Ex-Harcourts agent still waiting for full payment 18 months after Rose Garden apartment sale

Rose Garden at Albany, the first 201-unit stage is finished but titles have not been issued.

An ex-Harcourts agent wants money for selling units in New Zealand's largest apartment scheme, but the developer says people will be paid once the deals on the Auckland places are settled.

Kate Bilham, who worked for Harcourts until March this year, said she had sold units in the first stage of the 800-unit Rose Garden Apartments on Don McKinnon Dr, Albany but was yet to be fully paid after getting some money initially.

She said she has been waiting since late 2016.

Four agents from Harcourts got about $16,000 in total for selling around 36 to 40 units, Bilham said, but could be owed further payments of around $30,000 each.

She estimated around $120,000 was outstanding but said it was impossible to calculate the amount owed as information on the final tally of how many units the four agents had sold had not been provided.

"I am one of the four suckers that sold the remainder of Albany Rose Garden stage one. We got to sell the remaining apartments that the developer hadn't managed to sell direct to Chinese contacts. We worked seven days a week on this project for months and are still waiting to be paid," she complained.

But Rose Garden sales manager Jonathan - who would not give his last name - said some money was paid initially and the rest would be paid once titles were issued and the deals could be concluded.

"We paid 50 per cent of the commission. We will pay the rest when we settle. We want to get all the apartments settled," said Jonathan of frustrations waiting for titles to be issued.

Bilham is concerned about buyers being asked for more money for units in the 201-unit stage one, due to the apartments being larger than on the plans.

Buyers have complained of late apartment delivery times and price rises before settlement and Bilham said she was concerned about those issues too.

"When the first price increase came through in late 2016, we all officially resigned from the project. The developer said there was going to be a price increase but they couldn't confirm what the increase would be until a consent was granted," she said.

The apartment size increase was due to the thickness of the exterior cladding being included in the floor area calculations, she said.

But Jonathan defended the project.

"We are doing a good job. The only reason for price rises are because the apartments as they have been built were bigger than they were on the plans. Some are smaller so we give refunds. Some are larger so they pay more. The price difference is not just more expensive. Some have come down in price," he said.

"The only reason that the price becomes more or less [is due to] the size measurement change," he said.

Comment has been sought from Harcourts on the commission issue.