Two Kelowna realtors hit with $20,000 fine

Two realtors in Kelowna have agreed that they committed professional misconduct and will jointly pay a $20,000 fine after a failed deal in the spring of 2018.

At that time, Geoffrey Weston Hays and Krista Lee Marble were representatives of RLK Realty Ltd., doing business as Royal LePage and, along with their team, were known as Geoff Hays & Associates.

The complaint came from the buyer in the failed sale of a two-storey townhome on Yates Road in Kelowna, states the ruling from the Real Estate Council of B.C. that was released today, Oct. 7.

It was in March 2018, when the team went to work for the seller who said her husband was 80 years old, lived in a care facility and wanted to downsize.

She said she held his power of attorney but the realtors did not check the documents thoroughly. It turns out it was the other way around, the husband held the power of attorney over his wife.

The husband did not have the capacity to sign papers agreeing to the sale so the deal fell through.

The realtors, who have held licences since 2014 and 2017, said this was the first time they had dealt with a sale involving a power of attorney agreement.

Hays and Marble are to jointly pay a $20,000 disciplinary fine within six months, take required training courses and pay $1,500 in expenses.

If they fail to comply, their licences could be suspended or cancelled.

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