Realtor Julie Bundrock was in a relationship with a client before accidentally setting his $3.2 million home on fire prior to an open house inspection
The real estate agent who accidentally set fire to a $3.2 million home before an open house inspection had previously had a relationship with the owner, court documents show.
Julie Bundrock’s employer, Domain Residential Northern Beaches, was ordered to pay $862,315 to the owner and four tenants for negligently causing a fire that burned the house to the ground.
It can now be revealed that Mrs Bundrock was previously in a relationship with Peter Bush, who was preparing to sell the house at the time of the incident. news.com.au reported.
When questioned by Bush’s barrister, Dominic Priestley SC, Ms Bundrock said the pair had dated when they were younger and were still friends in 2019.
Ms. Bundock is not accused of any criminal wrongdoing and there is no indication that she acted with malicious intent when she accidentally started the fire.
Northern Beaches real estate agent Julie Bundock accidentally set fire to Avalon Beach home
Julie Bundock was preparing for an open house at a four-bedroom house on Sydney’s prestigious Northern Beaches when she noticed the current tenants had left some bedding on the deck to dry
Earlier this week, Daily Mail Australia revealed Ms Bundock herself owns two coastal properties.
The Northern Beaches real estate agent accidentally set the Avalon Beach home on fire in 2019 after noticing the current tenants had left some bedding on the deck to dry.
She threw the sheets on a shelf in a room downstairs and then turned on a lamp placed above the shelf.
Twenty minutes later a fire broke out and destroyed the entire house. It is believed that the light heated the bedding until it ignited.
Ms Bundock, who no longer works for Domain Residential Northern Beaches, has an extensive property portfolio on Sydney’s North Shore.
She owns a two-bedroom Queenscliff unit with panoramic views of the nearby beach.
She bought the clifftop property in 2004 for just $785,000 and now rents the apartment on vacation rental website Stayz for $695 per night.
‘A very private and peaceful area, the highest point of the hill. Enjoy the sounds of the waves and enjoy the sunrises over the ocean and beautiful sunsets over the hills,” she describes on the property listing.
‘Luxuriously furnished with designer finishes, recently renovated with luxurious carpets and an open plan living area leading through sliding glass doors to an extensive wrap-around balcony.
‘Designer kitchen and bathroom, king size main area, very comfortable second, views and built-ins in both. Sep toilet with sink. Study room, unlimited WiFi, washer-dryer combination, closed garage with automatic door.’
She also owns a nearby property in Dee Why, which she bought in 2007 for $290,000.
The view from Mrs Bundock’s Queenscliff unit
She owns a two-bedroom Queenscliff unit with panoramic views of the nearby beach
Mrs Bundock on a trip to Jervis Bay
Ms. Bundock is no stranger to luxurious living.
On social media she shares photos of holidays to Vincentia in Jervis Bay and lavish trips to the snow.
On Tuesday, Avalon owner Peter Bush filed a complaint in court, along with the four tenants who lost everything in the 2019 fire.
Mr Bush told the court that Mrs Bundock said words to the effect of: ‘Oh my God Pete, I think I burned down your house’, and she did so in front of others.
‘I was doing some cleaning up. “I gathered some sheets that were drying on the porch and threw them on a free-standing metal shelf in the bedroom under the stairs,” Ms. Bundock reportedly told Mr. Bush.
The house, estimated to be worth about $3 million, was destroyed in the fire along with all its contents
The real estate agency was ordered to pay more than $850,000 in damages after a high-flying agent accidentally burned down a multi-million dollar home just minutes before an open house.
Bundock’s employer Domain Residential Northern Beaches was ordered to pay owner Peter Alan Bush damages plus interest
‘I just threw them there, Piet, right against the light on the wall. I think that’s what started the fire.”
On Tuesday, Ms Bundock’s employer argued in court that the four tenants who rented the property at the time were responsible for the fire.
The defense stated that the tenants left the house “untidy,” forcing Mrs. Bundock to remove the bedding from the deck before the open house.
During her cross-examination, Ms Bundock said the house was ‘particularly messy’ that day and she was making it ‘presentable for sale’.
Chief Justice David Hammerschlag ruled that Ms Bundock ‘actively created the risk of fire and resulting damage’.
‘It is obvious that a fire can start if you put or throw bed linen against a burning light. That risk was clearly foreseeable, and Bundock should have known,” Hammerschlag said in his decision, also noting that the officer was an “aggressive and uncooperative witness.”
“Her evidence was clearly colored by a heightened sense that she had caused the catastrophe,” he said.
Mr. Hammerschlag ordered Ms. Bundock’s employer to pay Mr. Bush $740,642 for the loss of his home and a total of $121,475 to the four tenants, plus interest.