A real estate agent who was put on suspension after acquiring an elderly man’s house, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, for a price significantly lower than its worth, is facing demands for a permanent ban from the industry.
Eser Property director Rachelle Nohra was handed a 12-month licence suspension and $11,000 fine by the NSW Fair Trading Commissioner.
The western Sydney-based agent denied she took advantage of the 82-year-old retiree who was living with alcohol problems and a form of dementia.
In April 2023, she acquired the property for $600,000, despite a neighboring house being sold for $1.1 million just a month prior, suggesting she paid at least $500,000 below market value.
Ms Nohra sought to overrule the suspension; however, lost a review in the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal last week.
The judgement has sparked widespread backlash, with many Aussies believing Ms Nohra’s punishment was too lenient.
Tenancy advocate Jordan van den Lamb, known as Purple Pingers, argues that the punishment should have been harsher, though he expresses no surprise at the current outcome.
‘It’s a slap of a wrist,’ he told Daily Mail.
Aussies have expressed outrage over the punishment handed down to Rachelle Nohra
Rachelle Nohra is a director of Eser Property (pictured) in Sydney’s west
‘She should have never been able to work in the industry again. What she did was wrong on so many levels.
‘But it’s more indicative of the industry itself.’
Mr van den Lamb called on governments to intervene with tougher regulations.
‘Housing has become commodified and there is nothing much authorities can do unless it becomes decommodified,’ he said.
‘Real estate agents will continue to misuse that trust unless the government fixes the housing crisis.
Other Aussies agreed that Ms Nohra got off lightly, taking to social media to share their disapproval.
‘She shouldn’t be allowed back into real estate,’ one person commented.
Another commented: ‘Her license should have been revoked at the minimum. In addition, she should have been compelled to sell the house at market value and return the difference gained through deceit to the man.’
Tenancy advocate Jordan van den Lamb led the backlash over the lenient sentence
A third wrote: ‘$11,000 fine for a $500,000 windfall. This cannot be serious.’
Others demanded Ms Nohra sell up and pay back the remaining value of the home to the man.
‘How about it gets taken off her? Sold and give the money to Alzheimer’s research,’ one wrote.
Another added: ‘This seems really unjust. How is this man going to pay for his care?’
Ms Nohra held power of attorney over the self-funded retiree, with whom she had a personal friendship, and he relied on her to manage his finances.
He agreed to sell the property on the condition he could remain there for as long as he needed, but the agent failed to secure that right.
This left him at risk of a 90-day eviction, meaning he could have been forced to find alternative accommodation within three months.
Senior member Lachlan Bryant from the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal remarked last week: ‘Ms. Nohra’s conviction that buying the property under such conditions was appropriate is seriously troubling.’
Rachelle Nohra tried to have the Fair Tading ruling overturned, claiming that she was still a ‘fit and proper person’ to work as a real estate agent
‘(Her) conduct may put the real estate industry into disrepute and falls short of the community’s expectations of a licence holder.’
Nevertheless, Mr. Bryant decided against applying a stricter penalty, as requested by Fair Trading, which would have involved entirely revoking her license and barring her from real estate activities for three years.
He ruled that a bigger punishment would be ‘too harsh’, citing that her misconduct was carried out in a personal capacity, rather than a professional one.
Eser Property’s website remains online with current listings for both sale and rent and boasts having more than 1,000 happy clients.
It has taken down its social media accounts.
‘Established in 2017, Eser Property has grown a reputation for honesty, excellence and results for each and every one of our clients,’ its website states.
‘The team at Eser Property believe communication and attention to detail is the core of success and continue to provide the community with a quality, boutique agency who treats each individual with the integrity they deserve.’
Daily Mail has contacted Ms Nohra and Eser Property for comment.
