A Landlord Nightmare / sleazy Marc Barchichat Operations
Watch an exposé on Marc Barchichat from Radio Canada's La Facture that aired Tuesday February 1st 2011 at 7.30pm. Or, read the transcript.
Cet article traduit en français par Google.
In the summer of 2006 'Le Girouard Inc.' administered by Marc Barchichat bought the apartment building I lived in at 2290 Girouard Avenue in Montreal. Marc Barchichat was immediately a bad landlord, barging in asking questions and asking for the rent - even though we had already given a check to the previous landlord. The first day we met him he told us that starting in October there would be major major renovations and that the rent on our 4.5 would be raised from $510 to around $850.
Marc Barchichat's next harassment was to tell us that we couldn't mail him the rent as we had been doing with the previous landlord, and as it was stated we could do in our lease. His goon, Salvatore Sicuso, would show up regardless of whether someone had already cashed our check and rudely demand the rent. It even occurred that his goon would lie and say that they hadn't received the rent - and one time I gave them a second check, only to have both checks cashed!
At first, nothing broke in our apartment. A generous tenant cleaned the hallways for free and things didn't seem much worse than under the previous landlord. The only added stresses were the rude and arrogant minions acting as though the tenants didn't have any rights. Then, in November of 2006, our toilet began to run continuously and I realized just what a bad landlord Marc Barchichat really was. Even after I called him many times nothing happened. Then, in January 2007, I sent him a registered letter asking him to fix the toilet. Nothing. I decided eventually to just keep the bathroom door shut.
Now, you might be wondering why I didn't just fix the toilet myself... I suppose I could have - but it was an old fashioned model with no tank and I just figured that it was the landlord's obligation.
By August 2007 I was fed up. I had contacted Barchichat many many more times and there were excuses and promises but the toilet still hadn't been fixed. I went to the Regie de Logement, a rental tribunal, and opened a case against 'Le Girouard Inc.'. Thus began the seemingly endless wait for a hearing. I also decided that I wasn't going to hold back at all - I would start calling Marc Barchichat all the time, even (and at the time it seemed incredible) every day! I began by calling weekly. Eventually Marc did send a plumber to check out the situation and it appeared that the toilet needed to be replaced. Then... nothing happened! We were getting into October. My parents were coming for Christmas, the toilet had been broken for almost a year and I was really getting frustrated. I started to call Barchichat every day. The lies that he told then became more obvious. For instance, he told me that he had called Decarie Plumbing. I then called Decarie Plumbing myself and was told that he had never called. So, I kept calling Barchichat - at all hours of the day. He would try to avoid my calls - so I would switch it up: first call from my cell, then from my home phone, then from skype. I would leave angry messages on his voice mail and with his secretary. Barchichat eventually did call Decarie Plumbing but didn't give them the go-ahead to do the work. So I then began calling Decarie Plumbing every day! By this time it was winter and the plumbers were busy and then it was the Christmas holiday. (It now appears that Barchichat-administered companies owed Decarie Plumbing a bunch of money, and Decarie Plumbing sued them for it.)
I had Christmas with my parents in the noisy apartment and it wasn't the end of the world. Then I resumed my incessant phone calls. In January 2008, more than a year after I had first informed my landlord that it was broken, my toilet was finally replaced! (By the way, at this point I was still waiting for my hearing at the Rental Board!)
Later, in March of 2008, Le Girouard Inc. was in default of its mortgage and a bank started receiving our rent checks. Some time in late summer of 2008 Marc Barchichat had his boys rip out a bunch of the building's heating system. Well, that meant that everyone in the building lived without heat until the end of November! It was cold. The only reason that the heat was turned back on was that a bunch of tenants complained to the city and the city threatened the bank that they would evacuate the building if the heat wasn't turned back on.
Some time in the spring, don't ask me how, Marc Barchichat got control of the building through another corporation. This time it was called Sofilco Inc. owned by someone called Yves Clement. However, the intimidation tactics that we were subjected to as soon as they took control had Marc Barchichat's finger prints all over them. Before too long tenants spotted him in the building. Yves Clement sounded a little more respectful on the phone but he did not respond to tenants' complaints at all. For example, I called him when I realized that the fire escape had been bolted shut, turning our building into a genuine fire trap, and he did nothing. Every tenant in the building could have died if there had been a fire and neither he nor Barchichat cared. I called the Cote-des-Neiges/Notre-Dame-de-Grace (CDN/NDG) city housing inspectors (who were already very familiar with the building at this point) and they forced the owners to remove the bolts. Unfortunately the inspectors didn't seem to notice that one of the fire escapes was blocked by an industrial air conditioner.
Around this time Barchichat and his boys were busy completely removing the heating system from the building (again!), just in time for winter! They had no intention of re-installing a replacement. They used the threat of a winter without heat and hot water to get rid of the last remaining tenants. Well, it worked! There was a little bit of media attention right at the end but that was meaningless. The tenants were effectively forced out whether they wanted to leave or not.
Behind the scenes creditor Compagnie Blanca Canada obtained a strong judgement against Le Girouard Inc dated March 31st 2009. This judgement states that Le Girouard didn't conform to a court order dated December 23rd 2008 and that they didn't voluntarily surrender the building.
Later, I was to learn that Barchichat had used exactly the same heating blackmail tactic at 1520 Docteur Penfield in 2006. The tenant won his case at the Regie de Logement and states that in the spring of 2006 the central heating was demolished and so come the fall they had no choice but to accept the installation of electric heating or else they would have to survive the winter with no heat!
Also at Dr. Penfield: Barchichat and his ruffians sent an intimidating letter to the tenants advising them that they would be breaking all locks to apartments for which they didn't have a key. This was done over the Christmas holidays of 2007-2008 and so many tenants returned from out of town to find they could not access their own apartments.
Following a letter from a tenant on December 21st 2008 the Regie du Batiment ordered the immediate evacuation of the parking garage (more clearly written) at 1520 Dr Penfield. This report was signed on December 21st 2008 by Marc Barchichat who then failed to tell the tenants, many of whom continued to use and pay for the parking garage completely unaware of the danger. Tenants read about the parking garage in a Jan 9th 2009 Le Devoir article and a Feb 6th 2009 CJAD report and then called the Regie du Batiment themselves and then began asking questions. Finally, following a tenant's call in March 2009 to the Regie du Batiment, the garage was closed. Barchichat sent the tenants this letter on March 12th 2009 saying that the parking garage would be closed on March 16th 2009.
Finally, take a look at the despicable condition of a Dr. Penfield tenant's bathroom that Barchichat refused to fix. The tenant was forced to take this situation to the painfully slow Regie de Logement.
Also, Barchichat's company owning 1520 Docteur Penfield often failed to pay it's bills. Way back in April 2007, every tenant received a copy of a Superior Court judgement ordering them to pay 25% of their rent to Societe en commandite Gaz Metro and 75% to Le Mont Belliard Inc. as Le Mont Belliard Inc. had stopped paying Gaz Metro. Then, on May 7th 2009 Le Mont Belliard was brought to court and forced to pay another $7531 owed to Gaz Metro. Immediately following this ruling Barchichat sent this very intimidating letter to new tenants of 1520 Docteur-Penfield, whose leases required them to pay hot water. Some tenants received the letter on the same day that they were required to pay. The letter used the threat of eviction to scare tenants into paying an unreasonable sum. The amount requested was found to be the total amount used by all the tenants divided by the number of new tenants. No action was ever taken at the regie against the majority of tenants who didn't pay.
Articles in the Press
Suburban reporter Dan Delmar has written an informed article about the situation at 2290 Girouard. He's also written another story about Marc Barchichat focusing on his Beaconsfield ave. building. The tactics were almost eerily familiar. Later, the Suburban covered an NDG town hall where the problems at 2290 Girouard were discussed.
On October 9th 2009 CBC radio Daybreak producer Ange-Aimee Woods did a story on 2290 Girouard. In this story she reads a letter sent to the tenants from Yves Clement which states: "please note, if you refuse to leave the premises you will be forced to live without heat or hot water".
CTV Montreal did a story about the 2290 Girouard building on Oct 12th 2009 and another one on Oct 13th 2009.
L'actualités, a local french local paper, has a good article (pdf) on page 21 of the oct 21 2009 version of it's paper. This was followed up with Un propriétaire intimidant (page 2) of the November 18 2009 Actualités.
CBC Montreal, on Oct 13 2009 wrote Mayor orders landlord to fix heating and then on Oct 15 2009: Tenants get heat again after NDG mayor acts. Later, that winter, on February 9th 2010 CBC followed up with Borough keeps tab on Montreal landlord.
NDG's local paper, The NDG Free Press, also mentioned the problems at 2290 Girouard in the context of a town hall meeting at the NDG community council. The story was also covered in The Monitor.
Philippe Stenger
My research into Le Girouard Inc. shows that all the money comes from a man named Philippe Stenger. Doing a simple phone lookup on Philippe Stenger - you can find an address: "1135 Boulevard Marie-Victorin, Boucherville, Québec, Canada". Type that into google maps, switch to street view,turn to your left, and voila: the fanciest McMansion I think I've ever seen!! We see how he lives, but he doesn't want to spend $200 to fix my toilet!
But who is Philippe Stenger? He owns a residence outside of Montreal but he controls many buildings in the city, especially in the borough of CDN/NDG. Because of a number of corporations and administrators he is neatly hidden from all the mess and messy dealings. According to government documents his full name is Philippe Guillaume Rene Stenger. He is also the owner and administrator of the holding company Stenvest Inc. He uses the email stenvest@gmail.com. If anyone has any information about this man, please contact me.
The personal responses I've received have confirmed that Philippe Stenger is also active in real estate in Alsace, France. This is confirmed by google searches, that show that he is the manager of Entreprise Pierre Guillaume Stenger based in Strasbourg, France. A court document indicates that he has been a real estate professional for 18 years. Stenger is also involved with a Strasbourg company called Gestion de l'ill.
Digging a little bit more into Philippe Stenger I have found that there exist judgements against either him or his companies in both France and Quebec. In France: Entreprise Pierre Guillaume Stenger was found guilty of bid collusion in the construction of the european parliament in Strasbourg. Philippe (manager) is mentioned throughout the document. This judgement was upheld in the French appellate court.
Philippe Stenger is now involved in an international legal battle with French businessman Claude Hochner. Hochner lent Stenger money to build up what Hochner's lawyer calls a real estate "house of cards"! Hochner and Stenger have been battling in Quebec and French courts over the confiscation of Stenger assets in France and Hochner has recently seized Stenger's residence at 1135 Boulevard Marie-Victorin, Boucherville (municipally valued at $1.4M). Claude Hochner also lent Stenger money through one of his companies Financexperts S.A. It appears that all of Philippe Stenger's assets are vulnerable since he personally guaranteed some of the loans. Hilariously, Stenger has pretended he blindly signed documents given to him by Barchichat! But the judge didn't believe him.
It appears that Claude Hochner initially became involved with Barchichat when his company 3097 1071 Quebec Inc. sold the apartment building at 4309-4311 Beaconsfield ave. ( see the deed of sale). Interestingly this deed of sale shows that Marc Barchichat acted as the agent for both parties in this transaction.
Also, Philippe Stenger seems to be a voting member of France's National Centre for Forest Owners.
Other Buildings
Unfortunately, Barchichat and Stenger appear to be involved in at least 5 buildings. The money behind these buildings comes from either Philippe Stenger or Yves Clement. See this great summary of all their financial deals. This includes information on some of the very high interest rate loans they were being charged.
- 2290 Av. Girouard, H4A 3C3 Montreal. Barchichat's involvement was initially as administrator of the corporation 9166-6438 Quebec Inc. (also known as Le Girouard Inc.) The major shareholder was Philippe Stenger. Now the building is owned by Sofilco Inc. who's major shareholder is Yves Clément. Yves Clément, however, is a front for brothers Stenger&Barchichat for the 1520 Dr Penfield building. It appears that the Girouard building is in the process of being sold again, however. (see this building's recent legal transactions)
- Another building in NDG with the addresses: 4309-4311 Beaconsfield ave. and 6125-6131 Monkland. This building is talked about in the 2nd Dan Delmar article in the Suburban. It is owned by the corporation 9137-1195 Quebec Inc. which again has Philippe Stenger as its major shareholder and Marc Barchichat as its administrator. This building was previously owned by Claude Hochner. (see this building's recent legal transactions)
- 3550 Ridgewood. Owned by 9143-6329 Quebec inc. which has the familiar Philippe Stenger, shareholder, and Marc Barchichat, administrator. This building's purchase order by Stenvest in 2004 had many legal complications. This building is currently in the process of default. (see this building's recent legal transactions)
- 2110-2112-2114 st. denis near Sherbrooke street. Owned by Placements Delavoie Inc. With once again Philippe Stenger, shareholder, and Marc Barchichat, administrator. (see this building's recent legal transactions)
- 1520 Dr Penfield. The building has a complicated ownership history similar, in a lot of ways, to 2290 Girouard's. This building is currently owned by 9206-0276 Quebec Inc. (also known as Le 1520 dr penfield) which until August 2010 had Yves Clement publicly listed as one of its shareholders! But, up until March 2009 the building at 1520 Docteur Penfield was owned by a company called le Mont-Belliard inc. owned by, who do you know, Philippe Stenger and administered by Marc Barchichat. This building is now controlled by Daniel Revah and Simon Levy and minority owned by Stenger and Barchichat, likely through their front. (see this building's recent legal transactions)
In this deed of sale for 1520 Dr. Penfield Barchichat is listed as the representative for both the seller and the buyer! It is also stated that there is no Asbestos (d'amiante) when if fact Asbestos was found in 1520 Dr. Penfield.
