Scammed By Fake Landlord in Sydney - Help!

suicine94 on 28/04/2016 - 21:27
Last edited 29/04/2016 - 01:05 by 1 other user

My friend just told me this, and I need some help in finding options of what to do.

This guy rented a few places in Sydney and then sub rented it out to about 30 people.

All this time they all thought he was the landlord, until the real estate agent came and told them that this guy is a tenant.He is behind in rent, so the agent has to take the house back.

The fake landlord then disappeared with everyone's bond and prepaid rent.(all cash transaction).

Now my friend has his real name,id number,and a letter from the casino that shows he self excluded himself because of a serious gambling problem.

So now what are the options for these people since the agent is going to deactivate the keys and have given them 7 days to leave.

Each person is scammed about $800 to $1200. There are evidence like emails and messages from the guy confirming that he was given the deposit.

Some of the options I thought of is

  • Squatting at the house
  • Telling this story to the police and provide the all documents they have of the situation

I'm not even good in this field so coming here to see what other peoples view of this is, and if there are options available for situations like this.

Thank you

Home & Garden

Comments

    • suicine94 on 29/04/2016 - 08:54

      Thanks it's a useful page and has legal aid maybe.

  • oscargamer on 28/04/2016 - 21:51
    +2

    option 2

  • avgbowlofpho on 28/04/2016 - 21:53

    Option 1

    Lol.

  • danield on 28/04/2016 - 21:53
    +9

    I'm surprised that this matter hasn't been taken directly to the police.. surely that should be your first point of call.

  • abh_gup on 28/04/2016 - 22:30
    +1

    Google the mobile number.
    Report this to the police.
    It may be a hard Bet to get anything back from the gambler.
    Best of luck.

  • Flowerbomb on 28/04/2016 - 22:44
    +3

    Option one is illegal and self damaging. Option two should be your first and immediate choice. I'm surprised you waited so long and even have time to ask on a forum, when your first place to go should be the police station.

  • Vampyr on 28/04/2016 - 23:34
    +3

    Bikies.

    • [Deactivated] on 29/04/2016 - 16:02
      +1

      It's the only option

  • MustacheFire on 28/04/2016 - 23:50
    +1

    Police. Squatting won't help the situation

  • sparkles on 29/04/2016 - 01:32

    Can I just say, this is like the lowest of the low. Effectively stealing from people who need a roof over their heads is just despicable.

    Another loser in the situation is the landlord who now has this mess to clean up. The real estate agent would have to have all his details, they would have reference checked him before letting him lease a property. They technically should be able to assist, although I'm sure they'll quote privacy laws and this guy runs off to the casino scott free with everyone's cash. Chances are the money is already gone. The only way to move forward is via the police in the hope he gets charged, I doubt you'll recover the money.

  • Mumbles on 29/04/2016 - 02:51

    Talking to the Police should be your first port of call.

    I feel for you OP. A similar thing happened to my brother. Unfortunately, the other tenant was addicted to casino gambling. The problem was hidden so long because the gambler was usually the quickest to answer the house phone and check the mailbox.

    After the incident my brother stopped being lazy with putting his name on the rental agreement. Made sure that everybody's name was on the rental agreement and whenever a new housemate moved in he asked the landlord/agent to amend the rental agreement with the updated names.

  • TheMoDz on 29/04/2016 - 17:31

    I dont think the people that got scammed got any hold of the property at all.

  • suicine94 on 30/04/2016 - 19:52

    So if the people decide to squat there whst will happen? Ive seen stories where its really hard to remove squatters cosnthe law protects them…. so how to squat properly? Does leaving your stuff there when you not in the house help? Cos my friends dont wana cause any trouble they just want to get their money's worth from the bond they lost. Staying till june is enough

    • klftpg on 01/05/2016 - 11:56

      Unfortunately squatting in the residence isn't going to affect the fake landlord - BUT, it will affect the real ones, who have also had to endure what the tenants have been through (lost money). Is it really fair to squat in their property when they've not played any part in this idiot's actions??

  • Euphemistic on 01/05/2016 - 19:15

    Can the tenants pay up some rent in good faith to stay there a while longer while the issue is sorted out?

    • suicine94 on 02/05/2016 - 10:15

      Nope. The fake landlord not in contact so not gona get sorted.

      • Euphemistic on 02/05/2016 - 12:47

        Maybe you misunderstood what I meant. What about the tenants talking direct to the estate agent, the agent may have an interst in maintaining good tenants while chasing the dodgy guy.

  • Pumpkin_rrr on 02/05/2016 - 10:55

    Wow, this is amazing. The guy rented "a few places" and sub rented to "about 30" people! What a Scum.

    Are these with the same Property Agent? Either way, how did he pass the checks? Surely he would have placed some bonds to which the Agent can recover from him, although unsure if it's sufficient to cover the rent. But then again, the Agents should have given him notice when his rent is due…..

    I feel for the Owners, hopefully they have Landlord Insurance.

    Agree with what the others say, it's a police matter, and the more details you can supply the better.
    And have a conversation to the Agents, and make sure they convey the message to the Owners.
    Both Sub-tenants and Owners are victims.

    This country does have a lot of legislation protecting tenants, but only if you ARE tenants in the legal sense. Your friend does not have his name on the Lease so sadly he probably has no direct access to the Tenancy body. Worth a try just to get some advice.

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