Former property manager Sarah-Jane Watts disqualified for 10 years for stealing more than $180,000
A former NSW property manager has been disqualified from the real estate industry for 10 years and made to repay the funds to renters and landlords after NSW Fair Trading found she had misappropriated more than $180,000 from rental trust and bond accounts.
The disciplinary action followed criminal proceedings against Sarah-Jane Watts, a former property manager at Ewing Real Estate in Gunnedah, who pled guilty to two offences under the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) and was sentenced in Gunnedah Local Court earlier this year.
NSW Fair Trading found Ms Watts had used Ewing Real Estate’s rental trust account to transfer the funds across 162 fraudulent transactions and a further 38 bond withdrawals into six personal bank accounts she controlled between 2 March 2022 and 15 July 2024.
Court proceedings heard the funds were used for personal expenses, including food, hospitality, hairdressing and holidays.
NSW Fair Trading found Ms Watts’s deception posed a significant risk to consumers, was deliberate and not an isolated incident and has moved to disqualify her from the industry for 10 years. Her conduct also posed a high risk to the integrity of the real estate industry.
Ms Watts has the right to seek review of the disciplinary decisions in accordance with the relevant review provisions under NSW law.
This disciplinary action has taken immediate effect. Details of the decisions will be published on the NSW Government’s public registers, including Verify.NSW and the Name and Shame Register.
Backed by an $8.4 million investment, the NSW Rental Taskforce is prioritising compliance action to give renters confidence that their tenancy protections are being actively enforced.
While most property and real estate professionals do the right thing, NSW Fair Trading will continue to target those who fail to meet their obligations and undermine consumer confidence in the sector.
Consumers are encouraged to check an agent’s licence status before engaging services and to report suspected misconduct to NSW Fair Trading.
Consumers who suspect misconduct can report it to NSW Fair Trading online.
NSW Fair Trading Commissioner Natasha Mann said:
"By removing this individual from the industry, we are helping protect consumers and maintaining the integrity of the property services sector."
"People who steal from landlords, tenants or clients should not be working in the property industry.”