Please see the tenant comments at the bottom of this webpage. Also see some older comments from the defunct webpage munzer.ca
Marc Barchichat / Marc-Emile Barchichat / Marc Emile Barchichat
Marc Barchichat also keeps moving his office!! He does this without telling anyone. I only found out about his new address by chance. Initially, when 9166-6438 quebec inc. bought 2290 Av Girouard his office was at 608-1010 Rue Sherbrooke O, then, without informing his tenants, he moved to 4309, rue Beaconsfield, apt 8. Then his office moved to 1010 rue de la Gauchetière Ouest Bureau 1065. Interestingly, Marc Barchichat's initial address on Sherbrooke O, is still the address of record for Philippe Stenger's Stenvest Inc. Barchichat's numerous moves are discussed in a decision where he loses an appeal to have a Regie de Logement decision overturned. The regisseur even calls his not obtaining a notice as a "grossière négligence".
I've since learned that Marc Barchichat's landlord at 1010 Sherbrooke W was in the process of evicting him in late 2006. This was for non payment of rent. In the legal document (item 8) Marc is described as a recalcitrant tenant who often fails to pay his rent on the 1st of the month! He also had a history of giving non-sufficient checks (see item 33). The irony is that Marc Barchichat is a landlord who, come the 1st, often aggressively demands the rent. In December 2006 a final court date was sine die.
As a lawyer Barchichat has been disciplined by the comité de discipline du Barreau du Québec in 2007. His disciplined actions show a familiar disregard for responding to requests. In 2011 he is once again in the process of being disciplined by the Barreau (see below). He has pleaded guilty to the charge of "failure to respond".
Barchichat has also had a very long and drawn out commercial bankruptcy under the name 'Marc E. Barchichat' culminating in this judgement in 2007. The 2000 bankruptcy lists his alias as 'Marc Barchichat'. However, in 1994, he filed a first bankruptcy petition under the name 'Marc-Émile Barchichat'. This petition was either dismissed or withdrawn.
On top of Barchichat not fulfilling his obligations as a landlord and business administrator he has even been negligent in not paying his own lawyer.
Marc also has a history of suing former clients, normally for his lawyer fees. After losing their case he sued his client, Les Sources St-Élie Inc., for fees that he had actually received. The judgement even says that "Marc-Émile Barchichat n'est pas très aguerri dans la comptabilité" (Barchichat isn't a very skilled accountant). He lost this case against Les Sources St-Élie Inc. On top of all this, Barchichat's conflicts of interest in his representation of Les Sources St-Élie Inc. is described in a Barreau du Québec training manual (page 58).
Can you believe it, Marc Barchichat has moved his office again! It is his 4th move in 4 years. As of June 2010 his new office is 1000 rue Saint-Antoine Ouest, Bureau 750 and his email is listed as marc.barchichat@barchichat.com. This is a new email address since in the past he often used his marc_barchichat@hotmail.com email.
As an example of how Marc is dishonest and sneaky about his various addresses consider the following example. On March 11th 2009 Marc signed the convention contre lettre setting up Yves Clément as the front for himself and Philippe René Stenger. He listed himself as a businessman living and domiciled at 4309 Beaconsfield, Unit 8. In fact, this judgement (see item 24) and his conditional release conditions prove that he was actually living at 1520 Docteur-Penfield. Furthermore, on March 11th 2009 Marc's office was at 1010 de la Gauchetière Street West, Suite 1065.
Marc's strange behaviour has been going on for a long time. In this 2002 judgement the Quebec Court judge does not believe that Barchichat is telling the truth about a deposit he was supposed to have received: "Me Barchichat affirme solennellement avoir été en possession du chèque" (see item 9) and then "la Cour ne croit pas à la possession, par Me Barchichat, de ce fantomatique chèque" (see item 13).
In an apparent strategy Me Barchichat positions himself as the administrator or the agent (le mandataire) of the landlord rather than as the lawyer of the landlord. However, in court he uses his legal training to try to get what he wants (see particularly items 8 and 9). The judge rejected Me Barchichat's objections.
On October 8th 2008, according to a Montreal municipal court document, Marc Barchichat was given an absolute discharge after being found guilty of assaulting a 13 year old boy. This was a boy who lived at 1520 Dr Penfield up until June 26th 2006. The full transcripts of the case, in which Me Barchichat defended himself, for the 7th March 2008 and for the 26th May 2008 can be read in full.
Barchichat has also racked up $10,418 worth of traffic tickets. As of May 2011 he has still not paid tickets that date back to 2008 - for which a Bref de Saisie have been issued. He has been caught driving with a suspended license, speeding, and repeatedly driving while using a cellphone! Ironic since he never answers tenants telephone calls about urgent repairs.
As fully documented in this RDL judgement Marc told the régisseur that he was a manager of Sofilco Inc. and also that he has no business link with Sofilco: two completely contradictory statements!
Barchichat was stricken from the roll of lawyers from May 27, 2010 to June 1st, 2010 by the Bareau de Québec Executive Committee for being late in paying his member fee.
City Actions
In the November of 2009 CDN-NDG borough council meeting I asked the borough mayor Micheal Applebaum how the city was following up with 2290 av Girouard. He told me, within this public forum, that the borough was following up with a lawsuit against 'le Girouard Inc.' for fines due to numerous violations of the city's housing code. Mr. Lafond, head of the borough's urban planning division, reassured me that someone from the city would follow up with me. With no response, on November 20th I sent Michael Applebaum a follow up email and his aid confirmed to me that the city would be fining Le Girouard Inc. I have yet to see any record of this legal proceedings. Michael Applebaum is the Montreal city executive in charge of housing.
Doing your own Research!
A lot of what I found out about these "characters" is accessible to anyone with an internet connection!
To find out what legal entity owns any building in Montreal go to:
http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/portal/page?_pageid=3077,3528875&_dad=portal...
From here, do a search for the street (eg. Girouard) and then it will have a list of links for all the available addresses on that street.
To find out which people are behind a company in Quebec go to:
http://www.registreentreprises.gouv.qc.ca/en/default.aspx
Make sure not to include the 'inc.' in the name you search for.
To look up Quebec court judgements:
http://www.jugements.qc.ca/
You can search for company names here: such as 'Sofilco'.
To look up any Canadian court judgements:
http://www.canlii.org/en/index.php
To find out about ongoing Quebec superior court cases search:
http://www.barreau.qc.ca/roles/
Here you can look up, for example, 'Barchichat' as the lawyer name. The proceedings listed here are public and can be attended by anyone. It's interesting to see who Marc Barchichat is representing.
To look up a lawyer's office address:
http://www.barreau.qc.ca/repertoire/
For example, this is a good way of finding out where Marc Barchichat's office is.
It is also possible to obtain all documents and even a recording of all the Regie de Logement cases. You just need to go to their offices (either 1425 René Lévesque Blvd. West suite 600 or 5199 Sherbrooke Street East) and provide the address (eg. 2290 Girouard). This will give you a list of open cases at that address. Then you can go to the régie de logement's website:
https://www.rdl2.gouv.qc.ca/internet/fr/plumitif/plumitif.asp
Then, using the case number and the street address of the building you can look up the details of each case.
To look up transaction records for a building (such as new mortgages or sales) consult Quebec's Land Registry:
http://www.registrefoncier.gouv.qc.ca/Sirf/
General lookups on a cadastre (a city lot) are charged a small fee.
To consult the Disciplinary Board of the Quebec Bar hearing schedule (updated weekly on Friday):
http://www.barreau.qc.ca/public/protection/discipline/index.html?Langue=en
You can also get information from the city of Montreal, including reports from the housing inspectors.
The Mysterious Sofilco Inc.
On paper this company is owned by Yves Clément. Yves Clément is a prête-nom (see particularly item 13), a front, for Stenger and Barchichat. It appears that Barchichat and Stenger, following the over-leveraging of their various companies, are now doing everything they can to have Sofilco take over control of as many of the buildings as they can. It appears very likely that they themselves control Sofilco.
The convention contre lettre is the actual agreement that spells out how Yves Clément is a front for Marc Barchichat and Philippe Stenger. This document is even signed by Marc Barchichat, Philippe Stenger, and Yves Clément.
Barchichat's current office (in January 2011) at 1000 rue Saint-Antoine Ouest, Bureau 750 even lists the tenant as Sofilco Inc./Barchichat et Associés!
Yves Clément and his wife, Maria Savasta, were represented by Marc Barchichat in a case they lost on July 21st 2009.
More evidence of the link between Barchichat/Stenger and Sofilco can be seen in this lease described below in the Aziza Benlemmouden section.
Also, in Gaz Metro's superior court case against Sofilco Inc., Barchichat is listed as their contact person. In fact Barchichat, at the same address, is listed as the contact person for both Le Girouard Inc. and Sofilco Inc. While the name of company had changed the real owners had not.
Sofilco Inc.'s clothing business now goes by the name of Sly & Co. Whoever thought of this brand name must have had a Freudian slip!
Sofilco Inc. has provided written authorization indicating that Marc E. Barchichat represents it.
July/2010 Regie Judgement Against Barchichat
Following a new judgement against Marc Barchichat several new pieces of information have come out. These include:
- That Yves Clement is only a front man for Philippe Stenger and Marc Barchichat.
- That the Dr. Penfield building was flipped from Stenger&Barchichat to a 50-50 partnership between a 1. corporations controlled by Simon Levy and Daniel Revah and 2. Stenger&Barchichat fronted by Clement.
- That Simon Levy and Daniel Revah have had a major falling out with Stenger and Barchichat.
- That the goal of this new partnership is to turn 1520 Dr. Penfield into condos.
- That Marc Barchichat lied and tried to deceive his new "partners" Levy and Revah.
This probably means that 2290 Girouard's new owner "Yves Clement" is also a front and that the real owners of 2290 Girouard are, once again, Philippe Stenger and Marc Barchichat.
Aziza Benlemmouden's Involvement
Aziza Benlemmouden is a resident of 1520 Dr. Penfield who was represented by Marc Emile Barchichat in her 2007 immigration appeal. Marc Barchichat was also living at 1520 Docteur Penfield from August 2008 to May 2010. On November 27th 2008 Aziza Benlemmouden formed a corporation, 9203-9890 Quebec Inc. (also known as Franco Finance du Canada), of which she is listed as the majority shareholder and administrator.
On December 10th 2008 9203-9890 Quebec Inc. granted Philippe Stenger a $750,000 mortgage on his Boucherville house.
Then, on December 23rd 2008 Philippe Stenger and Marc-Émile Barchichat appear to have used Aziza's numbered company to flip their 2110-2114 St. Denis building to their fronted company Sofilco Inc. This maneuver was alleged in Quebec Superior Court by Claude Hochner's lawyer as evidence of bad faith and the need for the seizure of Stenger's Boucherville mansion.
The flip of the 2110-2114 St. Denis building occurred in two steps. First, Aziza Benlemmouden's company took over MC Capital Inc.'s mortgage on the building. Then, on May 4th 2010, 9203 9890 Quebec Inc. ceded the mortgage to Sofilco Inc. This left Sofilco Inc. able to take over ownership of the building as payment of the dept.
I also have reason to suspect some type of insider connection between Marc Barchichat and MC Capital Inc. If anyone has any information about this please contact me.
Aziza Benlemmouden has also been carrying out other tasks for the Barchichat and Stenger group of companies. For example she is listed on a lease as the manager of the Beaconsfield building.
Furthermore, Sofilco is listed as the owner of the 4309 Beaconsfield in this lease. And the address of Sofilco is listed as Marc Barchichat's office and the lease is written in Barchichat's handwriting. Sofilco's official address is on Maureen St., in Mont St-Hilaire. Therefore this is yet another indication that Sofilco is nothing more than a front for Barchichat and Philippe RG Stenger.
Aziza Benlemmouden's son Kamil Anzane has advertised to rent apartments at 2290 Girouard and at 3550 Ridgewood. The 2290 ad doesn't list a name but the phone number is the same as the 3550 ad which does have Kamil Anzane's name.
Marc Barchichat represents Aziza Benlemmouden at the regie de logement: allowing him to have an official role in the 1520 Dr Penfield cases even though he is no longer the official building representative.
Trouble with the Canadian Revenue Agency
Most of my information with regard to Barchichat's problems with the CRA can be found in this April 23rd 2009 request for an injunction. In the request the ministry of revenue makes the following claims:
- Le Mont Belliard Inc. never declared any revenue in 2005, 2006, or 2007. This despite owning 1520 Dr. Penfield a residential building with 44 apartment.
- A CRA investigator first contacted Marc Barchichat November 4th 2008. The investigator was told that it was impossible to obtain the financial records he required.
