A former property manager who fraudulently obtained more than A$187,000 from renters, landlords and her employer is facing a 10-year industry ban in New South Wales.
Sarah-Jane Watts pleaded guilty to two offences after investigators found she diverted more than A$151,800 from Ewing Real Estate’s rental trust account in Gunnedah, about 436km north-west of Sydney, as well as approximately A$35,400 in rental bonds.
The offending took place between 2 March 2022 and 15 July 2024, when Watts used 162 transactions to transfer money into six personal bank accounts under her control.
NSW Fair Trading said the funds were spent on everyday lifestyle costs, including food, visits to pubs, hairdresser appointments and holidays. Investigators found she concealed the payments by submitting fraudulent landlord disbursements among legitimate payments made in the middle and at the end of each month.
The activity was first detected by Fair Trading’s Rental Bond team, part of the NSW Rental Taskforce, after it identified suspicious transactions and referred the matter for investigation.
Watts was sentenced at Gunnedah Local Court on 23 April 2026 to a 12-month community sentence under strict supervision by Community Corrections. She was also ordered to pay A$35,399.23 to the Rental Bond Board, A$100,000 to Ewing Real Estate and A$750 in professional costs.
Ewing Real Estate had already compensated affected clients. The agency and its principal, Jarad Ewing, have since entered into enforceable undertakings with NSW Fair Trading requiring additional staff training, stronger auditing procedures and a contribution to the NSW Consumer Law Fund.
Watts surrendered her real estate licence before sentencing. NSW Fair Trading is now seeking to disqualify her from working in the property industry for 10 years, saying her conduct was deliberate, repeated and posed a significant risk to consumers and the integrity of the real estate sector.
NSW Rental Commissioner Trina Jones said real estate agents handled substantial sums on behalf of consumers and that maintaining public trust was essential.
“Any agents who breach the rules will face serious consequences,” she said.
