A top real estate agent from Melbourne’s north has been dismissed and reported to Consumer Affairs Victoria over allegations he sold two properties to his partner without informing the owners of their relationship.
Former Ray White agent Hamza Ali was referred to the regulator in December last year, after the firm received an anonymous complaint he had negotiated the sale of a property in William Street, Fawkner, to his partner Hirani Nair.
A contract of sale, obtained by The Age, confirms Nair was named as the buyer and agreed to pay $720,000 for the property, which had been marketed with a price range of $700,000 to $750,000. Nair, who formerly worked as a criminal defence lawyer, appears to have signed the contract on March 31, 2025.
The block was subdivided and Nair had two townhouses built on it, according to property records, which also reveal she retained one, while the adjoining home was sold for $950,000 in January.
Ali, while still employed by Ray White, had spruiked the redevelopment on his Instagram account in November.
“Hamza Ali proudly presents this newly completed, bespoke family residence — where elegance, simplicity and refined craftsmanship meet modern family living,” Ali posted.
“A calming, contemporary palette sets the tone, with hardwood parquetry, gold-plated accents and pops of azure tiling adding just the right amount of personality. And no … the Porsche in the driveway is not included.”
Just months earlier, the couple had also been involved in the off-market sale of a deceased estate in Esther Court, Fawkner, which Ali had been commissioned to sell by the executor, according to marketing material and SMS messages obtained by this masthead.
An initial appraisal by Ali valued the property at between $700,000 and $750,000.
A contract of sale confirms Nair was named as the buyer of the house for $620,000 and appears to have signed the document on July 31, 2025.
On September 17, Nair registered a company called 3 Esther Court Pty Ltd with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and made herself sole director and shareholder.
However, the 27-year-old never settled on the property, which was transferred to another buyer who demolished the existing home and built two townhouses on the site.
This masthead does not suggest any wrongdoing by the purchaser of Esther Court, or the current owners.
Ali was dismissed by Ray White last year and in January joined rival firm Vicprop, where he and Nair were listed as directors.
Ali was appointed last month to sell the townhouses in Esther Court, and an application to subdivide the block was lodged with Merri-Bek City Council on July 28.
An Instagram video shared by Vicprop Coburg just days after the subdivision application was received by the council spruiked one of the townhouses as a brand-new four bedroom, two bathroom duplex “coming soon”.
“Turn key finish, single garage, tucked away in a quiet court at 3A Esther Court, Fawkner,” the post read.
The subdivision permit has since been approved by the council and 3A is now being advertised for sale with a price range of $950,000 to $1 million with Ali as the listed agent.
The transactions raise further concerns about whether some agents are not acting in the best interests of vendors, and the enforcement of laws that make it an offence to obtain a beneficial interest in a property they have been commissioned to sell.
An investigation by The Age last month revealed a small syndicate of rogue real estate agents within Raine and Horne Land Victoria had been accused of being involved in a contentious land “flipping” scheme that had allegedly deceived the owners of valuable land on the city’s fringes by undervaluing their lots and selling them to friends and business associates without the relationship being disclosed to the vendors.
The agents involved in that case firmly deny the allegations and claim to be the victims of a smear campaign.
Under section 55 of Victoria’s Estate Agents Act 1980, it is an offence for an estate agent or an agent’s representative to obtain a beneficial interest in a property that they have been commissioned to sell.
Although there are some exceptions to this requirement, agents need to meet a number of strict conditions, including obtaining the vendor’s consent and accepting no commission on the sale.
The law is designed to prevent conflicts of interest, such as where an agent sells a property to themselves, or a friend or family member, at a bargain price. The maximum penalty is almost $49,000 or up to two years’ jail.
This masthead is not suggesting that Ali breached the Estate Agents Act, only that he is under investigation following allegations he did so.
A spokesman for Ray White confirmed that Ali was dismissed on December 10, with the firm making a complaint about his conduct to Consumer Affairs Victoria on December 19. Ray White Coburg also agreed to waive its commission on the sale of the Esther Court property.
“Authorities were subsequently provided with contracts of sale, trust account records, payment records, property searches and other supporting documents as part of the investigation,” the spokesman said.
“As the matter is with CAV, Ray White is unable to make any further comment.”
Ali declined to answer questions when contacted by The Age and abruptly ended the phone call.
“I think you’ve got the wrong information all along,” he said. “If you do a little bit of research you’ll find out the message might be coming from some sort of scam or something, mate.”
When told The Age had obtained sales contracts for both properties that listed his partner as the purchaser, Ali said: “That’s interesting. Let me forward your number to my lawyer mate.”
Ali did not respond to further questions from this masthead sent via email or SMS.
Nair did not respond to several phone calls, or questions sent via email and SMS.
In a promotional video recently shared on Instagram by Vicprop, Ali said his favourite thing about working in real estate is how fulfilling the job is.
“It’s very fulfilling. It’s more than just selling or buying homes ... actually passing on the skill,” he says.
Nair, who is also featured in the video, says her favourite part of the property industry is “all the people I get to help out”.
“I do more backend [work], making sure that we can get premium prices for each of your homes,” Nair said.
A spokeswoman for Consumer Affairs Victoria did not respond to questions but released a statement.
“Consumer Affairs Victoria takes reports of real estate misconduct seriously and will investigate and take action where necessary,” the spokeswoman said. “We expect all real estate agents to follow the law, including not engaging in misleading or deceptive conduct.”