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A Western Australian property manager has found himself on the wrong side of the law.
Bobby Joe Townsend, who traded as PPM Private Property Management, was fined $18,000 by the Perth Magistrates Court on 3 April 2023, according to Western Australia’s Consumer Protection.
Mr Townsend operated in breach of the Real Estate and Business Agents Act between 2017 and 2021 when he managed and collected commissions in relation to five properties in Dawesville, Huntingdale, Port Kennedy, Champion Lakes, and Eglinton.
In total, $10,000 of the fines were related to being unlicensed, while further fines of $1,000 were issued for eight separate charges of failing to lodge security bonds. He was also ordered to pay costs of $5,718.16.
Despite not holding proper licensing, he was found to have entered into property management agreements, found tenants, negotiated and collected rents, paid water bills, and carried out property inspections and repairs.
Commissioner for Consumer Protection, Trish Blake, said Mr Townsend had undermined the industry’s professional standards by being unlicensed.
“The licensing system is in place to protect tenants and landlords by ensuring that only suitably qualified and trained professionals are involved in the real estate industry in WA,” she declared.
“Licence holders are also bound by a code of conduct that underpins high professional standards,” she said, adding a key obligation of licence holders is to have “complete professional development training.”
Such training is aimed at assisting industry participants upgrading “their knowledge and skills in the areas of industry developments, legislative changes, and work practices.”
In her address, Ms Blake insisted tenants and landlords should only deal with licensed professionals, with consumers dealing with unlicensed operators placing their funds at risk “as they are not protected by the fidelity guarantees provided by law.”
“Tenants and landlords should alert us if they suspect the agent or property manager they are doing business with is not licensed,” she concluded.
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