Qcat

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Sarah Penney-Filippini, the Gold Coast real estate agent faces disciplinary action for allegedly allowing her struck-off agent mother to act like an agent in her business.
Penney-Filippini sells million-dollar homes on the The Sovereign Islands through Island Realty.
She is facing disciplinary charges in the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) after an investigation by the Office of Fair Trading.
In a decision handed down on July 19, QCAT member Tina Guthrie ruled there were “sufficient grounds” for disciplinary action against Ms Penney-Filippini for breaking industry rules.
"I consider that by breaching the provisions of PAMDA and the relevant Regulation, Ms Penney-Filippini’s actions have fallen short of the standard expected of a licensee," Member Guthrie ruled.
Ms Penney-Filippini had acted unprofessionally in allowing her unlicensed mother, Heather Filippini to interact with a potential purchaser during an open home and to negotiate a sale of another home.
Heather Filippini was banned from operating as a real estate agent in 2009 after defying a suspension in 2006.
Her unlicensed mother was alleged to have engaged in negotiations to sell a home in 2012 and that her mother spoke to a potential buyer during an open home in 2012.
Mrs Filippini denied she was acting like an agent simply attending the open home with “polite chitchat”.
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Sarah Penney-Filippini faces QCAT disciplinary action

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A Gold Coast real estate agent has been fined $5,000 in the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) this month and permanently disqualified from holding a real estate licence.
Following an investigation by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), Alex Far, Sales Director of Sovereign Realty in Runaway Bay, was subject to this action after a complaint was received from sellers who had questioned the circumstances around the termination of a contract of sale for their property.
The tribunal heard Mr Far presented a contract worth $1.1 million to the property sellers, concealing that the buyer was a de-registered corporation of which he was a former director.
Mr Far also provided the sellers with false information regarding the supposed payment of a $100,000 deposit into the agency’s trust account. After the sellers became suspicious of his behaviour, Mr Far produced a series of falsified letters and emails pertaining to the progress of the sale, and then wrote a fake letter terminating the contract.
In sentencing, QCAT considered Mr Far’s lack of remorse, and the effort he went to in falsifying documents, which clearly showed his intention to deceive the sellers in order to make a profit.
Fair Trading Executive Director Brian Bauer said the disqualification from the real estate industry sent a strong message to others that misleading consumers would not be tolerated.
“Parties to a real estate transaction have the right to expect that documents they receive have not been tampered with or produced illegally,” Mr Bauer said.
“Real estate agents are placed in a position of trust and can be responsible for holding large deposits on behalf of buyers, so the OFT will take action to remove from the industry people like Mr Far who have displayed dishonesty.”
The OFT conducts a series of proactive compliance operations each year, targeting malpractice in the real estate industry, with a particular focus on trust accounting.
Real estate agents and consumers may report suspected misconduct directly to the OFT.
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