing that, if the problem was left unaddressed, it could result in "catastrophic structural defects" which render the complex unlivable. But the company - which is associated with Morris Property Group - has defied the order. Its director, Canberra property mogul Barry Morris, said that its expert advice determined the building was structurally sound and that installing the props could potentially cause "unforeseen and consequential damage" to the complex. The government, convinced of the urgent need to address the defect, has stepped in and arranged for the props to be installed. By months end, more than 230 props will have been installed, including in 38 apartments, creating what Mrs Davies describes as a "forest of yellow" inside the leafy 120-unit complex. Mrs Davies is relieved that three years after owners first complained to Access Canberra about defects at Kingston Place, the regulator has "finally stepped up". She feels they had no other choice, given the evidence presented to it about the state of the building. "We were told that as long as it is propped up quickly, there is no need evacuate the building," she says. "It got to that level of seriousness. We were told by our engineers that it could be an earth tremor and it [part of the building] could come down. A professor [who peer-reviewed the engineer's report] was surprised it hadn't already come down." Due to their bright colour and sheer quantity, it is impossible to miss the props once inside Kingston Place. Owners and tenants are trying to find a yellow lining to the bleak predicament. Some have spoken about growing ivy or creeping plants on their props. Mrs Davies jokes about hanging fairy lights on her three structures, which sit in opposing corners of her plant-covered courtyard But she knows the new additions are only a temporary fix. It is the uncertainty surrounding a permanent solution - and who will fund it - that stirs most of her anxiety. Since 2017, the owners have been locked in legal proceedings with Morris Construction Corporation, and five other companies involved with planning and building Kingston Place, over other alleged defects at the complex. The owners corporation has raised levies to pay for legal and consultancy fees incurred throughout the saga, which are nearing a sum of $850,000. "Financially, I'm keeping up, but because we have to keep raising levies - which I know we have to do - it becomes very difficult," Mrs Davies says. "I'm a very anxious sort of person anyway, so I find it difficult to sleep at night. I toss and turn. I worry." Mrs Davies says her options are limited if the owners are ultimately left to foot the repair bill. She doubts she will be able to sell the apartment, and won't be able to afford another. So what will she do? "I try not to think about it," she says. Morris Construction Corporation's refusal to comply with the rectification order means it is facing a fine of up to $1.62 million. The company has lodged an appeal in the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal in a bid to have the order - and the prospect of a hefty fine - dismissed. The case is ongoing. An ACT government spokesman says the company will owe a debt to the territory for the cost of installing the props. The cost has yet to be finalised. The spokesman did not provide further detail, saying only that it is "working through the next steps and it would not be appropriate to provide public commentary at this time". Morris Property Group is among the biggest players in Canberra's residential development sector. It is behind the Barracks development in the City Hill precinct, as well as a proposed 414-unit estate at the site of the old Stuart Flats in Griffith. The company is also planning to build two, 27-storey towers in Belconnen.

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