Christine Girouard implicated in fraudulent real estate offers and artificial auctions
Christine Girouard, known for her appearance on the TV show Numéros 1, and her business and life partner, Jonathan Dauphinais-Fortin, have had their real estate brokerage license suspended by the OACIQ.
Their fault? Creating bogus offers to artificially inflate property prices.
The twist: The two brokers, who worked for RE/MAX D’ICI, were fired after an investigation by La Presse revealed their dubious practices. They used relatives to make bogus offers, creating artificial bids. This maneuver led one couple to pay $40,000 more for their home in Repentigny than its real value.
OACIQ reaction: The Organisme d’autoréglementation du courtage immobilier du Québec (OACIQ) reacted swiftly. Since Wednesday, the organization has been conducting an investigation and contacting all those who worked closely or remotely with the two brokers. As the brokerage licence is linked to an agency, in this case RE/MAX D’ICI, the latter has decided to terminate the contracts of Girouard and Dauphinais-Fortin. Their suspension took effect on Friday, May 19.
Consequences for brokers: Christine Girouard had 33 properties for sale under her name with RE/MAX D’ICI on Wednesday. She transferred 13 of her sales contracts to broker Carolyne Laurier, who was part of Team Christine Girouard and had no properties to sell under her name. The remaining 20 contracts were cancelled. According to the real estate brokerage rules applied by the OACIQ, Ms. Girouard is not entitled to receive a commission on brokerage contracts transferred to her former colleague.
The law and its consequences: Girouard and Dauphinais-Fortin’s actions violate several sections of the Real Estate Brokerage Act. In particular, section 39 stipulates that “No broker or officer of an agency may make or allow to be made a false or misleading representation with respect to a transaction covered by this Act”. In addition, section 91 stipulates that “Any broker or officer of an agency who contravenes a provision of this Act commits an offence and is liable, in addition to costs, to a fine of $1,500 to $20,000”.