- After the sale of 1520 Dr. Penfield on March 12th 2009 no record of the $3.45M proceeds ($7.25M - $3.8M mortgage) was ever received.
- The March 12th 2009 sale was done to a corporation that Le Mont Belliard itself initially owned and Marc Barchichat acted for both parties.
- There is no record that Yves Clement ever handed over the $1.7M for 50% of the equity of the new corporation owning 1520 Dr. Penfield.
- The only record of the $1.7 provided by Daniel Revah's corporation is that it was paid to Jacques Znaty in trust. There is no record of what happened to the money after this.
- CRA alledges that Le Mont Belliard Inc. sold 1520 Dr Penfield in order to liquidate it's assets and avoid having to pay tax.
Commercial Tenants
Victims in all of this have been the commercial tenants of 2290 Girouard, 4309-4311 Beaconsfield, and 2110 St-Denis.
An Italian restaurant and tenant at 2110 St-Denis from March 2008 until January 2009 is a case in point. The owner of this restaurant noticed immediately that the building was infested with rats. However, over the the next 10 months, in spite of numerous requests and an exterminator's report, Barchichat didn't fix the problem. The rats chewed through wires, infested food, stank, and it got the point where employees at the restaurant couldn't stand going to work. Finally, on April 6th 2009, after closing the restaurant the owner launched a lawsuit against Barchichat's Placement de Lavoie. Barchichat's spelling mistake plagued legal defense alleges (among other things): that he spent $4000 sealing the building without providing proof and that, due to the nature of his business, the tenant was responsible for carrying out the extermination.
Shortly after the Italian restaurant's closing, in January 2009, the owner and Barchichat mutually agreed to cancel the lease. Marc Barchichat had likely already reached an agreement with Samba Seck so that he could open a restaurant in the same space. Very quickly a serious water leak forced Seck to close his two week old restaurant. What Mr. Seck couldn't have known was that on December 23rd 2008 there had been a first water leak caused by a broken water pipe in the apartment above. Radio Canada's story on Marc Emile Barchichat featured an interview of Samba Seck and images of the water damaged restaurant.
Latest Developments
Please check back frequently, as there are many new developments.
As of March 12th 2010, Sofilco Inc. (Yves Clement and Marc Emile Barchichat) has put 2290 Girouard for sale for $6 million. This listing does not list an address - and even posts the wrong postal code, H4B 1A1, and not the correct H4A 3C3. This selling price is triple the approximately $2 million that was owed to the bank when Le Girouard Inc. went into default. At the same time a real estate agent is attempting to rent apartments in the building on craigslist. The prices are around double what were paid before previous tenants were forced out; ie $880 for a 3.5 rather than $410. Also heat and hot water are no longer included in the price. Take a look a look at my article Why you shouldn't rent at 2290 Girouard!
On April 29th 2010 Compushare Trust Company served tenants of 4309 Beaconsfield with notice that the current owner (Barchichat&Stenger) was in default and therefore had lost the right to collect the rents.
On May 24th 2010 Tenants were informed that Asbestos has been found in 1520 Dr. Penfield. The notice was not kept up very long even though the presence of Asbestos could present a health hazard for tenants and workers in the building. This discovery will likely make it harder for the owners to re-sell the apartments as condos. It also may lower the value of the apartments even if they are allowed to sell them. If anyone reading this is considering purchasing an apartment at 1520 Dr Penfield please be aware that you are likely being swindled. The building contains Asbestos throughout and has not been maintained properly in the recent past. New condo owners will likely be on the hook for many unforeseen expenses.
On July 15th 2010 Barchichat didn't show up to a hearing at the Régie and therefore lost his rent increase attempt.
In August of 2010 the real estate listing for 2290 Girouard was taken down. Rumour has it that the building is close to being sold once again to Said Alj's 9159-1610 Quebec Inc. Said has already given Sofilco a $500,000 mortgage on May 16 2010. However, as of Aug/10 the building still only appears to be half full. Even if it was full at above market rents this building is a money sink.
At the beginning of Sept 2010 the residents of 3550 Ridgewood received a notice indicating that the building had been sold to Sofilco Inc. Revenue Quebec sent a notice explaining that Stenger&Barchichat's 9143-6329 quebec inc owe Revenue Quebec $259,822 (the land registry listing also indicates that in June 2010 MRQ took out a lien on the building for $282,967.33) and Revenue Canada $107,332.01. Government officials have contacted tenants informing them that, in fact, the building had not been sold to Sofilco. City employees have also confirmed that they have no record of the sale of 3550 Ridgewood around September 1st 2010.
In it's late September 2010 edition Le Montréal Africain newspaper has an article discussing Barchichat and the 2110 St-Denis building on page 3. Tenant/restaurant owner Mr. Samba Seck says that Barchichat did not carry out needed repairs and then locked him out of his restaurant. The reporter, Mamadou Diouf, spoke to employees of both Barchichat and Samba, who corroborated Mr. Samba's version of events.
On September 27th 2010 tenant Marie-Monique Cyr settled her Régie de Logement case with Le Mont-Belliard Inc. and 9206-0276 Quebec Inc. It is rumored that Le Mont-Belliard will pay her $5,000 and the new owner of 1520 Dr. Penfield, 9206-0276 Quebec, will pay her $25,000. Cyr's lawyer Chantal Perez (Claire Chantal Perez) also lives in 1520 Dr. Penfield and previously had been an employee of Marc Barchichat. Marc Barchichat and his lawyer Me Guy Audet attended the moderation session at the Régie. Three days after the settlement 9206-0276 Quebec Inc's request to raise Chantal Perez's rent was canceled. The public régie document also shows that Chantal Perez pays $900 for a renovated apartment.
Notwithstanding the MRQ notice stating that the 3550 Ridgewood rent should be paid directly to the government Marc's older brother Alain Barchichat visited all the apartments at the beginning of October 2010 to collect the rent. Alain Barchichat appears to be assuming new duties now that the concierge has left. As of October 16th Ridgewood's land registry listing doesn't indicate any sale of the building. The index (land registry) also shows a new CRA lien on the building for $107 332.08.
On September 29 2010 revenue canada put out a certificate ordering Marc Émile Barchichat to pay $5,096.46. Then on October 26th 2010 the federal court went further and issued a Bref de saisie against Barchichat.
At the beginning of November 2010 Marc Barchichat and Alain Barchichat were going around 3550 Ridgewood trying to collect the rent. This was done in spite of the orders by MRQ and CRA to pay the rent directly to them. Many tenants have already moved out of the building due to the terrible management.
As of November 2010 tenants at 2290 Girouard were notified that the building had been sold to Corporation Cemad (also known as 9159-1610 Quebec Inc). The majority shareholder is Said Alj, a resident of Belgium. The city of Montreal records indicate that the sale went through on Oct 14th 2010.. Said Alj's pre-existing relation to Barchichat and Stenger is still unknown. The notary for this transaction was Grenier Gagnon. Also, Said Alj is the major shareholder and Mimi Dalila Lahlou is the 2nd shareholder/administrator/president secretary for 9159-1610 Quebec Inc./Cemad Corp, and is a licensed realtor or real estate agent for Groupe Sutton-Action in Brossard, QC. The Quebec Land Registry entry for 2290 Girouard indicates that the sale was for $6.2 million but that Sofilco Inc. provided Cemad Corp with $1.2 million of financing. Also indicated is that the sale is not final but that Said Alj has been given a right of cancellation!
On November 12th 2010 the flip of the St. Denis building to Sofilco was completed. The manner in which this was done is described in the Aziza Benlemmouden section above. On November 12th Sofilco officially took over possession of the building from Placements Delavoie Inc.
In mid-November 2010 the 1520 Dr Penfield administration is attempting to convince some tenants to give up their leases in exchange for payouts. They are requesting outgoing tenants wave the right to sue the corporation in the event that the tenant gets cancer from the Asbestos that is in the building.
On November 22nd 2010 Yves Clément (aka Barchichat and Stenger)'s 9227-0560 Québec Inc., formed September 14th 2010, had a court date for a case they are bringing against Daniel Revah. The case seems to have to do with corporate law. Clément, Levy, and Revah are the current shareholders of 1520 Dr. Penfield. This disagreement may be the reason for the very slow progression of renovations in the building. It may also be retribution for Revah and Levy obtaining a judgement against Marc Barchichat at the Régie du Logement.
On November 30th 2010 several tenants at 1520 Dr. Penfield had a hearing at the Régie du Logement to settle the amount of each of their rent increases. The lawyer representing the managing owner obtained a postponement for lack of time (remise pour insuffisance de temps). The case against the tenant who has accepted a buyout was dropped. The owners were attempting to raise the rents as a result of $225,000 of work that was done in the parking garage. However, the lawyer admitted to not having had the documents long enough to have prepared his case. He also admitted that the work in the parking garage was not, in fact, completed. On September 16th 2011 the continuation of this hearing was once again cancelled due to the absence of the parties.
On December 7th 2010 the Claude Hochner vs. Le Girouard Inc. case was supposed to continue in room 2.08 at 9am. This case was settled out of court on November 30th 2010. At issue was more than $2 million that Hochner alleges that Le Girouard owes him. Le Girouard shareholder Philippe Stenger has personally guaranteed the dept but the bulk of his personal assets are in France.
In December 2010 Marc Barchichat and his employee, Salvatore Sicuso, continue to be seen at 2290 Av Girouard. This is after they have supposedly sold the building to Cemad Corp. Based on his history it seems highly possible that this corporation is another front for Barchichat. See the front for 1520 Dr. Penfield as an example. This is also likely based on the unrealistically high selling price and the sale's right of cancellation (inscription 17 633 634).
Salvatore Sicuso (also known as Sal Sicuso or possibly Salvatore Santaguida) may have met Marc Barchichat during this case. He is a long standing close employee of Barchichat's since at least 2006. Salvatore lied under oath saying that he does not having a criminal record when in fact he does have a criminal record (see number 65)! During this case there was a fire set in a building under suspicious circumstances indicating that Salvatore could have been responsible. Salvatore Sicuso appears on several leases for 3550 Ridgewood as the building manager.
As of January 1st 2011 the building at 3550 Ridgewood has actually been sold to Sofilco Inc. Barchichat is, of course, still the owner since Sofilco is owned by his front Yves Clement. Also as of this date numerous eviction notices have been sent to tenants in the building saying that the "new" owners want to merge various apartments together to create larger apartments.
On January 11th 2011 the Régie de Logement had a hearing with regards to the rent increases of the tenants at 1520 Dr Penfield. The managing owner was present with his lawyer and they managed to get another delay due to an illness in the family of his accountant. At this hearing Marc Barchichat was the lawyer representing Aziza Benlemmouden. This exemplifies Marc's strategy of having close associates and/or family members in all of his buildings.
Also in January 2011 2290 Girouard (also 5500 5516 Rue Sherbrooke O. since it's on the corner of Sherbrooke) was put on the market again. This time the building is being sold for $7.2 million. This is another flip to inflate perceived value of the building. There are many strange inaccuracies in the posting such as: that there are 4 floors (there are 5), that it's near girouiard (actually girouard), and that the year of construction is 1972 (it's actually 1909). But interestingly they list the building expenses: insurance $27K, janitor $12K, taxes $43.5K, sanitary containers $2400, and elevator maintenance $1K.
On January 17th 2011 Stenger and Barchichat's corporation that owns the St. Denis building took 9154 1490 Quebec Inc., owned by restaurant-owner Samba Seck, to court.
Also on Jan 17 2011 Barchichat and crew (9227 0560 Quebec Inc) had a court date to request to write-off the inscription 16 014 674 of March 16, 2009. This item on the land registry is a mortgage of $1.7 million granted by Daniel Revah's company, 9206-0409 Quebec Inc., to the new owner of 1520 Dr Penfield, 9206-0276 Quebec Inc. Essentially this appears to be Barchichat's play to regain control of 1520 Dr. Penfield that he has lost to Revah. On January 24 2011 the Quebec superior court refused Barchichat and crew's request. The judgement has many interesting facts and illuminates a little the confusing ownership situation at 1520 Dr. Penfield. In March 2009 when Le Mont-Belliard inc. "sold" 1520 Dr. Penfield for $7.2 million - half of the equity in the building was sold for $1 with the obligation to provide a 2nd lien $1.7M mortgage. This means that in March 2009 Barchichat was so desperate for funds that he had to give away half the equity in 1520 Dr. Penfield in order to secure another mortgage on the building. Now Barchichat is alleging that this $1.7M mortgage shouldn't exist and that it was in fact an equity investment.
As mentioned in a reader's comment below, ex-tenant at 1520 Dr Penfield Najeth Choffel's legal battle for compensation has been a long and persistent one. Her story may be instructive to other tenants. Najeth originally won her case at the régie in October 2006 - obtaining a 15% decrease of rent going back to April 2004. Unfortunately this judgement was against Barchichat et Associés and not against Le Mont-Belliard Inc. and so Barchichat took Najeth to the Régie for non-payment and Najeth was almost evicted and had to start over again. It is crucial to direct all actions against the legal landlord and not their agents. But Najeth's ordeals were not over. Next she faced unsuccessful and a successful subdivision petitions. Then, finally, in August 2009 she won her case at the Régie even though one of her witnesses was discredited.
