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A property manager has been found guilty and fined of multiple charges brought by the Office of Fair Trading.
Jason Hoppner, a Redcliffe real estate agent, has been fined $10,000 and ordered to pay over $39,000 by the Queensland Administrative and Civil Tribunal for the wrongful conversion of trust money.
Mr Hoppner was formely the principal licensee of a business known as Hudson Red, which was owned by Redcliffe Real Estate Investments, while he was also the director of Maward after Redcliffe Real Estate Investments went into receivership.
The tribunal heard the most serious charges related to rental money that was due to be paid to five different landlords' accounts but was diverted into three different bank accounts belonging to Mr Hoppner.
A report obtained from the REST (property management) software system used in the business revealed the banking details of the five property owners were altered.
These alterations resulted in money being paid to Mr Hoppner’s accounts rather than the property owners' accounts.
Thirteen payments were made into Mr Hoppner’s accounts between December 2010 and April 2011, totalling over $12,000.
Twenty-three affected consumers were compensated $30,368.21 from the Office of Fair Trading claim fund.
Another five consumers are still owed $8,668.11, meaning Mr Hoppner is to repay a total of $39,036.32.
Mr Hoppner was also disqualified from holding a licence under the Property Agents and Motor Dealers Act 2000 for 15 years.
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