Logan City estate agent fined $10,000 for rental trust account breaches

Logan City property agent Billie-Jean Wilson has been fined $10,000 and has had her resident letting agent licence suspended for five years after pleading guilty to making six unauthorised withdrawals from a trust account and on six occasions, failing to bank trust account money within the required timeframe, Queensland's Office of Fair Trading has reported.

Wilson's company, Symes Wilson Pty Ltd, was fined $5,000.

The fines were handed down by the Beenleigh Magistrates Court on September 7 for 24 breaches relating to a trust account.   

Wilson pleaded guilty on behalf of herself and Symes Wilson Pty Ltd after each was charged with 12 breaches of the Property Agents and Motor Dealers Act 2000 concerning the on-site management of Country Meadows estate in Loganholme.  

The court heard that between January 2010 and July 2011 Wilson made six unauthorised withdrawals from a trust account and on another six occasions failed to bank trust account money within the required timeframe.  

The court took into account that Wilson repaid the money taken and cooperated with the Office of Fair Trading’s investigation. Wilson was fined $10,000 and her resident letting agent licence was suspended for five years.  

No convictions were recorded.