Di Jones digitally altered Wollstonecraft photo marketing being investigated by NSW Fair Trading
The Di Jones real estate agency is being investigated by NSW Fair Trading after using digitally altered photos to advertise a Wollstonecraft apartment, without any advisory of doing so.
The apartment is being advertised for a November 23 auction with a $775,000 price guide.
The Di Jones advertisement has been amended after the ABC began making inquiries and contacted NSW Fair Trading.
It is not known why Di Jones did not rip out the unsightly carpets.
Below is a photo from the listing of one of the master bedroom.
The actual bedroom looked like this.
Source: ABC News
"Failure to comply with the rules of conduct also attracts significant penalties."
"It isn't a systemic problem — but like any other industry there are people within real estate who do the wrong thing," the CEO of REINSW Tim McKibbin said.
The kitchen below, used in the marketing, looks relatively tidy, however in person, isn't quite what it seems.
The photos included digitally altered kitchen images.
The owner of the apartment was reported to have been a recluse and his death was only discovered months later when neighbours hadn't seen him.
The two bedroom, Selwyn Street apartment spans 86 sqm.
It was bought three decades ago at $205,000.
Di Jones has blamed "an administrative error."
Its CEO Rob Ward stated a third-party supplier engaged by Di Jones Lower North Shore edited the published photos without consent.
“The edits made to the photos were not requested by any member of the DiJONES Lower North Shore team."
He said the agency would cooperate and assist with any investigation by NSW Fair Trading.