Family of ‘Australia’s worst landlord’ in court over costly legal drama

The relatives of ‘Australia’s worst landlord’ are embroiled in a costly legal dispute over Frank Cassar’s estate, admitting in court to forging his will after he died.

The ‘worst landlord’ had a vast estate, mostly rental properties covering half an acre in Fitzroy.

The family of Australia’s worst landlord has admitted in court to forging his will after he died, handing his eldest son an estate worth $15m.

But Frank Cassar’s partner and four children have fallen into a bitter dispute a decade after their deception.

His partner of 30-years, Sandra, now admits she bought a will kit from a newsagent weeks after Frank’s sudden heart attack in 2011 on discovering he didn’t have one.

Convinced by their eldest son Michael that she “better organise something” because the tax department was “gonna take everything”, Michael — who had a “good credit rating”—- was named sole beneficiary of seven Fitzroy properties and the family’s Kew house.

The vast estate was made up of mostly rental properties covering half an acre in Fitzroy for which Frank, 60, faced dozens of civil court actions and claims of threatening and intimidating his tenants.

He earned the title ‘Australia’s worst landlord’ after racking up nine convictions, 45 civil judgments and $50,000 in fines.

Years after the 2011 will forgery, Frank’s estate still hadn’t split up between the family as promised and Michael evicted his mum and siblings from their home, was charged with assaulting his sister’s boyfriend and threatened his mum she’d be “out on the street from your dog shit attitude” if she didn’t remove caveats from the Fitzroy properties.

On a disability pension with only a car to her name, Sandra, 65, went to the Supreme Court confessing she forged the will and called for it to be torn up.

The court heard Michael pressured his younger sister Teresa to write their father’s signature on the will kit, saying, “Well when we lose everything it’s your fault”.

Two handwriting experts analysed the signature Teresa said she traced on a window pane at the family’s Fitzroy panel beating shop, as her mother urged her get it “right” because the kit “cost $20 or $30”.

Michael told the court he was “very shocked” and “very disappointed” by his mother and sister’s evidence, and called for their “outlandish” allegations to be rejected.

Frank “purportedly” signed over his entire estate to Michael in the midst of a six-year estrangement following fights about money.

Supreme Court judge Steven Moore labelled the whole sorry saga as “scandalous”.

After a six-day trial last year, he found that Sandra and Teresa had “directly implicate(d) themselves in a conspiracy to produce a fraudulent will at the instigation of Michael”.

“I have a clear conviction that the very serious claims made by Sandra and Teresa about how the will came to be produced are true. I accept their evidence.” Justice Moore said.

The judge revoked the will, finding it was a forgery produced after Frank’s death, and last week granted Sandra as his administrator.