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Trusted Housesitter Rents Out Couple's Luxury Home in Scam
13 Nov
Summary
- Housesitter Jae Samra rented out Swanbourne couple's home to an Estonian stranger
- Couple discovered the scam when finding a signed 3-page lease agreement
- Aussie House Sitters banned Samra for life and urged owners to contact police
In September 2025, a Swanbourne couple in Perth, Australia, had entrusted their regular dogsitter, Jae Samra, to look after their home and their groodle Gus while they were away on holiday. However, Samra had other plans - he secretly rented out the couple's luxury property to an Estonian visitor.
The scam was discovered when the couple's partner, Jackie Bolt, found a signed three-page lease agreement listing Kony J Samra as the lessor and an Estonian man as the tenant. The lease stipulated a $1,500 payment over three weeks, with the tenant expected to vacate by October 18, 2025.
Confronted by the couple, the tenant claimed Samra had presented himself as the homeowner and said the owners were away on holiday. Samra had even brought Gus and two other dogs to the property during the tenant's stay.
Aussie House Sitters, the platform where the couple had found Samra, immediately deactivated his account and banned him for life. The company's managing director, Nick Fuad, said this was the first incident of its kind in the platform's 21-year history and urged the owners to contact the police.
As of November 13, 2025, the couple is still dealing with the aftermath of the betrayal of their trust, but the housesitting platform is taking steps to ensure such incidents do not happen again.
