Source : Perth Now news
A former NSW property manager has been sentenced after admitting to stealing more than $180,000 from renters, landlords and a real estate agency over more than two years.
Sarah-Jane Watts, who worked at Ewing Real Estate in Gunnedah, was sentenced in Gunnedah Local Court after pleading guilty to two offences under the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW).
Investigators found Watts fraudulently obtained more than $151,800 from the agency’s rental trust account, along with about $35,400 in rental bonds.
There is no suggestion Ewing Real Estate and its principal, Jarad Ewing, were aware of the actions taken by Watts at the time.
The misconduct was first detected by NSW Fair Trading’s Rental Bond team within the NSW Rental Taskforce, which identified suspicious bond activity before referring the matter to investigators.
Watts transferred about $151,800 through 162 fraudulent transactions into six personal bank accounts she controlled between March 2022 and July 2024.
Bank statements showed the money was spent on lifestyle expenses including food, pub visits, hairdresser appointments and holidays.
Investigators said Watts concealed the transactions by submitting fraudulent landlord payments among legitimate mid-month and end-of-month payments.
The court sentenced Watts to a 12-month community sentence, during which she will remain under strict supervision by Community Corrections.
She was also ordered to pay $35,399.23 in compensation to the Rental Bond Board and $100,000 to Ewing Real Estate, which had already compensated affected clients. The court also ordered her to pay $750 in professional costs.
Authorities confirmed Watts no longer holds a real estate licence.
Ewing Real Estate Pty Ltd and Mr Ewing have also entered into enforceable undertakings with NSW Fair Trading.
The agreements require additional staff training, stronger auditing processes and a contribution to the NSW Consumer Law Fund.
NSW Fair Trading said the case formed part of wider compliance efforts by the NSW Rental Taskforce, which was established to strengthen protections for renters and landlords.
After the sentence, Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading Anoulack Chanthivong said the NSW Government “strongly condemns any attempts to deceive renters”.
“Deceiving and stealing from people across the property market is deplorable,” Mr Chanthivong said.
“This prosecution shows that our dedicated NSW Rental Taskforce is enforcing the rules and stopping irresponsible agents from doing the wrong thing.
NSW Rental Commissioner Trina Jones said trust was critical in the property industry.
“Real estate agents handle large sums of money on behalf of consumers for payments such as rental moneys and bonds and it’s crucial that trust with consumers is maintained,” Ms Jones said.
“Any agents who breach the rules will face serious consequences.”
