Sentenced for having refused to sign the lease

A landlord recently won his cause while facing a tenant who, after signing a lease agreement accepting to rent if his pre-rental screening was satisfactory, withdrew. This refusal to respect the commitment highly impacted the owner, who was able to prove this to the Régie du logement and, ultimately, win his case.

The rental application used for the pre-rental screening specified that the candidate committed to sign the lease within 4 days of its acceptance. He refused to sign the contract for reasons, he stated, that were beyond his control. However, the owner had canceled several visits after accepting this potential tenant, harming the renting process of his dwelling. Ads for the latter had to be replaced, which allowed its rental soon after.

The commissioner, Jocelyne Gravel, therefore determined that the tenant had not respected his commitment to sign the lease, giving the right to the owner to claim compensation for direct damages. He received $ 72.50 to reimburse the now useless pre-rental screening and the loss of time spent posting the ad online and conducting visits, as well as $ 100 to compensate for the induced stress.

In total, the former potential tenant will have to pay $ 172.50 to the owner, as well as $ 75 in court fees.