Australian businessman Darren Misquitta accused of not paying childcare centre rent

A Melbourne businessman is being pursued by landlords for $9m after allegedly failing to pay the rent on a childcare centre.

Darren Misquitta, managing director of Sprint Capitol. Picture: Supplied

A Melbourne businessman is being pursued by landlords for $9m after allegedly failing to pay the rent on a childcare centre.

Entrepreneur Darren Misquitta’s Genius Learning ran a centre at 595 Collins St, Melbourne, which it leased from the building’s owners, a rich Hong Kong family.

Victorian Supreme Court documents show that in 2019 a company controlled by Mr Misquitta leased the space in the Collins St building from the Lo family, who own Hong Kong diamond importing business Foo Hang Jewellery.

In a lawsuit filed with the court in September, the Lo family allege Misquitta’s company stopped paying rent of $1m a year two years into the six year lease.

The Genius Learning Centre, in Collins St Melbourne. Picture: Supplied

The Misquitta company also allegedly stopped paying for 12 car parks in the building at around the same time.

The Lo family claims Mr Misquitta is on the hook to pay the bill because he gave a personal guarantee of the lease.

Through an Australian company, the Lo family claims to be owed a total of about $9m, made up of $4.8m in unpaid rent, $140,000 in unpaid parking fees, $3.87m in rent due to the end of the lease and $191,000 in parking fees due to the end of the lease.

On top of that, they also want the court to award them interest and their legal fees.

The Los told the court they demanded the rent and car park fees in a series of letters and emails their solicitors sent in May.

Inside the Genius Learning Centre in Melbourne. Picture: Supplied

On June 17 they re-entered the property and terminated the lease due to non-payment, the family said in its statement of claim, filed with the court.

Mr Misquitta is a business associate of “Lambo guy” Adrian Portelli, whose LMCT+ lottery business is under investigation by regulators in two states.

The pair are involved in Social Infrastructure Developments, a real estate company which owns parcels of land in Perth’s suburbs.

Mr Portelli, known as “Lambo guy” because of his love for fast cars, is involved through his private company, AJ Portelli Pty Ltd, while Mr Misquitta is involved through the finance group he founded, Sprint Capital Partners.

Social Infrastructure Developments is separate to LMCT+.

In December 2021, Genius sold 14 of its childcare centres to ASX-listed Mayfield Childcare for $39.2m.

Mr Misquitta could not be reached for comment.