Renters, buyers baulk at crime scene residences

THE scenes of some of Brisbane’s most grisly crimes are now on the rental market. But are prospective tenants interested?

LESS than a year ago they were crime scenes, but now two Brisbane homes linked to separate grisly murders are up for rent once more.

Property records show the Teneriffe apartment where Markus Volke murdered his wife Mayang Prasetyo was listed for rent at the start of the month.

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The online listing, which has since been taken down, advertised the unit as a fully furnished apartment with a weekly rent of about $500.

In October last year police were called to the address and found human remains in garbage bags and boiling in chemicals.

Teneriffe murder victim Mayang Prasetyo.

Marcus Volke, pictured as a teenager, murdered and dismembered Mayang Prasetyo before killing himself.

It is believed the apartment is still available for rent through private inquiry with the company managing the building.

But the property is not the only former crime scene to be listed on the rental market.

In Norman Park, the house where mother Anthea Mari was allegedly murdered while her children slept in August last year is also up for rent.

Interior of the Teneriffe apartment from the rental listing.

Advertising the residence for over $400 a week, the listing - removed on Friday - said any potential tenants must speak to the property manager before inspecting.

Earlier this week the Sydney apartment where Simon Gittany murdered Lisa Harnum failed to sell at auction, passing in after attracting one registered bidder.

The property, at the time rented by Gittany, was expected to sell for more than $2 million.

The Norman Park home where Anthea Mari was allegedly murdered while her children slept.

A spokesman for the Office of Fair Trading said real estate agents had to disclose information about a home’s criminal history if the buyer or tenant “would reasonably expect to be made aware of it if it might affect their decision as to whether or not to purchase the property”.

“When considering what information to disclose to potential buyers, an agent must not represent anything that is false or misleading in relation to the property,” he said.

“‘False or misleading’ includes any wilful concealment of a material fact.

“Certain criminal acts or other off-putting events may be considered ‘material facts’.”

The kitchen of the Norman Park home.

A Facebook picture of victim Anthea Mari.

In the real estate industry, homes that buyers or tenants avoid because of factors other than its quality and features are known as stigamtized properties.

But Real Estate Institute of Queensland CEO Antonia Mercorella said agents should err on the side of caution and disclose a known stigma when it was relevant.

“If the stigma relates directly to the property itself and it would affect a potential buyer or tenant’s decision to proceed with the transaction, the agent should make a full disclosure up-front,” she said.

View from the apartment in Sydney’s Liverpool where Lisa Harnum was murdered by her fiance Simon Gittany.

CCTV footage shows Lisa Harnum struggling with her fiance Simon Gittany before she was slain.

“An agent may also engage in misleading or deceptive conduct by silence and by omitting to disclose relevant material facts, however if it’s an immaterial fact that’s irrelevant to the transaction there’s no duty of disclosure.

“Agents in Queensland are also bound by a code of conduct which requires them to act honestly, fairly and professionally in their real estate dealings.”