Death threats: the Régie condemns an owner

The anger of an owner can cost him dearly. This is reminded in a decision of the Régie du logement, which recently sentenced a landlord to pay $ 1,000 as punitive damages for allegedly uttering death threats to a tenant and denigrating him.

However, the tenant also paid, the administrative judge Marc C. Forest requiring him to pay the landlord more than $ 4,000 in rents due.

The tenant occupied the rented premises for several years. In April 2017, a conflict broke out between the parties. At one point, the owner called him a "maudit BS" (cursed welfare recipient) and issued death threats to him. The tenant finally left the unit in November 2017, after more than six months of bitter conflict, not without keeping control of the premises from August to November for nebulous reasons.

The tenant reported a series of events, including the episode of threats. The landlord admitted to having made them, stating that the conflict started when he had the tenant’s friend evicted from the building. He had another tenant testify about a number of incidents, one of which was when this friend allegedly ran into the owner's vehicle, caused water damage and that no less than 11 knives were found in the sink drain after the tenant's departure.

The judge first reviewed the various claims. With respect to moral damages, he noted that the tenant's behavior, which initially claimed a total of more than $ 50,000, was the source of his own problems. Incidentally, the court said not to follow the logic of the tenant, who found it necessary to remain guardian of the premises after his final departure. The administrative judge believed that the tenant wanted to prevent the owner to re-let quickly.

However, the property manager granted the tenant a portion of the punitive damages claimed, namely $ 1,000. The purpose of these damages is to discourage citizens from having unacceptable behavior. The damages claimed by the tenant for problems in the unit were rejected for lack of evidence.