OPEN LETTER TO CHAIRMAN OF CREA FROM BEHRAK SHAHRIARI

MONTREAL, June 1, 2023 /CNW/ - 

Mr. Cerqua,

I write this open letter with the sincere hope that you will grasp the seriousness of this matter.

Two weeks have passed since realtor.ca began incorrectly advertising apartment 112 at 3445 Ridgewood, Montreal, H3V 1B7 (the ('112') in its 'to rent' section (MLS #16765089). I have since been writing you, but you seem reluctant to correct this gross error. These ads have been captured in the Wayback Machine archives and can be reviewed at this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p96hp62

The 112 is not available for a lease, but for a sub-lease. The distinction is very important in Quebec housing law: Subtenants can be evicted at any time with only ten days of warning, while tenants must receive at least six months advance notice and financial compensation when it is even allowed.

I have suffered greatly because of a grossly misleading ad like the one for the 112 that realtor.ca advertised in 2021. My file is currently in the courts and at the OACIQ but I must tell you that realtor.ca's demonstrated gross negligence so far in failing to correct the ads for the 112 convince me that the CREA accepts complicity in all that I suffered since.

I emphasize that:

1 - The OACIQ cannot protect the Quebec public despite its mandate, and the Quebec public understands that very well. For more information on this topic, please read my letter addressed to the Minister of Finance of Quebec of April 3^rd, 2023, available in its redacted version at this link: https://tinyurl.com/3evwry4f

2 - André Mea of the 'Mayflower' - the parent company that owns all the units in the building where the 112 is located - testified under oath in court that only Mayflower shareholders may hold a lease on any of the building's units. Confirm with him these statements which highlight how grossly misleading the ads shown by realtor.ca for the 112 are to the Quebec public.

3 - The Mayflower's structure seems to provide its shareholders with the best of both worlds: (i) the ability to evict any sub-tenant at will and (ii) the ability to advertise the building's sublet units in the 'for rent' sections of marketing platforms such as realtor.ca. This abuse of Quebec housing laws has claimed enough victims and it should immediately stop.

SOURCE Behrak Shahriari