A young couple of real estate investors will have to pay $ 14,500 to a tenant evicted in “bad faith”, who discovered the dubious scheme by scrutinizing the Instagram page of their new owners.
Thierry Mailly-Dominique and Justine Audet are real estate investors in their twenties. The lovers have even created an Instagram page called “Our renovation projects”, where they cheerfully share their purchases and renovation projects in their homes.
In June 2020, the lovebirds got their hands on a first triplex in the heart of Plateau-Mont-Royal, in Montreal. This is when the ordeal of their new tenant began, if we rely on a decision rendered this month by the Administrative Housing Tribunal (TAL).
invented pretext
In this document, we learn that Alexie André-Bélisle receives a notice in December 2020 stipulating that she will be evicted from her apartment where she has lived for seven years.
Justine Audet, one of the two co-owners, claims that the repossession of the accommodation will benefit her father. In this context, the approach is in accordance with the law. Mme André-Bélisle therefore agrees to leave his home in February 2021 in exchange for a sum paid by the couple.
But seven months later, the tenant discovers that it was a pretext. After moving, his former next-door neighbor tells him that the couple’s building is up for sale.
The tenant therefore decides to sue Thierry Mailly-Dominique and Justine Audet for repossession of housing in bad faith.
Alexie André-Bélisle told the TAL that the real purpose of taking over her apartment was real estate speculation and not to find a roof to house Justine Audet’s father.
The truth regarding Instagram
TAL judge Karine Morin also agreed with him.
“The Tribunal gives little credibility to the landlords’ testimonies. Their version of the facts appears sewn with white thread and is in contradiction with the comments they make on their Instagram account”, she notes in her judgment.
Indeed, the lovers put their feet in the dish on March 8, 2021. In a post on Instagram, they claimed that the accommodation of Mme André-Bélisle “had never been renovated, it was at the end of its life. It was therefore essential for us to transform it, optimize rents and increase the value of their block”.
The duo has documented all these renovations on their social networks with countless photos and videos.
Profit first
This was not the only blunder of the young owners. In a newspaper article Subway published in November 2021, the couple explain “How to buy a triplex in Montreal at 25”.
In this text, the lovers brag regarding the increased value of their building due to the renovations and discuss the expected profit from a future sale. These details did not escape Judge Karine Morin.
“One month following buying the triplex, we had water infiltration through the roof drain. Our goal, from the start, was to renovate the two units upstairs, but we didn’t think we would start the work so quickly,” the couple awkwardly confides in the context of this article.
Rented on Airbnb
The TAL judgment also mentions that Justine Audet’s father lived in the accommodation only one week per month, from July 2021 to December 2021.
“During unoccupied periods, landlords offer the accommodation for rent on the Airbnb platform. They report the rental income generated by the rental of the accommodation. These vary between 1500$ and 2750$ monthly”, can we read.
For these reasons, Judge Karine Morin sentenced Thierry Mailly-Dominique and Justine Audet on March 17 for repossession of “bad faith”. In all, the couple had to pay nearly $15,000 in damages to their former tenant.
Owners defend themselves
Contacted by The newspaperthe lovers wanted to explain themselves in a brief statement sent by email.
“We have always acted with kindness, respect and good faith with our tenants since the beginning of our journey. We have taken note of the court’s decision and will respect the judge’s decision. We are sorry for the turn that events have taken and will learn from this experience and improve our way of doing things.
Note that the duo’s Facebook page was deleted this followingnoon. The Instagram account of the two owners, who have several paid partnerships with companies like Home Depot, also suddenly became private.
