Asha Askarly, dubbed the "property princess" of Sydney's eastern suburbs for renting luxury homes to the wealthy and visiting celebrities, is facing a NSW Fair Trading investigation into her agency, The Property Edit. The regulator has appointed an administrator to oversee the business amid allegations that landlords are owed months of unpaid rent and tradespeople have gone unpaid for work carried out on properties, raising concerns about the handling of trust money.

A former client alleged that recovering their rental bond from the agency was consistently difficult and claimed it may not have been lodged with the Rental Bond Board as required. Separately, Askarly, 40, has her own legal troubles: she was charged with common assault in June and is subject to an apprehended violence order protecting her husband, Danny Zammit, whose family runs a smash repair and towing business. Bail conditions bar her from contacting, threatening or harming Zammit or his associates, and the case returns to court in October. Askarly has denied allegations of fraud and declined to comment further on her private life.