PHOTO: FILE
According to a report from The Washington Post, a real estate agent named Mike Rose from Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada, was fined $20,000 Canadian dollars after being caught on a home surveillance camera drinking milk directly from a seller’s carton in July of the previous year. The homeowner, Lyska Fullerton, discovered the incident when she checked her Ring camera, expecting to see a home tour for potential buyers.
The footage showed Rose walking into the kitchen, helping himself to the milk, and returning the carton to the fridge. To Fullerton’s dismay, the agent was also seen lounging on her couch and accidentally breaking its arm. The invasion of privacy, particularly during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that had already affected Fullerton’s family, left her utterly shocked and concerned.
When Fullerton confronted Rose about the incident two days later, he responded with a simple reference to the milk. Fullerton reported the agent, not just for the milk incident itself, but also because Rose failed to disclose his actions, causing a breach of trust.
The British Columbia Financial Services Authority took action and deemed Rose’s behavior “unbecoming” for the real estate industry, citing the British Columbia Real Estate Services Act. In addition to the $20,000 Canadian dollar fine, the agency ordered him to pay $2,500 in enforcement expenses.
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In his defense, Rose explained to the government agency that he was unusually dehydrated due to new medication and stress at the time. However, he later issued an apology, stating that his decision to drink the milk was “very unfortunate and very uncharacteristic.” Rose emphasized that he had never engaged in such behavior before and pledged not to repeat it, acknowledging that his actions were unbecoming of his brokerage firm and fellow realtors.
SOURCE: BUSINESS INSIDER