Daughter at Stockdale & Leggo agency caught up in father disqualification fallout

A Doncaster East estate agent will have her licence suspended and, with her company, pay a total fine of $5,000 to the Victorian Property Fund, after she and the company both accepted that they had knowingly employed a disqualified person as an agent’s representative.

Danielle Talia, 34, of Doncaster East, was the sole director and secretary of Bond’s Real Estate Sales Pty Ltd (ACN: 050 139 305), which formerly traded as Stockdale and Leggo Doncaster – Templestowe.

Danielle Talia was present at a 2010 hearing at which her father, John Michael Talia, was made permanently ineligible to hold an estate agent’s licence or act as an agent’s representative.

Despite knowing about her father’s disqualification, Ms Talia employed him in September 2012.

In late 2015 and early 2016, John Michael Talia was present at three auctions, where he acted in a manner consistent with an agent’s representative. He also held a company credit card and remained as a signatory on the company accounts.

In February this year, he was found guilty of contempt of the orders made against him in 2010.

Danielle Talia and Bond’s Real Estate Sales accepted that they had failed to comply with Victoria’s estate agent laws by employing Mr Talia following his permanent disqualification.

Ms Talia’s licence will be suspended for 12 months from when Bond’s Real Estate Sales surrenders its licence. Prior to the suspension commencing, she must:

• not act as a licensed estate agent or agent’s representative for a period of 12 months following from when Bond's Real Estate Sales surrenders its licence
• complete a Real Estate Institute of Victoria (REIV) course relating to the identification of legal and ethical requirements of property sales to complete work.

Bond’s Real Estate Sales has agreed to hand in its licence once all outstanding settlements have been finalised, or before 31 December 2017, whichever is earlier.

In February this year at a hearing at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) John Michael Talia, 62, of Heidelberg West, was found:

• to have engaged in unlicensed trading, and 
• guilty of failing to comply with a previous VCAT ruling banning him from holding an estate agent’s licence or acting as an agent’s representative. 

In 2008, Mr Talia received a three-year jail term for obtaining property by deception, following a conviction at the County Court of Victoria.

In 2010, VCAT permanently disqualified Mr Talia from being an estate agent’s representative or holding an estate agent’s licence, ruling that he was not of good character and not a fit and proper person to do so. 

In September 2015, Consumer Affairs Victoria staff visited the office of Bond's Real Estate Sales Pty Ltd (ACN: 050 139 305) – trading as Stockdale & Leggo Doncaster Templestowe – as part of a routine inspection, where they established that Mr Talia was present at the premises. 

Our inspectors also covertly attended three auctions in 2015 and 2016, where Mr Talia was present and displayed behaviour typical of an estate agent or agent’s representative, such as giving out business cards stating him as the general manager and offering information about the properties.