Skulduggery, insult claims: Real estate agents face music

David Beiszer. Photo / Supplied

A host of badly behaved real estate agents have come before a new disciplinary tribunal - from one who allegedly stole money from an elderly widow to an agent whose foul-mouthed rant on Facebook went unpunished.

Other cases have involved a convicted burglar, a dispute involving a bitter marriage breakup, a forgery case and alleged foul insults by an agency boss against his office manager.

In some cases, the agents defended themselves and denied allegations but in others they admitted offences and were barred from the industry.

The Real Estate Agents Authority forwards many cases to the disciplinary tribunal, which has wider powers and also hears appeals against agents' licence rejections.

David Wayne Beiszer, who has worked as an agent for Bayleys and Harcourts in Cambridge and Matamata, faced a disgraceful conduct charge after posting a comment on Facebook about a colleague's appearance on a TV current affairs show.

"Hand on heart, yes I did watch!" he wrote. "Your vendor seems like a c**ksmoker proper, he didn't have the decency to thank the folks who gave him their home yet he's ... grown the cahones to front up now he's looking to make 3 or 4 million - nice publicity stunt. A shame Close Up didn't tell Mr Vendor to go f*** himself."

The tribunal said it was powerless to censure Mr Beiszer for the comments because they were not made in relation to real estate agency work he was carrying out.

The case stunned real estate insiders, who were surprised he was not punished.

Bayleys promoted Mr Beiszer as brilliant with words, saying how he came to NZ via northern California, where he grew up, the son of a Kiwi and an American Navy pilot.

Mr Beiszer did not deny writing the comment but said he never intended it to be public. He explained personal pressures he was under.

Agent Patrick William Walker, who allegedly took more than $160,000 from elderly Edith South of Reefton, went before the tribunal and was banned from the sector. His case became public this month.

Mad Butcher chief executive Michael Morton felt sorry for her and offered to pay her rent for the next five years or buy a home for her to live in, rent free, for the rest of her life.

A bitter, matrimonial dispute compounded by money and dishonesty allegations went to the tribunal when Maree Joan Brady complained about Lindsay James Dodd. The couple married in July 2004 but she claimed he forged her signature on loan documents, borrowing more than a million dollars without her knowledge.

Mr Dodd challenged the claims, telling the tribunal Ms Brady knew about the loans. He denied the forgery and said he had signed with her consent. But the tribunal suspended him from working as an agent for a year.

Joseph Gerard Brankin, a licensee, director and branch manager at Darfield's Matson & Allan Real Estate, was accused by employee Rosemary Anne Smith of harassing, bullying and intimidating her, eventually forcing her to leave.

She claimed he referred to her as "Hindenburg, a f***** looney, a load of s***, f****** fat thing, the elephant and a queer bitch".

She also complained that he said "I'll get stuck into her and when the time is right ill get rid of the f***** load of s***". The tribunal sent the case back to the Real Estate Agents Authority for a rehearing.

The tribunal dismissed an appeal brought by Carol Laurie Hodgson against agent Paul Arnold, who was selling her father's house.

She complained about him advertising the place as "Empty Must Sell", failing to arrive at an open home, failing to put up open-home flags, telling buyers her price expectations were unreasonable and leaving the property unsecured.

An unnamed agent was accused of lying about numbers at open homes, continuing to advertise the place for sale after an agency ended and locking a man into a three-month exclusive contract by introducing a buyer, "Jo", who was not genuine.

Names of the parties involved were to be kept secret, the tribunal decided.

Aaron Timothy Little appealed against the authority refusing to renew his licence. At 22, he was convicted of aggravated burglary but the tribunal upheld the authority's refusal.

For full details of the tribunal's decisions, click here.

TRIBUNAL CASES

* David Beiszer, who has worked for Bayleys and Harcourts: Posted abusive Facebook comments.

* Patrick Walker, The Professionals: Allegedly stole $160,000 from Reefton widow Edith South. Police are investigating.

* Lindsay Dodd, Harraway Brown Christchurch: Ex-wife accused him of $1 million loan-document forgeries.

* Joe Brankin, Matson & Allen, Darfield: Allegedly called office manager "a f****** looney, a load of s***, f***** fat thing".

* Aaron Little: Convicted of aggravated burglary, failed in an appeal against licence rejection.