Former real estate agent Scott Hoare has been reprimanded and cannot hold an estate agent’s licence or act as an agent’s representative until 12 October 2024, after a hearing at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
Mr Hoare, 40, of Tanjil South, was previously the officer in effective control of SLGH Pty Ltd (in liquidation), which traded as Stockdale and Leggo Trafalgar.
The Director of Consumer Affairs suspended Mr Hoare’s licence on 13 October 2014.
In its findings, the tribunal considered the period that Mr Hoare had already had his licence suspended, and declared him ineligible to hold a licence or be an agent’s representative for a further nine years
The tribunal found that Mr Hoare:
- breached the Estate Agents Act 1980 and its associated regulations by:
- failing to pay $5,090 into SLGH’s trust account
- causing a trust account deficiency of more than $37,000 (as at 18 March 2014)
- converting trust money for his personal use and that of SLGH
- not acting fairly and honestly in his function as an estate agent
- engaging in conduct that was unprofessional or detrimental to the industry’s reputation
- was guilty of conduct rendering him unfit to be a licensed estate agent
- was not of good character or otherwise a fit and proper person to hold an estate agent’s licence.
The trust account deficiency was confirmed in early April 2014, after SLGH's trust account auditor advised Consumer Affairs Victoria of irregularities occurring outside the annual audit period between July and September 2013.
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