Deleted: A man jailed for two years yesterday over a half-million-dollar Northern Beaches rental scam has been granted unconditional bail this morning, 11 December 2025 having spent just one night behind bars.
Aron Degotardi was escorted by police from Manly Court yesterday after receiving the sentence, served with an addition of no parole for nine months. He was originally charged with stealing over $570,000 from renters and landlords through his short-term rental business. However, after just one night in remand, the 52-year-old will be released.
Degotardi’s defence lawyer Joshua McKenzie submitted a severity appeal immediately after the decision to the District Court yesterday to make a plea for the convicted rental scammer to be placed on an Intensive Correction Orders (ICO) rather than imprisonment – a process which can take up to four to six weeks.
This defence was previously rejected by Magistrate Daniel Reiss, who handed down the initial sentence, stating he “can’t see how someone with a default position of dishonesty should be in an ICO.”
Today, this decision was reversed as Magistrate Reiss granted unconditional bail, considering Degotardi’s limited record and his self-suspension of his real estate licence, no longer deeming him a threat to future offending behaviour. It was also noted that the Anna Bay local attended court consistently through the trial, despite prison being a likely outcome.
It is currently unknown how long Degotardi will be on bail or when he will appear in the district court for his severity appeal.
Degotardi was charged with 42 counts of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception and was accused of owing over $570,000 when he was arrested in March this year. He claimed “he robbed Peter to pay Paul” following a financial spiral of accumulating debt sparked by a pandemic hit to his short term rental business.
Manly Court was told during his sentencing yesterday, 10 December 2025, that Degotardi had not paid back any of the funds owed since being arrested. However, NSW Fair Trading had paid substantial compensations to the victims with the exception of two who were pursuing other avenues of payment. The defence stated the money paid will be converted to a court judgment to the offender.
But, the amount to be repaid was drastically reduced from original charges as they dropped from 42 counts to two, now owing over $380,000 – with the victim list only consisting of landlords – after a guilty plea and negotiations with police.
One of the remaining charges fell under a ‘Form 1’ meaning they can be taken into consideration in sentencing but cannot be used for conviction. It accounted for $170,000 of stolen value from both renters and landlords.
Magistrate Daniel Reiss said it seemed “He robbed Peter to pay for himself” when learning the stolen money was completely depleted, going towards Degotardi’s personal and business expenses.
Degotardi’s defence said his actions were part of a “spiralling situation” brought on by decreased revenue to his short term rental business during COVID, paired with historical life and mental health struggles.
It was further argued Degotardi should be sentenced with ICO rather than imprisonment, which can include a community service component.
After his arrest, Degotardi picked up casual work at cafes and at Coles as a cleaner and trolley collector. He suspended his licence to trade real estate and has been seeing a psychologist while currently on medication for depression and anxiety.
It was argued in court that this is an indication of low risk reoffending and that he is at no risk to public safety.
Some of the victims caught-up in Degotardi’s ‘Northern Beaches Holiday Rentals’ business scam include a Finnish tourist who lost an $18,500 deposit for a property in Fairlight over the 2025 to 2026 Christmas holiday period. While one landlord, who rented out her apartment in North Steyne in October last year, was owed $54,000.
Alleged renter and tourist victims who used his website to rent their accommodation said their bookings were abruptly cancelled after paying the deposit. Others reported turning up to the rented properties only to find they were occupied by residents with no knowledge of the rental agreements.
The facts sheet stated it was Degotardi who turned himself into Fair Trading NSW last February after becoming overwhelmed with guilt and debt. It was recommended he shut down the business and he did. He was arrested at his Anna Bay home a month later.
Degotardi will remain free at least until he appears for the appeal in February 2026.
