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A woman who repeatedly broke WA tenancy laws while renting out a Bentley property has been fined $7,200 and ordered to pay $396 in court costs.
Bozena Sakowski pleaded guilty to 24 contraventions of the Residential Tenancies Act during a hearing at Perth Magistrate Court, according to the WA Department of Commerce.
Eight convictions related to the failure to lodge security bonds with the Bond Administrator and failure to provide receipts for the bonds, while 16 convictions related to failure to use correct form and information when entering into a written tenancy agreement, and failure to provide a property condition report at the beginning and end of a tenancy.
Acting commissioner for consumer protection David Hillyard welcomed the penalty and hoped it would act as a deterrent.
“Under the Residential Tenancies Act all security bonds on rental properties must be lodged with the Bond Administrator at the Department of Commerce, but Mrs Sakowski took bond money in cash and kept it in her safe or had it deposited directly into her bank account,” he said.
The court heart that Mrs Sakowski used a 2005 REIWA tenancy agreement form and created her own lease agreement, which included conditions that were unacceptable, such as prohibiting children from visiting the property.
“The breaches of the Residential Tenancies Act in this case meant there was a lack of transparency in the agreement between the accused and the tenants,” Mr Hillyard said.
“Two of the tenants were from overseas, one from interstate and one a first time renter, which means they were not familiar with WA tenancy law.”
[Related: Private landlord given expensive lesson in property management]
