A dissatisfied real estate manager claims that her business has received over 170 complaints in the past five years as a result of being “unfairly” targeted by “online trolls.”
This week, the director of Assured Rent Real Estate in Campbelltown, southwest Sydney, Britney Kraus, criticized NSW Fair Trading for placing her company under severe compliance monitoring.
Since 2017, her real estate agency has received 171 complaints to Fair Trading from both tenants and landlords.
Additional 91 complaints were filed against Ms. Kraus over the same time frame.
Assured Rent Real Estate Director Britney Kraus (above) stated that her business received over 170 complaints from “online trolls.”
Assured Rent Real Estate was found by Fair Trading NSW to have withheld rental money from property owners and failed to lodge rental bonds (shown, the agency’s storefront in Campbelltown).
Following an investigation by NSW Fair Trading, her agency was penalised for failing to file rental bonds, failing to complete trust account trial balances, and violating rules of conduct.
According to additional allegations to Fair Trading, she withheld rental money from landlords, withheld supply paperwork, and failed to pay water and strata costs, among other findings.
Ms. Kraus asserts, however, that the research failed to account for a potentially malevolent Facebook group of dissatisfied customers.
The small group was intended for agency “victims” to discuss their difficulties and compare their experiences.
Ms. Kraus stated that its members utilized the room to plot her company’s demise.
Ms. Kraus (above) said that a Facebook group ostensibly created to support the agency’s ‘victims’ is actually conspiring to harm her firm.
She stated in a statement received by the Daily Telegraph that the majority of complainants whose concerns were addressed by her office went on to file a formal complaint with the Fair Trading Commission.
We feel they are internet trolls seeking to inflict as much collateral harm as possible on our company.
“Assured Rent strives to operate at a high level of quality and is in compliance with the requirements of the undertaking.”
One irate former tenant created an Instagram account with 45 followers to target Ms. Kraus.
Since the creation of her page in 2021, Ms. Kraus has largely privatized her social media.
Ms. Kraus was the target of an Instagram account attack.
Ms. Kraus was ordered by NSW Fair Trading to pay a $4,000 fine and comply with an enforceable commitment until September 2024.
As part of this agreement, she will be required to comply with the Property Stock Agents Act and the Residential Tenancy Act and to report all received complaints and their resolutions.
Daily Mail Australia has sought feedback from Ms. Kraus.