Sydney real estate: Kim Sarkin and the many multimillion-dollar homes he has rented
The Sydney Morning Herald logo
Advertisement
By his own admission, Kim Sarkin has been struggling to get on his feet financially since he arrived in Australia more than 18 months ago. Not that you would know it from his choice of real estate.<br>Since Sarkin and his wife, Hayley, left New Zealand with their three children in tow, they have rented seven multimillion-dollar properties in some of Sydney’s most expensive suburbs – and defaulted on the rent on all of them.<br>In a bid to recoup their losses, half a dozen of those landlords have resorted to legal action, taking their claims for more than $100,000 in unpaid rent to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT). In the process, they have revealed allegations of fake references and doctored receipts for purported rent and bond payments.
The many luxury homes of serial renter Kim Sarkin.Chris FowlerSarkin, a data and AI governance specialist from South Africa, acknowledged the payment orders by NCAT this week.
Advertisement
“We plan to pay them all back once we’re on our feet, so I am trying to get my financial situation under control,” he said. “It’s not like I set out to create a problem. These things have happened, which is really unfortunate. There was never any intent to harm these people.”<br>In follow-up correspondence, Sarkin’s lawyer reiterated that Sarkin planned to repay the charges, but denied assertions that he had doctored payment receipts.<br>“Mr Sarkin rejects any inference that he is living the high life by reason of residing in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. He is doing the best for his family under difficult economic circumstances.”
Kim and Hayley Sarkin pictured in an Instagram post with their children.InstagramJust how difficult was not disclosed in Sarkin’s rental applications. When Sarkin arrived in Sydney, his business consultancy in New Zealand had recently been placed in receivership, and soon after it was ordered into liquidation by the Auckland High Court, owing almost $NZ1 million ($820,000) in unpaid taxes. He has since declared himself bankrupt in New Zealand.
Advertisement
Sarkin’s first known landlord in Sydney wasn’t aware of that. When Sarkin took the keys to a four-bedroom semi in Bondi, the landlord was simply told he worked for Woolworths, and a relative of Hayley Sarkin’s was given as a referee.<br>Two months later, the family were evicted for not paying the rent.
Kim Sarkin is a lead data adviser at consultancy TrustWorks 360.TrustWorks 360PRD Perez Real Estate’s Daniel Moddel, one of the few agents who secured a bond and three weeks’ rent on behalf of his client, said one of the issues facing Sarkin’s landlords is a backlog of cases before NCAT.<br>Hearing dates that once took a few weeks now take months, which means Sarkin has been able to live at some luxury houses for three months or more before being forced to pack up the family home, three kids and two poodles.
Advertisement
Moddel would know. Early last year, he rented the Sarkins a fully furnished house in Vaucluse with four bedrooms and ocean views for about $2600 a week. Sarkin’s children were enrolled at a nearby independent private school.
The first Vaucluse house rented by Kim Sarkin before he defaulted on $23,400 in rent.DomainModdel secured the bond and three weeks’ rent, but that was it. Sarkin then agreed to vacate the property in March, but didn’t.<br>According to Moddel, a warrant for possession was sought the following month.<br>By the time the sheriff turned up on May 1, the family of five had moved out, owing $23,400 in rent.
Advertisement
Meanwhile, the Sarkins had moved to a larger house with a pool next door.<br>NCAT documents lodged by the landlord claim the payment receipts were not genuine and that Sarkin “provided false information/references regarding his previous tenancy”.
The Vaucluse house Kim Sarkin moved to after he was evicted from the place next door.DomainNext stop was Bronte, where Sarkin signed a lease for a five-bedroom house in walking distance of the beach. The lease included a bond of $11,600 and monthly rent of $12,600, equating to about $3000 a week.<br>It wasn’t paid. The landlord told NCAT that she was told by Sarkin he had sent the more than $24,000, at which point he was given the keys. She’s still waiting for the money.
Advertisement
“This is having a huge financial impact on me, and I am unable to re-let the property until the tenant has vacated,” she said.<br>Despite Sarkin’s mounting debts, his taste in real estate only improved. Last August, the Sarkins moved to a newly built house with a pool in Rose Bay.
Kim Sarkin moved into this Rose Bay house in August last year and is yet to pay the rent.DomainThe NCAT record shows termination orders were sought almost a month later. “No rent has been received at all, despite numerous promises.”<br>Eviction orders were granted in late September, at which point the Sarkins moved to a five-bedroom house...