Major victory for landlords: Scammer tenant sentenced to prison

According to the Criminal Code, a tenant who provides false information with the aim of convincing a landlord to sign a lease is committing fraud. Denis Normand, a tenant owing thousands of dollars in rent to owners in the Gatineau area, will have a new address for the next three months: jail.

Normand was also sentenced to 18 months of probation. Handed down on June 9, this important ruling confirms that, in some circumstances, not paying rent is not a civil cause to be dealt with by the Régie du logement, although landlords often receive this advice from the police when attempting to make a complaint.

This particular case stretched over three years because of the slowness of the legal system and the fact that the tenant strategized to gain time.

By order of the Court, he recently reimbursed his victims, but was able to incur legal delays and postpone the final decision in his case.

CORPIQ has been following the case closely as it unfolded over the past several years. The case was able to continue thanks to the courage and determination of Mireille Rochon, a CORPIQ member who was defrauded of $3,100 in rent, and other landlords.

Rochon told CORPIQ, “The ruling was unexpected after so many years, but very satisfying… We are seriously relieved! Right up until the end, he acted arrogantly toward us, like he would obviously be acquitted and couldn’t be found guilty…

“It was so discouraging and we thought of giving up so many times… but no! We had to do something! I told the landlords with serious non-payment issues to report their tenants!

“Denis Normand’s conviction is a real wake-up call to tenants who scam or are thinking of scamming their landlord!”

The final ruling gives confidence to rental property owners, who now have valuable case law as support.

At the same time, the sentence reminds tenants how important it is to provide true information about their employment, income and legal history.

Property owners should use scrutiny when studying the profile of a possible new tenant.

Rochon adds, “He was the only bad tenant we ever had! It was truly horrible. Since this happened to us, we do our research on potential tenants. I strongly encourage landlords to do their research; don’t rely on your intuition. At the beginning, Denis Normand didn’t seem like the person everyone saw on the news at all. He was completely different. Don’t get fooled!”

Every year, rental property owners in Quebec lose $220 million in unpaid rent and $150 million in damages. Only 6% of them recover all the money lost through the legal process at the Régie du logement. According to CORPIQ’s data, most owners would not go to court if they had a security deposit they could keep.