A real estate sales representative who was convicted of extortion, assault and perverting the course of justice and then failed to inform Consumer Protection has been banned from working in the industry for 10 years by the State Administrative Tribunal. James Steven Mitsopoulos was deemed to be unfit to hold a certificate of registration which was cancelled. He was first registered in October...

With Commissioner for Consumer Protection Lanie Chopping After recent cyclones and storms there will be many Western Australians who have been cleaning-up and are now looking to fix property damage, such as roof or fence repairs. Although we haven’t had any reports of travelling conmen or unlicensed traders, we know the calm after the storm is often when they go door-to-door, offering cheap deals...

Wild weather across Western Australia has prompted Consumer Protection to issue advice to landlords and tenants about their rights and responsibilities when a rental property is damaged. Landlords and tenants are urged to make contact early and maintain open communication in the aftermath of extreme weather events such as storms, cyclones and flooding. Commissioner for Consumer Protection Lanie...

Failing to lodge bonds on time and inaccurate record-keeping has resulted in a Karratha real estate agent being ordered to pay $24,069 in fines and costs by the Perth Magistrates Court. Peard Real Estate Karratha collected bonds from six tenants in the Karratha region between September 2017 and January 2018, but failed to lodge them within 14 days as required by the Residential Tenancies Act. The...