Real estate: record sanction against star broker Christine Girouard and her partner

Real estate broker Christine Girouard, star of the show Numbers 1 at the Casa channel, and her partner, Jonathan Dauphinais-Fortin, also a broker, have just been sentenced to severe penalties by the OACIQ for having orchestrated, during the pandemic, a scheme of bogus purchase promises to create bidding wars.

In a decision made public, the disciplinary committee of the Organisme d’autoréglementation du courtage immobilier du Québec (OACIQ) sentences Christine Girouard to a temporary suspension of her practice permit for a record period of 14 years, as well as to the payment of fines totaling $50,000.

Her spouse and accomplice, Jonathan Dauphinais-Fortin, was given a temporary suspension of his broker’s licence for a period of nine years. In addition to the suspensions handed down against him, he was ordered to pay two fines totalling $10,000.

The OACIQ did not wish to comment on the two judgments rendered by the three members of the disciplinary committee on August 29. The same is true of the Association professionnelle des courtiers immobiliers du Québec (APCIQ), simply stating that it works to help its “15,000 member brokers work professionally and in the best interests of their clients.”

Guilty on all counts

Last January, the disciplinary committee created a surprise by finding Christine Girouard guilty of all the charges against her in connection with four real estate transactions by the OACIQ.

Jonathan Dauphinais-Fortin was found guilty of charges related to acts committed in the context of two transactions.

Their guilt having been established, all that remained for the disciplinary committee was to determine the severity of the sanctions.

Lies and bogus offers

At the end of hearings held last fall, the disciplinary committee concluded that during the pandemic, in the midst of a real estate bidding war, brokers Christine Girouard and Jonathan Dauphinais-Fortin, working under the Re/Max banner, had repeatedly used a scheme of bogus offers intended to create an illusion of competition between buyers.

In addition to having set up this fraudulent scheme, invariably aimed at generating an increase in the offers submitted, Christine Girouard is also said to have made extensive use of lies, a practice prohibited by the Real Estate Brokerage Act.

On at least one occasion, a lie was allegedly used to cover up the fact that she had fallen asleep during a negotiation. Rather than admit the mistake to her clients, she allegedly led them to believe that the sellers wanted more money, encouraging them to increase their offer by $7,500.

On another occasion, Christine Girouard allegedly attempted to have the legal warranty of quality excluded after the acceptance of a promise to purchase and threatened the buyers’ broker that her client would not sign the deed of sale if the legal warranty of quality was not excluded.

In addition to the imposition of fines, the two brokers are therefore banned from practicing for periods of 9 and 14 years respectively. Each has 30 days from the date of the judgment to appeal their case.

With the collaboration of Mathieu Boulay.