Wayne Rumble: Canberra real estate identity guilty of working unregistered, faces possible jail stint
Canberra real estate veteran Wayne Rumble, who has previously served jail time, worked unregistered for more than a year despite.
Canberra Star
Don't miss out on the headlines from Canberra Star. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- ANU’s John XXIII College to pay $420k over woman’s rape
- Bikie death: Canberra police make arrests over Comanchero’s killing
- Duntroon cadet sacked from military after sex attacks on campus
Veteran Canberra real estate identity Wayne Stephen Rumble faces another possible stint behind bars after he admitted he worked as an unregistered real estate salesman for more than a year.
Rumble, 55, of Evatt, pleaded guilty in the ACT Magistrates Court on Friday to working as an unregistered real estate salesman, despite repeated warnings he was breaking the law.
Rumble owned the business name for Rumbles Real Estate and was employed as a salesman by registered agent Karen Lamaro, court documents show, when the ACT Fair Trading Commissioner in 2017 put the business under administration.
Rumble’s registration was cancelled in March 2018, when the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal ruled he was a “disqualified person”, prompting the company’s administrator to sack him, direct him to have nothing to do with the business and to direct all inquiries to Ms Lamaro.
Rumble has admitted to ignoring the administrator’s direction, and court documents show he drove an SUV with agency branding, handed out his company business card, and organised open homes, while disqualified. He arranged the lease of a townhouse in Yarralumla as well as a flat in Bruce, according to court documents.
In September 2018, the administrator wrote to Rumble saying he knew he was working for the business, despite “numerous direct, written and verbal instructions not to”.
Rumble, in entering his plea, admitted “he was not authorised to conduct duties as a real estate salesperson” without being licensed.
Rumble became re-registered as a real estate salesman in March 2019.
Rumble has previously served jail time for holding a “Japanese style combat knife” to the face of a process server.
He has also previously been found guilty, without conviction, for working as an unregistered real estate salesman.
Rumble’s case, which carries a six month maximum jail term, returns to court for sentencing in September.