Who is Albert Wong? Newtown boarding house owner’s property investments revealed

A millionaire who owns the Newtown boarding house where three people died owns at least six other properties — one of which was torched by a resident three years ago. See the map.

Homicide detectives have spoken to a Malaysian-born property millionaire after the Newtown boarding house he owns was destroyed by fire, killing three boarders.

It is the second fire at one of Albert Wong’s seven boarding houses, with a boarder jailed three years ago for torching a nine-bedroom property he owns in Eighth Ave, Campsie, The Daily Telegraph can reveal.

Detectives backed by officers from the Raptor Squad visited Mr Wong at a home in Sylvania on Wednesday evening, where they seized documents and electronic devices which will be forensically examined.

117 Probert Street, Newtown went up in flames earlier this week. Three people died, and police are still searching the rubble for bodies. Picture: John Grainger

One of his companies, A&J Wong Holdings Pty Ltd, has owned the 14-bedroom boarding house in Probert Street, Newtown, since 2011, when it was bought it for $800,000.

The local Inner West Council said it had a current fire compliance certificate.

There is no suggestion that the businessman had anything to do with the fire which destroyed the property in the early hours of Tuesday, and he has not been charged with any wrongdoing.

One of the occupants, Richard Hotoran, 45, has been charged with three counts of murder and arson and remanded in custody.

Before it was allegedly torched, Vajda House was a 14-bedroom boarding house owned by Mr Wong.

In September 2019, boarders at the Campsie property were evacuated during the night after one of them, a man aged 62, became involved in an argument and set his room at the back of the premises on fire. No one was injured but the unit was destroyed.

The man was jailed and there is no suggestion Mr Wong was involved.

Mr Wong’s property portfolio is concentrated on Sydney’s inner city and inner west, including Petersham, Stanmore, Enmore and Newtown, where he is guaranteed of a steady flow of tenants as rental prices soar.

They are all registered as boarding houses with NSW Fair Trading.

All seven of the properties are believed to be held in trust by his private superannuation fund and Mr Wong lives off the rental income. Similar rooms in boarding houses rent for around $200 a week.

“He bought them to live off the rent, not to develop them,” a source said.

An underbidder for the Campsie property — which Mr Wong bought in August 2014 for $1,281,000 — said the place used to be “beautiful” but had become shabby.

36 Eighth Ave, Campsie, was bought by Albert Wong in August 2014 for $1,281,000. Picture: Julian Andrews

Most of them were bought between 2011 and 2014, for a total of $4,944,000, but would be worth at least 10 times that much today.

They were all already operating as boarding houses, most of them formerly beautiful old buildings.

Number 3 Fisher Street, Petersham is a nine-room Victorian property. Picture: Julian Andrews

Number 3 Fisher Street, Petersham had been advertised as a “Registered Money Spinner with upside. Excellent opportunity to purchase a substantial Victorian home consisting of 9 rooms. Presently registered as boarding house.”

Mr Wong’s property at 2 Russell St, Granville, with seven bedrooms and one bathroom, was built in 1880.

The house at Eighth Ave, Campsie, with three bathrooms was advertised as being suitable to accommodate up to 18 people: “Excellent return on investment,” the blurb said.

Mr Wong also owns a sprawling seven-bedroom five-bathroom home at Cherrybrook which is believed to be the family home.

Police with Strike Force Tutt, set up to investigate Tuesday’s blaze, had not spoken to Mr Wong until they visited his house at 6.45pm on Wednesday.

“Investigations under Strike Force Tutt continue,” police said in a statement.