Aussie couple return from holiday to discover their housesitter secretly LEASED out their home to a stranger – and took their dog with him
A housesitter has been caught cashing in on a couple’s trust, renting out their multi-million-dollar property in Perth’s wealthy western suburbs to an overseas stranger during their holiday.
Swanbourne couple Laurain McCaughan and Jackie Bolt had arranged for their regular dogsitter, Jae Samra, to look after their groodle Gus while they were away in September and October.
The pair had known Mr Samra for two years after finding him on the popular online platform Aussie House Sitters, where his profile described him as a ‘holistic coach/investment banker’ and a ‘conscious carer.’
‘He’s taken good care of Gus and kept the place spotless – until this time,’ Ms McCaughan told The Post newspaper in Perth.
The first clue something was amiss was a recycling bin filled with empty beer cans.
Mr Samra had previously told the couple he did not drink.
Not long after, Ms Bolt was cleaning the granny flat on their property, which they used as an Airbnb.
It was there she found a copy of a signed three-page lease agreement which listed Kony J Samra as the lessor and a man visiting from Estonia as the tenant.
Jae Samra (pictured) was trusted to look after Gus the groodle while his owners were away on holiday, instead he rented their home out to a stranger
Swanbourne (pictured) is a prestigious coastal postcode in Perth’s well-heeled western suburbs
The lease agreement said $1,500 would be paid over the course of the three-week lease, which also stipulated the tenant had to vacate by October 18, 2025.
‘I thought oh my God, you bastard,’ said Ms Bolt.
The couple tracked down the tenant, who said Mr Samra had contacted him after he posted on Facebook that he was looking for accommodation.
‘Jae gave me the impression he was the owner of the house and that the people he rented the apartment to have gone away on holiday,’ he said.
‘Jae was there for the first day that I moved in but then said he was going away for a week.’
The tenant said when Mr Samra did return, he had three dogs in tow, including Gus.
He recorded a video of the dogs, which Ms Bolt said they did not recognise and wondered whether they belonged to other people who had entrusted Mr Samra to care for their dogs.
Aussie House Sitters managing director Nick Fuad said subletting or renting out a property while house sitting is strictly prohibited under its terms and conditions.
Kylie and Nick Fuad (pictured) launched their successful Aussie House Sitters platform from their home in Lismore in 2004
‘We deactivated his account while we were following our complaints procedure,’ he told the Daily Mail.
‘This sitter didn’t meet the agreed deadline to defend the allegations so he has been banned for life.
‘We will be encouraging the owners to go to the police and hopefully have this man charged.’
Mr Fuad said the platform facilitates 50,000 housesits a year and this was the first incident of its kind in the 21 years of operating.
‘Luckily we have a very savvy house sitting community that are quick to inform us when something doesn’t look right,’ he said.
‘To safeguard against these things from happening, and other trust breaches, we have a strict membership agreement where all members must agree to our comprehensive terms of use, which clearly forbid any form of subletting, renting, or using the property for personal gain.
‘Reports are investigated promptly, and the account suspended while the investigation takes place.
‘If the sitter is found guilty of the accusations, or they simply don’t address the complaint, they’re removed from the platform with a life ban imposed.’
The Daily Mail has been unable to contact Mr Samra.
