21 March 2017

Real Estate misconduct: Reprimands and fines

Your attention is drawn to a number of recent prosecution actions taken against real estate agencies, agents and sales representatives.

The various outcomes highlight the need to adhere to the Real Estate and Business Agents Act 1978 and the Real Estate and Business Agents and Sales Representatives Code of Conduct 2016 in all of your real estate dealings.

15 year ban for real estate salesman over serious misconduct (Paul Anthony King)
A former York real estate salesman has been banned for 15 years from applying for registration after being found guilty of serious misconduct over the sale of five properties which netted a profit of $5.4 million. 

Reprimand and fine for real estate agency that shut out buyers (M Property Pty Ltd, part of The Match Group)
A Claremont-based real estate agency has been reprimanded, fined $5,000 and must pay $1,000 to cover the costs of disciplinary action by Consumer Protection due to apartment-buyers being kept in the dark about balcony shutters. 

Fine for agent who let licence lapse and failed to balance books (Amanda Jones, formerly trading as Ray White Manjimup Districts)
Catastrophic failure to manage a trust account and trading without a licence for three months has resulted in a WA real estate agent being fined $8,000 plus $832 in costs. 

$24k fine and suspension over dishonest property sale conduct (Sunrun Nominees Pty Ltd trading as House Real Estate WA and Frank Andrew Torre)
A WA real estate agency and sales representative have been fined $12,000 each as part of State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) disciplinary action by Consumer Protection over dishonest conduct during property sale transactions.