On January 21st 2011 there was a Quebec Court date for Najeth Choffel vs. Le Mont Belliard. Najeth has a judgement against Le Mont-Belliard Inc for $6895 which likely hasn't been paid to her yet. Najeth launched a lawsuit against Le Mont-Belliard Inc. and 9206-0276 Quebec Inc. in Quebec Court requesting $26,895 based on the Regie du logement judgement that has remained unpaid for over a year and also for damages. Her case was settled out of Court.
On February 1st 2011 at 7.30pm (19h30) the Radio Canada TV show La Facture aired a story on Marc-Émile Barchichat's activities (you can watch it from this link). They have interviewed 2 current tenants, a housing community organiser, Leslie Bagg, and Michael Applebaum, borough mayor of NDG and the city of Montreal's executive in charge of housing. Marc Barchichat refused to do an interview. Since Marc is a lawyer the show has had to be very careful about what they accuse him of and have focused mostly on his administrative duties at the companies who own the buildings (as opposed to calling him a landlord directly). A transcript of the whole story is also available.
On February 2nd 2011 Revenue Québec (MRQ) took Philippe Stenger to court to force him to hand over certain documents. On March 11th 2011 Revenue Quebec placed a legal mortgage on Stenger's Boucherville house for $256,929.42.
In a February 22nd 2011 judgement it's indicated that Marc Barchichat is still operating as Barchichat & Associés and not as Marc E. Barchichat, his name registered at the Bareau du Québec. It is very interesting also that, in this case, he is representing Jean Michel Casimir a real estate agent/building manager who introduced him to the 1520 Dr. Penfield building. Casimir has a history of being involved in aggressive landlord behaviour and may have been a mentor of sorts for Barchichat.
On March 11 2011 there was a Bref de Saisie issued against Placements Delavoie, Barchichat and Stenger's old holding company for the St. Denis building.
On March 17th 2011 a judgement was issued in the case between Elgard Weisse and Marc Barchichat. Weisse has been living without a functional kitchen since June 2010 and has appeared on La Facture. Barchichat managed to delay Weisse's régie case several times before launching his own suit alleging that Weisse was not a legal tenant. This judgement confirmed that she was a legal tenant and that her case should in fact be heard by the Régie du Logement. Although Barchichat stated during the hearing that he was representing Sofilco Inc. this was not recorded in the judgement.
On April 6th 2011 the Barreau du Quebec conducted a disciplinary hearing against Me Marc Barchichat. Marc pleaded guilty to having failed to reply to requests "requiring his comments and explanations along with documents in relation to his in trust accounting".
Updated land registry fillings for the 2290 Girouard building and the Beaconsfield building seem to indicate that Sofilco Inc. is the owner of both these buildings. Sofilco appears to have obtained a $1.9 million loan from Individual Investment Corporation and secured the loan with these two properties.
In May 2011 real estate agent Valerie Jose is renting out apartments in Barchichat's buildings on Beaconsfield and Ridgewood.
On May 25th local newspaper l'Actualités wrote a story on Elgard Weisse's horible living situation at 3550 Ridgewood. They linked the problems to delinquent landlord Marc Barchichat.
On May 27th 2011 Mohamed Azzedine Tighrine, a tenant at 3550 Ridgewood, won his case at the Régie against Barchichat.
On May 30th 2011 at 9am the tenants at 3550 Ridgewood who are being evicted had their hearing at the Régie downtown (Rene-Levesque). The evictions requested so that the apartments can be merged into fewer, larger, apartments.
In a June 2011 decision five 3550 Ridgewood tenants defeated Marc Barchichat's eviction by enlargement request. The tenants won because Barchichat had only made a request for the building permits 6 days before the hearing. However, in the judgement the régisseur pointed out Barchichat's contraction with respect to his link to Sofilco:
[39] Me Barchichat, frustrated by tenants' comments as to his role in the company Sofilco Inc. and his interest in the current case, bluntly replies that he has no business association with the company Sofilco Inc., nor any involvement with it, testimony that contradicts his allegations made at the beginning of the hearing that he met all requirements to act as the agent of this company, being a manager of the company.
In 2009 Barchichat managed to evict a tenant in apartment 102 at 1520 Dr Penfield saying that the 5.5 would be converted to two 3.5s. But in 2011 the building's own website shows this apartment is currently for sale as a 5.5!
On June 1st 2011, CBC radio interviewed Barchichat's tenant Elgard Weisse (listen). Marc Barchichat was described as a prime candidate for the proposed City of Montreal black-list of negligent landlords. The ability to create this list is part of Bill 13, presently before the Quebec National Assembly. Other Barchichat tenants can be heard describing unsafe and unhealthy living conditions such as the lack of fire extinguishers, dead animals, and cockroaches covering whole walls. CBC asked Barchichat to appear on the show but he didn't return their phone calls. You can also read the transcript of the program.
As of June 23rd Barchichat's long time secretary Valerie Loria is advertising a job for an accountant for a Sofilco Inc. real estate business. Valerie Loria's email is reception@barchichat.com. This might be a bit late for the CRA who didn't even receive a tax filling from Le Mont Belliard Inc. for the years 2005 to 2007 (see page 123).
On July 7th a tenant at 1520 Dr Penfield won their fixation de loyer case at the Régie.
On August 3rd 2011 I attended court where Dan Revah was fighting one of Barchichat's numbered companies. Dan's defence alleges that he controls 100% of the development of 1520 docteur-penfield and Barchichat's lawyer contends that Revah and Barchichat both control 50%. Curiously, if Barchichat still considers himself a partner in the building, why is he representing Aziza Benlemmouden at the régie against Dan Revah and himself! Following an all too familiar pattern Dan Revah appears to have been badly mistreated and deceived by Marc Barchichat.
As of August 7th 2011 Marc Barchichat can still be seen around 1520 Dr Penfield.
On August 8th 2011 someone posted a warning about Barchichat's remaining buildings: 2290 Girouard, 4309-4311 Beaconsfield and 3550 Ridgewood on a student-focused website.
In August 2011 the fire alarm at 4309-4311 Beaconsfield has been going off regularly.
On September 7th 2011 a tenant won a régie victory against Barchichat's Le Mont-Belliard inc. In a formal letter sent to Barchichat the tenant states:
Unauthorized and unlawful entry into my apartment and particularly my bedroom by building staff when they were told that I was asleep, which disrupted my sleep and intruded on my privacy. This behaviour constitutes harassment and violates my rights and will no be tolererated. For non-emergency access to mu apartment by bulding stafff, I must approve the request and I must be contacted personnaly a minimum at least 24 hours in advance;
On September 8th 2011 Me Barchichat's bar disciplinary sentencing hearing occurred. He received a $4000 fine. Barchichat requested and was granted the right to pay the fine in $500 installments over 8 months.
On September 14th 2011 2290 Girouard's legal transactions indicate that the city of Montreal is pursuing Cemad Corp. for unpaid taxes. While it is still unclear whether Barchichat still controls this building the failure to pay city taxes follows his typical pattern (see for example sept 12 2007 on the land registry).
On October 23rd 2011 and again on November 27th 4311 Beaconsfield was mentioned in a Bed Bug registry.
On November 23rd 2011 a tenant won a fixation de loyer case against Sofilco. The representative for Sofilco didn't show up. This victory shows the importance of contesting the rent increases and showing up at the Regie.
A popular article explains how to catch a slumlord conspiracy with social network analysis. This article explains how buildings are flipped between related owners in order to avoid maintaining them and to "strip-mine" the building by obtaining larger and larger mortgages on the properties.
On January 31st 2012 Marc Barchichat represented Dalila Mimi Lahlou. Besides being her lawyer Marc Barchichat's company Sofilco Inc. sold 2290 Girouard to a company Ms. Lahlou is a director of for a suspiciously high price.
If you have any recent developments please post a comment or contact me with full confidentiality.
Upcoming Events
On Feb 6th 2012 it appears that the CRA is going to trial against Marc Barchichat for not filing his taxes for 3 years. This is file number 500-73-003526-106 and the schedule indicates room 5.08 at 9.30am: summary conviction process.
Barchichat sociopath
Very unreliable individual on a scale 1 to 10 he is - zero.
Will do anything for his personal interest no respect towards anyone.
1520 Dr. Penfield - Let the buyer beware!
The "fully renovated" apartments in a building where the elevators break down constantly, there are mushroom fungi growing in some bathrooms, and the garage and hallways are full of dangerous dust and debris, may not be worth the money. Revah's workers smoke all over the building not only leaving a stink but also increasing the risk of fire. The fire detectors are covered up 24/7 in some places. And one of the apartments had a crowbar taken to its front door lock.
The electric wiring system in the building is totally weird as the light bulbs in the lobby and halls burn out all the time, and so do the lights in people's apartments. Small appliances burn out too. The concierge says the problems with the lights are due to "cheap Chinese manufacturing." Right.
Talk to the new co-proprietors: at least one is having serious regrets. A tenant of a co-proprietor wants out of the lease because of all the problems.Check out the garage - filthy is not the word. The lobby and halls are never clean and the elevators could be used for a horror flick. A quick vacuuming once a week doesn't even begin to deal with the filth all over the place. Don't go in the laundry room in the garage if you value your health, not to mention the space just outside the laundry room where the dryers vent directly into the garage - accumulating dirt on the floor and walls and everywhere. Hasn't been cleaned in years.
In the near future, so people are saying, the entire outside of the building, all the brickwork, will be worked on - so get ready for some more noise and dirt in the new year, and it will go on for a quite a while.
STAY AWAY FAR FAR AWAY from Marc Barchichats buildings
The way our apartment was set up our kitchen was against the dividing wall and thats where most of the mice were coming from and had already been in our kitchen cupboards. There were small droppings near food sources gnawed holes in bags and boxes..... so we had a big mice problem the landlord Marc Barchichat felt he shouldnt be responsible for. He gave us the run around for months and finally sent some guy over who patched the holes used as entry points for rodents. We could still hear the sounds of scurrying and scratching behind the kitchen walls. We checked the patched holes and found that those pests had been busy undoing all the work done. But each time we called Barchichat we got nowhere - it was like the company had ceased to exist. We moved out as soon as our lease was up. DONT MOVE IN ANY OF BARCHICHATS BUILDINGS.
1520
Carolina Montes is selling 1520 Penfield
See here:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.199110816769119.55442.138828046...
New décision against Barchichat
This is interesting:
http://jugements.qc.ca/php/decision.php?liste=56050420&doc=D5AF0E1D63A08...
good old-fashioned tip to ensure a returned phone call from Marc
Hi fellow tenants! Our landlord in the first place we ever rented was amazing. So we were really taken aback when we got this cheeky ass-face who never answers our calls, much less deals with our problems. Leaving messages in Marc Barchichat's voice-mail is just a direct route to no-where. We've tried a few tricks and here's the most effective one: Leave a message on his voice-mail saying "the rent payment will be late this month". He'll call you right back or he'll barge into (he seriously does that) your apartment a split-second later. It absolutely works!! He falls for this trick E V E R Y single time!!! As the old adage goes... there's a sucker born every minute... Marc Barchichat obviously being one of them!!!!
2290 Girouard/Beaconsfield ads are baaaaaa-aaack!
Seems that after a few days laying low, the poster renting out apartments for at least two of Barchichat's buildings is back. Here's an updated link to all their current Kijiji ads for 2290 Girouard:
http://montreal.kijiji.ca/c-PostersOtherAds-W0QQUserIdZ53559133
Hysterical (desperate?) that they are offering 25% rent for the third month...
The phone number listed in these ads is "514 679 4971," in the event that they will disappear then reappear again a few days later.
Ads for the Beaconsfield buildings are still being posted by a real estate agent who lists 4.5s and 5.5s as both being "2 bedroom," with this phone number contact: 514-575-8503. Some ads can be found here:
http://montreal.en.craigslist.ca/apa/2491045545.html
http://montreal.en.craigslist.ca/apa/2452616454.html
So let's all band together and warn everyone we know, in person and online (by flagging these ads), that these properties are not worthy of anyone's good time or money!
barchichat's cellphone
I think that 514-575-8503 is barchichat's cellphone - although I could be wrong.
re: cell phone
Hi again,
The 514-575-8503 number belongs to real estate agent Valerie Jose. Here's her (public-access) Facebook link:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Valerie-Jose-Courtiers-en-Immobiliers/1186...
It helps to have a face to link to the various people who sniff around these buildings on Barchichat's behalf...
Thanks for the correction.
Thanks for the correction. That's interesting that Valerie Jose is still around... working for Marc.
re: Barchichat's numbers
Hi Phil,
Here are all the numbers I have on file for Barchichat -- can't be sure if I am correct in identifying cell, office, home, etc., or if they are all still valid. Just trying to keep up with him makes me want to wash my hands more often than someone with OCD:
Office: 514-286-7070
Cell/business: 514-969-5873
Home: 514-935-8119
Other: 514-939-2662
Other(2): 514-286-3932
I'll add 514-575-8503 to my growing list.
Thanks!
