A former property manager in NSW has been sentenced to theft after taking more than $151,000 from an agency’s rental trust account and $35,000 in rental bonds.
A former NSW property manager who admitted to stealing more than $180,000 from landlords and renters has been sentenced and made to repay $135,000.
Appearing at Gunnedah Local Court, Sarah-Jane Watts pleaded guilty to two offences under the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW), according to The Australian.
She had worked at Ewing Real Estate in Gunnedah, where she fraudulently obtained more than $151,800 from the agency’s rental trust account, and about $35,400 in rental bonds.
Watts, who no longer holds a real estate licence, was handed a 12-month community sentence and 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 clients, and $750 in professional fees.
Watts investigation started following suspicious activity flagged by NSW Fair Trading’s Rental Taskforce, which identified abnormal bond activity.
Investigators found that between March 2022 and July 2024, $151,800 was transferred through 162 fraudulent transactions into six personal bank accounts that Watts controlled.
Bank statements also revealed the funds were spent on lifestyle expenses, including food, pub visits, hairdresser appointments and holidays.
According to investigators, Watts hid the transactions by submitting fraudulent landlord payments among legitimate payments.
In addition to Watt’s sentencing, Ewing Real Estate Pty Ltd and its principal, Jarad Ewing, have entered into enforceable undertakings with NSW Fair Trading.
There is no suggestion that the agency, nor Ewing, was aware of the actions taken by Watts at the time of the misconduct.
As part of the enforceable undertakings, they will be required to implement additional staff training, stronger auditing processes and a contribution to the NSW Consumer Law Fund.
The NSW rental taskforce has been cracking down on agencies found to have breached rental laws, including those who took payments from renters through illegal dishonoured rent payments and background checks.
NSW Fair Trading recently announced that in the past year, a total of $180,000 had been refunded to 3,000 tenants who were unlawfully made to hand over money.
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