2 Quebec realtors found guilty of submitting bogus offers

Two Quebec realtors who were suspended after being accused of submitting bogus offers on homes have both been found guilty.

The discipline committee of the Organisme d’autoréglementation du courtage immobilier du Québec (OACIQ) announced its decision Tuesday for Christine Girouard and Jonathan Dauphinais-Fortin.

Girouard was one of the stars of the reality TV show "Numéros 1."

The OACIQ, Quebec's real estate governing body, said in a news release that Girouard asked her partner, Dauphinais-Fortin, "to generate promises to purchase that would enable her to approach buyers and invite them to increase their bids. These offers to purchase were generally well below the asking price, and included conditions that made them unattractive to the seller. The Disciplinary Committee, faced with the weight of the evidence and the repetition of the actions, condemned the implementation of a fraudulent scheme and did not believe the two brokers' version of events."

"The incriminating evidence is sufficiently clear," the committee wrote in its decision.

Re/MAX cut ties with Girouard and Dauphinais-Fortin after a report by La Presse in May 2023 alleged that they had friends and family members submit fake offers on homes they were selling to create a sense of competition among legitimate buyers to drive up prices.

Two months after the report was published, the real estate brokers had their licences suspended.

"This decision is exemplary, as it reminds us of the importance for real estate brokers never to place themselves in a conflict of interest. By choosing to use a fraudulent scheme for the benefit of their seller clients, Christine Girouard and Jonathan Dauphinais-Fortin not only led buyers to unduly pay more for a property than they had anticipated, but they also greatly damaged the image and reputation of the profession as a whole. Consumers need to know that they can trust a real estate broker in the most important transaction of their lives," said OACIQ's vice-president of supervision, Caroline Champagne, in the release on Tuesday. 

The pair is expected to appear at a sanction hearing at a later date. Girouard and Dauphinais-Fortin could face fines of up to $50,000 per count, suspension, or have their licences revoked.

The governing body says that any client who believes they were wronged by the two realtors can apply for compensation from the Fonds d'indemnisation du courtage immobilier.