New ads for 2290 Girouard
Hi there,
Just a note that 2-1/2, 3-1/2, and 4-1/2 apartments are being advertised on Kijiji. Check out this link to see all the poster's adds -- and stay away (tell your friends, too)!
http://montreal.kijiji.ca/c-PostersOtherAds-W0QQUserIdZ53559133
By the way, if everyone who follows Phil's blog does an occasional online search for Barchichat's buildings on Craigslist and Kijiji, then flags all the ads as spam, prohibited, overpost, or your-own-reason (on Kijiji only), we can collectively hit this slumlord in the only place he feels pain -- the pocketbook!
re: 2290 Girouard
Hi, I just checked the link I posted, above, and it looks like the poster took down all their ads.
Still, passing by the building, one sees a big "appartments a louer -- nouvelle administration" sign with the contact name of Sutton real estate agent Dalila Lahlou Mimi, and contact numbers (450)-462-4414 and (514)-909-1584 (two more numbers to search for on Kijiji and Craigslist).
Curious that Mimi doesn't have this property among her online listings -- though she does have the store-front for the now-empty 2nd-hand bookstore listed: http://www.suttonquebec.com/properties-quebec.html?Agent=MT97845
Looks like even the agents Barchichat uses are as shady as he is.
good work
Hi, Thanks for this follow up! The poster either took down the ads or lots of people flagged the ads as spam like you suggested! It is curious why Dalila Lahlou Mimi doesn't list any of the residential apartments...
Definitely shady - I like how in her ad for the store front it says: "Near : giroire". Is she for real? She doesn't even know how to spell the nearest cross street? Also the tiny little store is being rented for 2500 !? That's more than triple what it was rented for when it was the bookstore.
ME MARC EMILE BARCHICHAT
In reference to the story "On October 8th 2008, according to a Montreal municipal court document, Marc Barchichat was given an absolute discharge after being found guilty of assaulting a 13 year old boy.", this is beyond revolting. Justice, at least in my point of view, was not prevailed. Just how gullible this City of Montreal Municipal Court Judge must be to believe fallacies from this lawyer Me Marc Emile Barchichat, who has no more ethical standards than a monkey. No insults intended to monkeys.
Asbestos hazard at 1520 Dr Penfield as of May 2011
Asbestos removal is being carried out in the building and the dust is flying all over. For example, you do not know when the elevator door opens what will be there: two workers wearing hazardous-materials suits and respirators standing in about an inch of dust. Where are the CSST, the City of Montreal, the construction association? The dust floats around the building, no warning signs are posted as required. There were signs posted all over the building and signed by a construction project management company in 2010. That seems to be a thing of the past. No professional management and no signs.
The Law Is The Law (Mostly)
This situation begs us to ask if lawyers have to much immunity. It would be reasonable to expect minor charges, infractions and misdemeanors to be thrown in the bin but assaulting a 13 year old child? Why should someone not face justice simply because he is a lawyer? Lawyer immunity seems to be, in effect, a ticket to do what you want, effectively a "get out of jail free" card. Yet most citizens do not have this privilege. Instead, if you assault a 13 year old child, you face the music. We call it the law and it's the mark of civilized society. Courts should be impartial, but that's the way they do things here.
Lucky Me Marc Emile Barchichat! Once again, he gets away with it.
Where are Arnold Bennett and Ted Wright?
Where are our tenant rights groups on the matter of Barchichat and his band of hooligans? This guy should be shamed openly by those who make a living trading on the idea they champion our rights as dwellers in these kinds of buildings and situations. Time to bug our community groups, and leaders on the matter and try to kick up a fuss over this bunch of lowlife punks.
This time, Barchichat is way out of line and he knows it
He's already known for his anger outbursts, intimidating behaviors and chronic bullying. Imagine: assaulting a 13 year old kid when one's 4 times his age, we must draw the conclusion that something's off-kilter. Marc should seriously consider seeking professional help.
You did it boy!
We just echo what has been written about this boy. You know, win or lose, this 13 year old boy had the guts to go to Court, face his opponents, and that's the most important thing. Whatever the outcome, we've got to know the real boy WHICH IS NOT THE PERSON WE'VE SEEN PORTRAYED IN COURT BY THOSE POMPOUS POWER HUNGRY MORONS {more specifically Marc Barchicha and Remu Mihali}, but a nice shy boy who just wanted justice. He can walk away from this awful experience with his head held high. We have every right to be proud of this courageous and intelligent young boy and we believe that he has every right to be so.
Disturbing is putting it lightly!
This is very disturbing news on so many levels that this lawyer, Mark Barchichat, was found guilty but was given an absolute discharge for hitting on a 13 year old boy. Although this trash isn't the brightest bulb in the pack, he gets away with things we could never, and would never, get away with. No one, including lawyers, should get away with this. What do you do about that? Any books for this? Our prayers that this boy make great life for himself.
Barchichat had no right to hit that 13 year old boy
I'm sorry but my wife and I are outraged. How many people here have seen real lawyers lie in court under oath? When we were this boy's neighbors at some point, he was always polite and courteous with us (and we're NOT lying). He would even offer to carry our grocery bags. By most accounts, he was just a typical 13 year old boy.
MARC BARCHICHAT! You had no right, absolutely no right, to hit that boy whatsoever. You are evil. There's a special kind of hell for people like you. We need less disgusting scum like you around anyway. So, go to hell you just incredibly despicable human being!
To the nice boy (we hope you read this forum): We sincerely wish you a bright and happy future. Take care young man! (PS: my wife wants me to tell you she'll always remember your nice smile)
And the truth shall set you free
Remus Mihali - janitor at 1520 Dr Penfield - told the Court about this young boy calling him names such as "trou de cul" (asshole). Let's say this is true - I have my doubts - OK assuming this is true... he has just expressed out loud what many people are thinking to themselves. Now, that being said, it is only fair to share with you all that people found him to also be lazy - hypocrite - liar - frustrated... and oh yes... I was about to forget... an asshole as well.
Mensonges & Fourberies / Lies and Cunning Maneuvers
"On October 8th 2008, according to a Montreal municipal court document, Marc Barchichat was given an absolute discharge after being found guilty of assaulting a 13 year old boy. This was a boy who lived at 1520 Dr Penfield up until June 26th 2006. The full transcripts of the case, in which Me Barchichat defended himself, for the 7th March 2008 and for the 26th May 2008 can be read in full."
English version follows:
Oh la! Il est primordial de remettre les pendules a l'heure. Nous trouvons cela tres reducteur et simpliste de la part de ces 2 imbeciles, Marc Barchichat et Remu Mihali (concierge), de vehiculer des mensonges ehontes et des fourberies a l'egard du jeune garcon de 13 ans. Nous savons de qui il s'agit. On le croisait regulierement dans l'immeuble. Nous n'avons jamais entendu de propos impolis ni ete temoins de gestes obscenes de sa part. Au contraire!
Autre fait: L'immeuble date de 1958. Au fil des annees, les ascenseurs ainsi que leurs pieces detachees sont uses et, dans certains cas, sont desuets. C'est le cas pour les 2 ascenseurs du 1520 Dr Penfield, necessitant, plus d'une fois, l'intervention des pompiers. Cela n'a rien a voir avec ce jeune garcon. Nous parlons en connaissance de cause!
Si ces 2 cretins peuvent toujours se regarder dans la glace, c'est la preuve que le miroir est encrasse. Honte a vous deux!
******************************************
Stop! It's fundamental to set things straight. There's something very reductive and simplistic about these 2 idiots, Marc Barchichat and Remu Mihali, to tell such a pack of shameless lies and of their cunning maneuvers concerning this 13-year-old young boy. We know who this is about. We ran into each other regularly in the building. We've never heard rude comments nor witnessed obscene gestures from him. On the contrary!
Another fact: The building dates back to 1958. Over many years, elevators and their components wear out and, in some cases, become obsolete. This is the case with both elevators at 1520 Dr Penfield, requiring, more than one-time, the intervention of firefighters. This has nothing to do with this young boy. We speak knowingly!
If these 2 jerks can still look at themselves in the mirror, it's a sure sign that its reflection is filthy. Shame on you both!
thanks
Thank you for this clarification. I think that in the court documents they spell the janitor's name Remus Mihaili.
2290 GIROUARD (BARCHICHAT & CO) - DON'T LIVE HERE!!!
When I first moved in, I absolutely loved this apartment. The location was perfect, close to entertainment, downtown, my job, and plenty of places to eat. A couple of months later, I developed a totally different opinion. If you feel like your life lacks emotional and verbal abuse as well as threat and intimidation by your landlord, then this is the place to live. I've never had a landlord make it so clear to me that my only purpose was to pay rent, and all my rights were inconsequential. This has been a truly painful experience. It's really getting to the point where I want to sit outside of the front door building and beg people not to move here. My lease is about to expire and I can't wait to get out of this shit-hole.
Yes Marc Barchichat is an absolute disgrace
It is simply not acceptable that people are handing over their hard earned money to live in apartment buildings that are run-down, squalid and in some cases even dangerous. It is shocking that so many people have fallen victims to this ruthless landlord but even more astonishing is the fact that this lawyer, Marc Barchichat, is seemingly able to get away with it scot-free. Not only is it vital that people who are renting watch out for this deceitful landlord, but the government must also clamp down on this rogue operator who is exploiting the system and taking advantage of people who simply need a home. In short, it is a disgrace which must be prevented and stopped.
Me Marc Emile Barchichat Is A Crook Lawyer
Me Marc Emile Barchichat systematically abuses the system and rips off lots and lots of people. Honesty and integrity is paramount in lawyers' dealings with clients. Me Marc Emile Barchichat has clearly breached this fundamental principle.
Antisocial Personality Disorder
Marc Barchichat has an antisocial personality disorder and he can cause a lot of pain if we do nothing.
This lawyer - Marc Emile Barchichat - should be put behind bars
With regards to Marc Emile Barchichat, he isn't innocent babes in the woods with respect to his property dealings. He's extracted a lot of money out of the properties, treating them like an ATM machine and never repaid them.
Unless something is done, he's going to do it again.
Marc Emile Barchichat is a criminal and should be put BEHIND BARS - not the subject of a QUEBEC BAR disciplinary hearing... in which he'll end up getting away with murder once again.
Is this a reflection of what is acceptable in our society from our lawyers?
Does anyone know any
Does anyone know any information on CEMAD inc?
We have been living at 2290
We have been living at 2290 Girouard since 2010 - EVERYTHING that has been written/spoken about Marc is completely true. We went in being optimistic and were taken advantage of.
We are currently being asked to go to court from the NEW landlords because we did not pay 3 months of your rent (WHEN INFACT we have sent checks and have bank statements that they money/check were used and money withdrawn)
Najeth Choffel wins a long-drawn-out battle against Barchichat
It seems that Marc Emile Barchichat, aka Napoleon, has finally met his waterloo. This is a story about a tenant and the lengths that she went to get what she believed in... JUSTICE! This is about someone who has attained success by overcoming any obstacle and barrier that she faced against Marc Emile Barchichat and his tuggish cronies.
Her courage, determination and faith in being able to fight the way she did and accomplish her goal is an inspiration to us all. Ms. Najeth Choffel may look sweet, but she's got some fight in her. She is not a shouty person but she is very exercised by injustice.
Many times we find ourselves faced with obstacles that we often feel are difficult, if not impossible to overcome. We are not alone but when we discover other people who have accomplished much through many obstacles and adversities, such as Ms. Najeth Choffel did, ours pale in comparison. Many of us , tenants et al, presently face situations that are extremely difficult with Marc Emile Barchichat and his tuggish cronies. The critical aspect is not the situation but how we respond to it. There are those who face extreme obstacles to their fights but do not let them prevent making their goal a reality. Ms. Najeth Choffel is one of them. Goals should be such that they are not easy but are not impossible to achieve.
As a result, she has achieved her goal... she finally won a long-drawn-out battle against Marc Emile Barchichat and his tuggish cronies and got her money! SHE'S THE BRAVE TENANT THAT STOOD UP TO MARC EMILE BARCHICHAT AND HIS TUGGISH CRONIES, which group without fail show malevolent disdain toward tenants et al.
Let's tip our hats to Ms. Najeth Choffel!
Do you have any details about
Do you have any details about the case? How did she get them to pay up? Was it a court judgement or a settlement? What was the amount she got? Thanks!
Marc Emile Barchichat
So where to start. Hmmmm. Marc Emile Barchichat is totally oblivious to the fact that his real estate ambitions far out exceed his property management skills. He's willing to mindlessly roll the dice without the forethought or consideration of consequences. He's been given the opportunity to own and manage residential and commercial properties. He's proven he definitely and wittingly prefers infamy.
Definition of 'INFAMY'
Definition of 'infamy' Random House Webster's College Dictionary:
1. (n.) infamy
extremely bad reputation, public reproach, or strong condemnation as the result of a shameful, criminal, or outrageous act:
a time that will live in infamy.
2. infamy
infamous character or conduct.
3. infamy
an infamous act or circumstance.
4. infamy
Law. loss of rights, incurred by conviction of an infamous offense.
