Hawke's Bay real estate agency owner Simon Tremain has been ordered to pay a $750 penalty and copped a censure for unsatisfactory conduct in the selling of his family's bach in Waipatiki.
The complainants said Mr Tremain did not disclose he was the joint owner of the property he was
selling, did not disclose a water damage issue in the downstairs studio, and provided misleading information regarding the studio and decking.
The property was sold on September 11, 2009. The complainants argued they were not informed Mr Tremain had a "1/8th" interest in the property sale, although his name featured on the certificate of title and the sale and purchase agreement. Mr Tremain stated in a September 27 email this year that, although he had not intentionally misled anyone, he acknowledged he could have been more thorough in his "notes, statements and contract clauses". The realtor had earlier appealed the decision.
While he had told the buyers it could get damp during winter, the committee considered the buyers had been misled.
The property's studio, advertised as self-contained, was also an issue despite a signed agreement between the parties which acknowledged it did not have a council permit.