Definition of 'infamy' Princeton's WordNet:
1. (noun) infamy, opprobrium
a state of extreme dishonor
"a date which will live in infamy"- F.D.Roosevelt; "the name was a by-word of scorn and opprobrium throughout the city"
2. (noun) infamy
evil fame or public reputation
Definition of 'infamy' Webster Dictionary:
1. (noun) infamy
total loss of reputation; public disgrace; dishonor; ignominy; indignity
2. (noun) infamy
a quality which exposes to disgrace; extreme baseness or vileness; as, the infamy of an action
3. (noun) infamy
that loss of character, or public disgrace, which a convict incurs, and by which he is at common law rendered incompetent as a witness
Marc Emile Barchichat is a narcissistic crook
We're appalled beyond words at this narcissistic crook who should be in jail and yet, we wonder why Marc Emile Barchichat is still walking the streets. Justice in Canada in only a word for window dressing. Marc Emile Barchichat is living proof that our justice system is a sham.
Comment on barchichat
barchichat's fraudulent and unethical actions against his tenants and others have put the spotlight on the flawed system that lets him get away with it for the most part. barchichat knows the system's weaknesses and exploits them whether it be the Rental Board, the Municipality's laws and regulations, the Provincial and Federal governments, etc... I hope sooner than later those who are in charge of serving the people of Montreal wake up and come down hard on this crook.
Is anybody planning to attend his disciplinary hearing at the Barreau du Quebec? Would be nice to see a packed house to show the Barreau that barchichat is a scoundrel. It would also show these government bodies that people are paying attention.
This site is a great source of information for anybody wanting to do a background check on barchichat and his associates. Luckily this site comes up first when his name and related addresses are googled. Keep up the great work!
Barreau audience
I plan on being there for the disciplinary hearing. I'm looking forward to seeing a crowd there as well.
Phil
2 Companies, 1 address under his name!
I find it curious that 2 of Barchichat's numbered companies share the business name "Barchichat & Associes" as well as the operating address of 4309 Beaconsfield #8. Oh, and that Barchichat is listed as living there, on both company info pages:
1. 9143-6329 QUÉBEC INC.:
Enterprise: BARCHICHAT & ASSOCIÉS
Address: 4309, RUE BEACONSFIELD, BUREAU 8
Activity: Real Estate Agency
Précisions Real Estate Management
Majority Shareholder: STENGER, PHILIPPE, President
2nd Shareholder: BARCHICHAT, MARC, Secretary and Treasurer; address is listed as 8-4309 av. Beaconsfield
2. 9137-1195 QUÉBEC INC.:
Enterprise: BARCHICHAT & ASSOCIÉS
Address: 4309, RUE BEACONSFIELD, BUREAU 8
Activity: Real Estate Agency
Précisions Real Estate Administration
Majority Shareholder: STENGER, PHILIPPE, President
2nd Shareholder: BARCHICHAT, MARC, Secretary and Treasurer; address is listed as 8-4309 av. Beaconsfield
Isn't there a law about one company acting as two, or about a law firm acting as a real estate firm, or about someone falsely listing their business residence and home residence on a gov.'t document?
Shouldn't the Quebec Bar be made aware of these shenanigans when weighing whether or not Barchichat is qualified to practice law (or even keep his business licenses)?
Marc Barchichat should be disbarred
You know, people wouldn’t have so many questions about Marc's backgrounds if he didn't try to hide things, refuse to provide information, cover things up or if he wasn’t such an arrogant bully.
1 - Despite filing for commercial bankruptcy under his name, Marc Emile Barchichat, the Quebec Bar agreed to grant him the right to still practice law.
2 - The records show the Courts issued, more than once, Writs of Seizure against Marc Barchichat personally and against his business, Barchichat & Associes, for not paying its debts. Seizure/Garnishment is a drastic measure for collecting a debt.
3 - In addition, he was legally evicted from his apartment for non-payment of rent.
4 - On 11 December 2006, he was ordered to appear before the disciplinary board of the Quebec Bar which listed the nature of the complaint as “Failure to respond”. On 18 January 2007, he was sentenced to pay a fine. “The defendant describes summarily the personal and professional problems he encountered at the relevant time, including his law firm flood and the extra work resulting from his office flood”. A Law Firm flood (then on the 6th floor) is quite a stretch as an excuse, don't you think?
5 - Four years later, he’s subjected, once more, to a hearing before the disciplinary board of the Quebec Bar scheduled for 6 April 2011 which lists the nature of the complaint as “Failure to respond”. As should be clear at this point, established patterns of behaviour are very resistant to change! This second time around, his pitch will certainly be centered around the expectable yada yada yada regarding "my girlfriend has cancer”, as an excuse he’s been using several times when needing an escape hatch---one to help him save face. For the record, she did file a complaint against him while they were living together. One has to wonder why she retracted her complaint nine months later.
6 - We’ve looked into his legal practice history, and found a curious lack of information readily available at that time regarding the circumstances of him practicing under Barchichat & Associes from 8 March 1996 (Registering) until 24 September 2004 (Ex Officio Striking Off). 8 months later, 6 June 2005 (Request for Revocation of Striking Off). 3 1/2 years later, 8 December 2008 (Striking Off on Request). 1 year 4 months later, 14 April 2010 (Reregistering) under Marc E. Barchichat.
Despite all of these facts, he’s still eligible to practice law. What kind of message is it sending to the profession? If we lied or behaved or ripped off funds in this way, we would expect to be disbarred. It should come as no surprise to this man that this may eventually be his fate.
We’ve known Marc for a very long time. We’re asserting that he isn’t an innocent victim - his hands are not clean! Suppliers, tradesmen, residential and commercial tenants, friends, clients, colleagues, have been victimized for decades, as he rarely followed proper protocol, illegally ripping most of them off. We have no sympathy for such a so called "lawyer" (or call it what you want) when he tries to take justice into his own hands.
The Quebec Bar registers attorneys and investigates complaints of misconduct filed against attorneys holding a license to practice law in Quebec. Under the circumstances, revocation of licence is the only conclusion they can come to. This fraud is yet another blow to the reputation of lawyers everywhere.
Marc Barchichat. Is he a Lawyer... or a Liar?...
This lawyer long ago earned colorful descriptions such as SLUMLORD, LIAR, SCOUNDREL and far worse.
CREDITORS BEWARE! SOMETHING'S NOT KOSHER HERE!
I came across this website while I was searching the Internet for information on Marc Emile Barchichat after watching La Facture TV program broadcasted by Radio-Canada.
I won a judgment against my landlord Marc Barchichat in court. He hasn’t got around to paying it yet and he made it very clear to me he doesn’t intend to. What’s the next step? I have chased the debt since I’m not legally allowed to deduct money from the rent… he flipped the building! Marc Barchichat told me: 'don’t bother, it’s going to cost you more money to fight it in court than the amount I owe you'… that it might be wise to simply consider letting it go, to leave him alone, that I’m wasting my money and his precious time.
Contrary to what Marc Barchichat says that he actually represents the companies solely in his capacity as administrator… Not so true! For instance, if you look up '9143-6329 Quebec Inc (3550 Ridgewood)' on the Registraire des entreprises du Quebec’s website, Marc Barchichat's name is also listed as “Secondary Shareholder”. In fact, he has lately flipped the 3550 Ridgewood building to Sofilco Inc.
This slumlord with this 'business model' doesn’t maintain his properties at all, doesn’t even keep up with his mortgage payments or doesn’t pay municipal property taxes (this is the case with 'Placements Delavoie Inc' 2110-14 St. Denis --- BTW he has flipped this building to 'Sofilco Inc') or city fines he tends to accrue in great quantities.
Knowing it will take years for a municipality, bank, etc to condemn or seize or possibly raze his properties, he count on flipping them before this happen and come back as a new company with a new name, 'Yves Clement' and/or 'Sofilco Inc', conveniently used as a 'prete-nom'/'front man'.
He’s already done so at least 4 times that we know of by hiding behind a corporate facade, either 'Yves Clement' and/or 'Sofilco Inc'.
1. 2290 GIROUARD: 'Le Girouard Inc' to 'Sofilco Inc'
2. 2110-2112-2114 ST. DENIS: 'Placements Delavoie Inc' to 'Sofilco Inc'
3. 3550 RIDGEWOOD: '9143-6329 Quebec Inc' to 'Sofilco Inc'
4. 1520 DR PENFIELD: 'Le Mont Belliard Inc' to '9206-0276 Quebec Inc' (Philippe Stenger and Marc Barchichat hiding behind the prete-nom/front man 'Yves Clement' – read the 'convention contre lettre' posted on this website) to '9227-0560 Quebec Inc' ('Yves Clement' a prete-nom/front man for Philippe Stenger and Marc Barchichat)
5. 4309-4311 BEACONSFIELD: '9137-1195 Quebec Inc' - case in court (a creditor put a lien on this property - therefore Marc Barchichat isn’t allowed to flip the building at the present time)
The results are lots of people got screwed by Marc Barchichat.
Something’s not kosher here! Isn’t it ILLEGAL to flip buildings WITH A PROFIT with the purpose of not paying the companies obligations: suppliers, mortgages, fines, taxes, court judgments?
We are clearly watching a master manipulator at work. MARC BARCHICHAT IS A LAWYER! Shouldn’t he be in jail for ignoring and/or not paying his debts/court judgments… not only the companies’ but his own as well?
Marc should be inducted into THE LANDLORD HALL OF SHAME
The best decision I ever made was to move out of 3550 Ridgewood and I hope I never in my life get another landlord like him. Marc Barchichat is the most rude, ruthless, arrogant and nasty individual I have ever had dealings with.
Not many renters are in love with their landlords, but only a handful of these landlords deserve to be called out in public for repeated violations and to ignore complaints from tenants. It's about time that this worst offender be forced into the spotlight.
He ignores the most basic maintenance requirements and is impossible to get a hold of. He has demanded substantial rent increases but refuses to do basic repairs even though they are required by law. Marc Barchichat and his gang illegally enter the apartments.
It's not just bad maintenance, it’s shoddy management.
He doesn’t pay his bills, resulting in tenants having to pay their rent to mortgage loans companies, Revenue Quebec, Canada Revenue Agency…
In addition, he harasses his tenants through threats, invalid notices of termination. He orchestrates the eviction of low rent paying tenants or those not afraid of exercising their tenants’ rights and enforcing the landlord to fulfill his legal obligations. Marc Barchichat is very vindictive and constantly uses the grounds for “the intention of evicting tenants for the purpose of subdivision of their apartment” as his way to discreetly get revenge on the feisty tenants. A few years ago, some have decided to confront Marc and fight their eviction. They have won the right to stay in their apartment.
Marc Barchichat should be labeled as the WORST LANDLORD EVER.
4309-11 Beaconsfield - Horrible Landlord - Stay Away
Marc Barchichat should be subject to the RED FLAG rules.
I moved in one of Marc Barchichat’s buildings located in NDG, more specifically at 4309-11 Beaconsfield Avenue. I will start off by saying that I've lived in many apartments in my life, none of which was what you would call luxury, and that I am not a particularly picky person. Yet, I have to say that Marc Barchichat is by far THE WORST landlord I've come across in my life, and that he far surpasses my worst nightmare of a landlord.
The building is old and very terribly kept, somehow I doubt that it would pass the city inspection if one were to take place. While some of the units have been renovated and have newer appliances, they certainly do not compensate for the overall terrible quality of the apartment/building. He often fails to respond to requests about crucial issues like heat in the winter. It takes numerous phone calls from tenants to get Marc to get them fixed--as it always does to get him to fix things. (Insured plumbers cost too much! He uses a non-English and non-French speaking repairman he probably found at the hardware store!). As is the case with all old apartments/buildings, things break. In my experience, it took many, many phone calls and emails and registered letters to get him to fix stuff. Sometimes it took him 6 months to fix something, other times things just didn't get done at all and I gave up when it was not life-threatening. When things do get fixed, they're done the cheapest way out there--for instance, using duct tape to keep broken windows together. He is seriously the most irresponsible landlord I've ever come across: doesn't return phone calls, doesn't get things done even when he says he will, sends his maintenance guy, Salvator, without first letting you know when he'll be entering your apartment (can be a "nice" surprise if you happen to be sleeping or in the shower at that time or having “private time”).
He’s delinquent in paying his bills, he owes so much money to so many people--for example, we receive court orders to pay our rent directly to Income Tax Dept. or Banks or Mortgage or Collections Companies. At times, we can't keep up with what to pay to whom because we keep receiving court orders from bailiffs, one representing the mortgage company, the other representing a collections company instructing us to pay them--all of them within the same period of time.
Aside from the poor quality of the apartment/building, the terrible landlord, and the maintenance, there are some noise issues. The apartments are poorly heated in the winter, partly because he doesn’t fix things, and partly because of the poor insulation of the building.
For all these reasons, if you are considering renting an apartment here, please do inspect it closely a priori, as things will not get fixed even if Marc promises otherwise. Prior to the move in, no repair and no cleaning is done, leaving dust all over the apartment, sticky surfaces, peeling paint and dirty windows.
The only positive thing I can say about the apartment/building is the location, which is very conveniently close to Monkland Avenue, and there are plenty of buses stopping around the corner.
Overall, I'd recommend looking elsewhere. After becoming fed up with my situation in my current apartment, I’m in the process of moving, and soon. But I’m paranoid that I’ll end up with another bad landlord who isn’t responsive to requests for repairs or some other awful landlord shenanigans that I can’t even imagine. I’ll accept an OK-ish landlord but not a shitty landlord such as Marc Barchichat.
Seconding Phil’s suggestions, the SOQUIJ (Société québécoise d’information juridique) have a great website, http://www.jugements.qc.ca/, the Régie du logement have a great on-site database (visit their official site to find a location near you: http://www.rdl.gouv.qc.ca/fr/accueil/accueil.asp), the Registre foncier du Québec en ligne, http://www.registrefoncier.gouv.qc.ca/Sirf/, etc. where we can look up any name/building and can see if there are any violations, verify ownership of the property, check if the property is in foreclosure, check the complaints filed against the landlord, etc.
These databases don’t account for other species of crazy, it’s true, but it does at least help sort out the nonresponsive landlords.
Many thanks, folks. With all your advice, I feel much better equipped to weed out the bad ones this time around.
Marc Barchichat is a horrible man
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read that Marc Barchichat was not paying his rent on the 1st of the month and providing NSF checks at 1010 Sherbrooke W as well as being evicted from his apartment at 1520 Penfield for not paying his rent.
I felt the urge to share my story.
My apartment was located in a building owned by Marc Barchichat. Marc Barchichat illegally entered my apartment uninvited & unannounced by letting himself in using his own landlord key to unlock my apt door while I was taking a shower. I thought I heard something. I got out of the bathroom. There was Marc Barchichat in my apartment & he started yelling at me at the top of his lungs for being one day late on my rent. I got really upset & scared. I ran up the stairs to seek protection from neighbors. One of them heard Marc Barchichat yelling at me and running up after me. The neighbor suggested I call the police. The police had to explain to Marc Barchichat “the proper communication channels with tenants didn’t include such entry”. I filed a police report against Marc Barchichat.
After that day I was VERY SCARED. I always had someone staying with me or I would be staying at friends place until my lease was up & moved out.
Marc Barchichat is a horrible horrible horrible man.
re: your police report -- and reports filed by others
I am a tenant at 4309-4311 Beaconsfield, and I heard your story from the tenant to who you ran for help that day. Do you have the police file # of your report and the approximate date? I am having issues with illegal and recurring entry into my apartment (as likely are many others in Barchichat's bldgs.), and it would help very much if we could all share information so the police would finally recognize that these are not isolated, unrelated incidents. Patterns of behaviour and criminal activity, and such...
Not to put too much of a burden on Phil Bergeron-Burns, but might I ask that you send this info to him and trust that he will share it with only trustworthy, genuine people who seek only to stop this constant harassment?
Thank you very much.
Marc's remarkable ability in deliberately misleading creditors
...by flipping his buildings. I’m one of his many creditors coming forward over a debt relating to a now-defunct 'Le Girouard Inc.' I thought back to the advice some of his creditors had given me years before. 'Don’t work for him and his companies, you will never get paid' they had said. I ignored their advice and the inevitable happened. Up to this date, I have received not quite the 3rd of what Marc Barchichat owes me and I’m still owed much more money. Since Marc Barchichat had completely stopped paying me, I appointed a debt collector to recover the money. Marc Barchichat told me I was losing my time and my money. By that time, Marc Barchichat and his gang had sold the building. As a result, I lost most of the money owed to me by Marc Barchichat. It almost took my company down, and the cash flow for the business is still severely curtailed. Marc Barchichat, of course, received an opportunity to have work done at his building for next to nothing, which has sold for a profit. Now, all I can say is that I’ve been warned by my peers. I would urge anyone who is considering doing business with Marc Barchichat and his gang to think twice before dealing with this group.
Barreau hearings
I am quite sure that the Barreau disciplinary hearings are open to the public. I went to one a few years ago. Please verify again.
Thanks
Thank you for the correction. I've updated the page.
Marc Barchichat's suspicious companies activities raise question
Marc Barchichat doesn't pay the taxes, he doesn't pay the bills and he doesn't carry out the repairs to the apartments and the properties, etc.
The tenants pay their rent, their parking space, their own heat, their own hot water, their own electricity, etc.
What does he do with all of that money generated from residential and commercial rents???
Marc, WHERE IS THE MONEY?
Why don't you pay your bills despite numerous Court judgments against your companies?
SOFILCO INC.? Attention à ces escrocs!
Nous faisons partie d’une des malheureuses victimes de leur géniale escroquerie.
SOFILCO INC.? Bref, et en résumé, c'est encore une arnaque comme toutes leurs autres compagnies. Chose étrange? Toutes les opérations qu'ils préparent se déroulent suivant le même schéma. On en a ras-le-bol de leurs supercheries. Nous espérons bien que la justice divine les rattrapera tous bientôt et qu’un jour, nous lirons à la une du quotidien: ESCROCS DÉMASQUÉS SOUS LES VERROUS.
Bon courage à toutes leurs victimes.
barchichat
j aurais queques informations a vous demander sur ce m marc barchichat car j ai subi une fraude mais d un jean-marc barchichat vous pouvez me contacter au 514-256-1010 j apprecierais svp car je le cherche merci
The bad smell of money laundering
“REAL ESTATE INVESTING” is used to describe practices with legal and ethical means of profit generation from real property, improvement of real property or use of real property.
“FLIPPING” is more accurately a term used to describe short term, low effort means of generating profit from real estate. Typically, “FLIPPING” is used to describe practices that have short term profit goals typically using fraudulent or unethical practices.
“REAL ESTATE FLIPPING” is not illegal. Real estate fraud gives flipping a bad name. To avoid legal problems in real estate flipping, don't commit mortgage fraud. Real estate flipping absolutely becomes illegal when loan fraud is involved.
According to what we’ve read so far about their real estate “FLIPPING” and “MORTGAGE LOANS” and “PRETE-NOM” game and so forth, there is clear indication of a significant possibility that Philippe Stenger and Marc Barchichat are participating in a money laundering scheme or are literally laundering money. Money laundering is a serious criminal activity.
Time will tell --- FLIPPING MARC and FLIPPING PHILIPPE may eventually become FLOPPING MARC and FLOPPING PHILIPPE!!!
Flip Flip Flip... Flop Flop Flop
We just can't wait to see Barchichat & his gang go flop flop flop, belly up!
You just wait and see
I bet you it will turn out to be the biggest flop ever. BTW Marc "Flopping is the opposite of Flipping". The authorities should be seriously looking at the legality and ethics of these deals.
Barchichat deals in avocados from/in Nigeria...?
Not sure if/how this will be helpful in tracing Barchichat and his buffoonish activities, but apparently Barchichat & Associes is involved not only in losing most cases they represent, but also in the avocado business in Nigeria. The company is listed on the "Nigeria Business Search Engine" as providing the following service/products" Attorneys; Avocados.
http://www.businessindex.com.ng/companyTypes.aspx?mfgcode=15253457&Info=Barchichat+%26+Associés
Great job on keeping tabs on this gang of clowns, by the way!
MARC BARCHICHAT - Quite scary, to say the least!
We actually find this piece of info on Salvatore posted on this site to be quite interesting.
What is newsworthy is the fact that in 2007 someone has tried to start a fire in the 1520 Dr Penfield garage. The fire was put out just in time by tenants. Concerned by what truly caused the fire alarm not to go off, they went straight to the fire alarm control panel located on the main floor. Much to their dismay, it was mysteriously turned off. It is important to specify that only Marc Barchichat and his boys had access to the fire alarm control panel since a key is required to open it.
One has to admit that this situation is somewhat intriguing. Tenants then had and still have probable cause to believe Marc Barchichat and or one of his 3 boys, Salvatore, Mario Ibana, Razmi Kourosh Yeganeh, might have been responsible for trying to start a fire in the 1520 Dr Penfield garage. We remember clearly something Marc Barchichat has repeatedly said to tenants about the fact that he might as well burn the whole building down.
Tenants have been and are still subjected to his intense threats, intimidations and even physical aggressions. Needless to say, quite a few police reports have been filed against Marc Barchichat.
Barchichat Exposed by Media
Will this Radio Canada Report expose Barchichat the Slumlord? Report will air February 1st, 2011. Pass it along!
http://www.radio-canada.ca/emissions/la_facture/2010-2011/Reportage.asp?...
From Radio Canada Website: « Un administrateur d'immeubles, bien connu à la Ville de Montréal, à la Régie du logement et dans les associations de locataires, donne des cauchemars à ses locataires. »
Getting mail at 4309 Beaconsfield #8
One of Barchichat's companies, 9137-1195 Quebec. Inc., the one he uses for being the administrator at 4309 Beaconsfield, is still receiving mail at 4309 Beaconsfield #8. A Hydro Quebec envelope addressed to 9137-1195 was left on the floor of the entryway in mid January 2011.
Where to find Marc Barchichat?
He lives w/ Aziza Benlemouden at 1520 Dr Penfield apt# 82 ring code# 42 phone# 514 935-8119
LOOKING FOR MARC BARCHICHAT OR MARC EMILE BARCHICHAT
yes Marc Barchichat and his companies owe money to a lot of people in this city. I am one of his creditors and would greatly appreciate any info about his current/recent whereabouts to issue him with a debt recovery demand letter. he doesn't return my calls, my letters remain unanswered.
Finding Marc Barchichat
I've heard, as the previous comment states, that he's been spotted around 1520 Dr Penfield lately. You can also look up when he's scheduled to appear in court and then go or send someone to the court rooms.
Hopefully a reader will post some more specific information to help you, CRA, and everyone else find him.
Phil
HE'S BACK TO 1520 DR PENFIELD
MARC BARCHICHAT who persistently ignores his responsbilities as a citizen\landlord has returned to SHADY LAND, 1520 Dr Penfield.
He's a man of many names, phones numbers, addresses --- MARC BARCHICHAT, MARC EMILE BARCHICHAT, Me MARC BARCHICHAT, Me MARC EMILE BARCHICHAT, BARCHICHAT & ASSOCIES, MARC E. BARCHICHAT, LAWYER, LANDLORD, MANAGER --- and a man void of integrity.
2290 Girouard Update
A tenant at 2290 Av Girouard has left a comment on my why you shouldn't rent at 2290 page.
Le Mont Belliard: Un propriétaire mauvais payeur
Ce propriétaire peu scrupuleux n'hésite pas à arnaquer les locataires.
Je louais un logement au 1520 avenue du Docteur-Penfield. Voilà que j'ai dû déménager puisque j'ai refusé une hausse démesurée de loyer qu'exigeait à cor et à cri le nouveau propriétaire. Marc Barchichat m'a dès le début mise au parfum que dans l'éventualité de mon refus, il exercerait le recours d'éviction invoquant le motif de subdivision de mon logement d'un 5 pièces 1/2 en deux 3 pièces 1/2. J'ai vigoureusement protesté mais après deux tentatives de sa part auprès de la Régie, il a finalement eu gain de cause. J'ai dû partir étant dans un vrai dilemme, car je suis de bonne foi mais démunie et monoparentale.
De plus, je désirais attendre un ordre de cour émis par la Régie pour être en droit de déduire les montants récupérables à même mes loyers. J'étais convaincue que ce serait la galère pour obtenir mon argent si je n'utilisais pas ce recours. J'occupais un logement nécessitant des travaux incombant au bailleur. Avant de sortir l'artillerie, j'ai préconisé la démarche amiable. En l'absence de réaction de sa part, j'ai envoyé plusieurs lettres recommandées pour le mettre en demeure d'exécuter les travaux. Devant son refus d'agir, j'ai déposé une plainte auprès de la Ville de Montréal. Marc Barchichat m'en a voulu suite à la venue d'inspecteurs qui ont établi un constat et une mise en conformité de l'état des lieux (inondations...). Toujours devant son refus d'agir, j'ai déposé une requête à la Régie du logement où je comptais bien défendre mon dossier.
Malgré un ordre de cour émis par la Régie le 20 août 2009, je suis toujours en attente du paiement. J'ai quitté mon logement en juillet 2009. Mon propriétaire devait me rembourser la somme de 8 139$. Je crains de ne jamais recevoir mon argent. J'ai fait appel à des huissiers pour faire exécuter la décision judiciaire. Mais, à mon grand regret, j'attends toujours.
He should be jail
He should be jail, maybe not today, tomorrow, but one ... he againsts universal law regardless how he plays with laws.
Remember what I said: he should be jail, one it will happen.
1520 Docteur Penfield
There are no permits posted for the demolition and construction of apartments 91 and 74 that is being carried out at 1520 Docteur Penfield. The permits that are posted relateld to work carried out in the garage and for 16 other apartments that have been either completely or partially demolished. The posting of such permits is required by municipal law for the City of Montreal. The owners of the building violated this law several times in 2009 and were fined accordingly.
As of September 2010 numerous methods relating to safety of the workers for dealing with asbestos in the walls and ceilings in this building have been added: special one-piece suits; a metal booth for the worker to change in; special panels to enclose or partially enclose the working spaces; a machine to cleanse the air in the working area (filters out the particles of asbestos); sealed plastic bags containging pieces of debris to be removed from the demolition; special masks; and signs. None of these were present in the approx. one year of demolition that has taken place between June 2009 and May 2010. Large amounts of debris sat in open bins in the apartments and in the garage area, with asbestos exposed, throughout the summer and fall of 2009.
The surfaces of the floors, walls and light fixtures in the building's hallways, elevators, stairwells and basement, which are full of dust from this work, have not been cleaned thoroughly and regularly. The stairs and landings in the stairwells are partially cleaned only very infrequently every few months. Thus, the tenants and the workers are exposed to dust and particles of asbestos.
Notices in writing to the tenants to inform them of major work to be done in the building, as required by the regulations of the Regie de logement, were not provided at any time during construction in the building, including the major demolition and reconstruction of the garage floor.
Work is often carried out on weekends and even on statutory holidays, such as Labour Day. The police department of the City of Montreal, when contacted, said that the owners have the right to continue the work at all hours except that in the night time the noise should be lower to minimize disturbance to the tenants.
The interiors of the two elevators in the building continue to be in a state of extreme disrepair and filth. The elevators themselves frequently break down. According to the Regie de batiment, the owners are not required to provide any elevator service in an apartment building. They are only required to maintain the elevators in safe condition, meaning that they should not be liable to crash.
The recycling bins are not taken out every week for municipal collection and therefore are at times full to overflowing. This was mentioned to the superintendent who continues to do as he pleases.
The empty and unoccupied apartments in the building are not kept at the required minimum of 15 degrees celsius, as per the municipal law of the City of Montreal. In fact, the windows in some of them are kept wide open at all times even when the outside temperature is below 10 degrees. In winter 2009-2011, the tenants in the building experienced severe cold in their apartments because of the owners' non-compliance with this law. Complaints to the owners' went unanswered.
In 2009, the City of Montreal Fire Department obtained a court order against the owners of the building with respect to the fire alarm system and fire prevention devices in the building, and still no action was taken by the owners until a complaint was made to the City directly by a person or persons unknown. Only then did the owners hired a company to inspect the entire system and replace all prevention devices and equipment. As of September 2010, many of the extinguishers have been removed from the hallways and the alarm system is again not in perfect working order.
A previous tenant said, "Living here is like having a full-time job." Indeed, a tenant of 1520 Docteur Penfield could be fully occupied writing registered letters of complaint to the owners and submitting complaints to the Fire Department, the City and the Regie de logement. However, the owners of the building at 1520 Docteur Penfield have been able to contravene numerous laws and regulations of the province and the municipality, flagrantly and repeatedly, without serious penalties.
The issuance of a certificate by the City of Montreal and required approval by the Regie de logement for the conversion of the building to co-proprietorship should be actively opposed not only by the tenants but also by everyone who is concerned with housing in Montreal. The lack of enforcement of the laws and regulations must not be tolerated any longer.
Changes are needed both in the emforcement of existing laws and regulations and the rights of owners to continue their violations. Elected officials and appointed bureaucrats must be held to account for enforcement and sanctions against the owners. As in the case of the apartments at Girouard and Sherbrooke, owners who "sell" a building to avoid penalties should also be barred from obtaining a certificate of convernsion in that building or any other that they have an interest in.
The day of the tenant, with a choice of decent apartments, is coming to an end. Increasingly, apartment buildings of all kinds in greater Montreal and other cities have been converted to condominiums and co-proprietorships. In addition to conversions, there has been largescale takeovers of apartment buildings within an area by one or two companies, for direct ownership or management or both. This results in their gaining a monopoly on rental properties, with the ability to control rent levels and service standards within that district. The remaining stock of rental buildings are of lower quality with minimal maintenance and repairs.
Governments like home ownership. The tax base is higher, the responsibility for landlord-tenant relations is lower, and citizen commitment to the community increases. However, for those who choose tenancy, the municipality and the province have a duty to maintain and enforce standards of ownership, and tenancy.
Marc Barchichat is truly a rogue landlord from hell
We’ve been living at 1520 Docteur Penfield for many years and tenants went through hell from 2005 through 2009. The nightmare started when the building was sold in 2005. Marc Barchichat allowed the property to get into such a state of disrepair that it became dangerous to live there until the new owners stepped in April 2009 and took complete control over the building in 2010. Marc Barchichat is finally out of the picture at 1520 Docteur Penfield. God Bless America!
Between 2006 and 2009, this property was visited several times by the City of Montreal’s, the Regie du Batiment du Quebec’s and the Montreal Fire Department’s inspectors. For example, they found a disconnected central alarm, broken smoke detectors and emergency lighting, missing fire extinguishers, etc. – all of which would have been dangerous in the event of a fire. The garage was shut down by a Regie du batiment du Quebec’s inspector because it "represented a danger". He failed to rectify the defective conditions after the inspectors’ visits. Landlords are required by law to fix violations to the housing code, but in this case, this irresponsible property landlord will allow problems to persist for years without attending to them. He has many complaints and court cases pending against him for repeated violations, yet Marc Barchichat’s unprofessional behaviour continues.
By 2006, tradespersons were waiting at the entrance of the 1520 Docteur Penfield building to get paid, but to no avail. Most of creditors and tenants are unsuccessful to collect the money owed to them, whether or not they take the legal steps to have their Court judgments enforced by bailiffs. Some couldn’t sue him because they didn’t have the proper permits to do the work. However, every 1st of the month after 6:00 p.m., Marc Barchichat or he would have the janitor barging at tenants’ doors to collect the rent checks, regardless if the 1st of the month fell on Saturdays or on Sundays. At times, he even had the nerves to demand the rent checks on the 30th or the 31st of the month. He wouldn’t wait until the next day, the 1st of the month.
He has been made aware of the defects on numerous occasions but always claimed he wasn’t notified despite numerous correspondences sent to him by registered mail. Some of the registered letters were returned by the Post Office. He even has made himself non-reachable by moving office every year since 2006 and by keeping his voicemail always full. He has clearly failed in his repairing obligations and totally ignored the complaints from tenants, but even then the tenants are obliged to follow the procedures that are laid out in the Act. Tenants were left with carrying out the cost of the repairs themselves. In the event tenants couldn’t afford the cost of the repairs, they were left with no choice but to live with a malfunctioning toilet, fridge, stove, etc. and wait for their case to be heard at the Regie du logement. After you file a complaint with the Regie du logement, it will take you 17 months on average to get your case to be heard. Then, he usually fails to attend the initial hearing date and has the habit of sending one of his workers/staff on his behalf pleading illness or any other excuse. If he shows up, he often tries to use the theory of the Regie du logement not having the proper jurisdiction to hear the case. It is arguably a way for him to try to delay the hearings/proceedings. Sometimes, he doesn’t show up at all.
He’s become increasingly threatening. He kept turning up unannounced, late at night or without warning, let himself in whenever he felt like it without the tenants’ knowledge or permission, put his foot in the door to stop tenants to shut their apartment doors in his face, etc. He showed tremendous disrespect by interrupting others while speaking and by insulting tenants and by yelling at tenants.
Apartments were not ready as promised when new tenants moved in but he would still demand the full amount. These new tenants at 1520 Docteur Penfield also fell for his trick that the place would be renovated by the moving date. Again, what happened is that once these tenants moved in, the apartments were not ready. Minimal work had been done.
A few examples of the problems the new tenants had to put up with: there were no kitchen sink and counter-top, the stove nor the dishwasher were functional, no running water in the kitchen because there were no taps installed, neither of the bathrooms had cabinets and curtain rods, none of the doors in the entire apartments had door knobs and some apartments had no doors at all, even some bathroom doors were missing, etc. The apartments were also in a filthy state littered with dirt and debris from construction. One window in the front bedroom of one of the apartments was missing a latch making it impossible to completely close or lock the window. Apart from the security problem this presented, it also resulted in a cold draught, making the room impossible to keep warm and causing an increase in the heating costs, tenants being responsible for their own heating, electricity and hot water bills. Furthermore, except for the kitchen sink and the counter-top in one of the apartments and the taps in another apartment, and the kitchen cupboards knobs in another apartment, the afore-mentioned problems have not been dealt with by Marc Barchichat.
And that's how this Barchichat’s cycle happens over and over again. Marc Barchichat plays dirty. We strongly suggest you DON’T sign the lease until ALL renovations are complete. Some of the new tenants had no choice but to pay to have their apartment finished and make it habitable, although they were paying high rent.
We can’t describe all the problems the tenants experienced at 1520 Docteur Penfield from 2005 through 2009. The list is way too long but it boils down to this: MARC BARCHICHAT IS TRULY A ROGUE LANDLORD FROM HELL.
Marc Barchichat: "a disgrace to the profession"
In my opinion, this laywer is a discredit to the profession. I think he is exhibiting a pattern of behavior that brings shame on the profession and may harm public confidence in the legal system. Whether what he does is legal or not, at a minimum it is disrespectful and shows an alarming lack of judgment. A person entrusted with the privilege and responsibility of being a member of the Quebec Bar should know better than to handle it the way this lawyer, Marc Barchichat, apparently does. Based on what I have read about him on the news and on front page stories of the local paper, I think he should be disbarred. Just because you have the right to act like a jackass doesn't make it a good idea. This is not the sort of publicity lawyers and the legal profession need or want. I certainly don't.
True story.
Hi,
First, I would like to thank you for this article - very informative. My mother moved in one of Barchichat's building, under the promise that the apartment, and especially the kitchen and bathroom, would be renovated. She is a 60 years old lady, with limited mobility at the time (accident), and lives with my brother, a minor with asthma.
She moved in on the 1st of June, 2010. The bathroom was not completed, the walls were bare sheetrock, there were no door handles, holes the size of an ottoman in some walls. There was no kitchen. It had been torn apart, taken away, and left like this.
During the summer, they did a little paint, a little sanding of the walls. Doing so, they damaged her things, and covered the entire place with a massive amount of dust and dirt, that they never cleaned. They also left tools in the living room for weeks. They finished the bathroom, and installed floors in the kitchen. They provided a refrigerator two or three weeks ago.
We are now in September, and still, NO KITCHEN. No oven. No sink. No running water in the kitchen. No cupboards. No counters. Bare sheetrock walls. In short, they started the "renovations" - amateur work that a child would have done better - and left for good.
Contractors and "agents" sent by the owner come in and out of the apartment without my mother's authorization, leaving doors unlocked. Things are now missing, most certainly stolen. I save you the lenghty description of the intimidation, the treaths, the rudeness, etc. They still claim the full aumented "renovated apartment" amount every month, even though the unit does not even classify as an apartment, since there is no space to prepare food. To make the space livable, my mother had to pay herself for the completion of certain basic things - under the promise to be reimbursed. She is now thousands of dollars in debt and cannot afford to move.
I let you imagine the cost of living in a place where you cannot even prepare a meal. I let you imagine the stress of putting a kid through this.
She now spends her days going to the Regie, calling the city, etc. I am surprised there is not a class-action lawsuit against that man.
I just wanted to share this. Hope this may help.
Again, thank you for this webpage. (And please excuse my approximative English!).
3550 Ridgewood
On m'a loué ici un 4 1/2 ai prix de 850$. Quand je l'ai visité en avril il était en bon état sauf quelques réparations mineures ( joints de la baignoire, éventuellement refaire le revêtement de la baignoire-ce qui coût moins cher qu'une baignoire neuve- remplacer le très vieux four à gaz par un plus récent, de même pour le frigo et mettre un nouveau comptoir). M. Barchichat par contre a dit que l'appartement serait rénové au complet et prêt pour le 1 juillet. Pour des raisons personnels je devais déménager le 1 juin (fin de mon ancien bail et opération au genou en début juin). J'ai alors accepté un appartement à moitié rénové ( chambres, salle de bain, salon - je travaille à domicile et devais impérativement installer mon bureau).Le jour de mon aménagement rien n'était fait. Pendant 2 semaines je n'avais pas d'eau courante, pas de toilette, pendant 6 semaines je n'avais pas de frigo - en plein été, maintenant ça fait 3 mois et je n'ai toujours pas de cuisinière, pas d'évier, pas de comptoir, pas de placards dans las cuisine. M. Barchichat m'a menacé de changer les serrures de ma porte et que je serais dehors - il n'aime pas les locataires qui se plaignent à la Régie!. Dernièrement, comme je me suis quand même résigné à installer mon bureau (dans une pièce où la peinture n'est pas terminée), je me suis aperçu qu'il me manquent des cartons de livres, approximativement 200 livres ( de philosophie, de sociologie, de linguistique, le complet Shakespeare, des livres de musicologie-en Allemand de surcroît) bref, une perte inestimable - et sans utilité pour personne, si ce n'était pas simplement un vol pour me faire du mal!!!!! Pendant 3 mois je déplace mes cartons d'une pièce à l'autre, que j'étale ma vaisselle sur des piles de carton dans le salon, que je range mon ordinateur d'un placard à l'autre.....
Les ouvriers que M. Barchichat emploi sont tous des fraîchement immigrés , dont l'un parle à peine le Français et l'autre à peine l'Anglais. Il ne reviennent pas parce qu'ils ne sont pas payés, en laissant sue place tout leur matériel ( sacs de ciment, seau de plâtre sêché, carton de outils divers, piles de carrelage, plinthes et bouts de bois et trucs sans nom, mon salon était un atelier de construction........
2290 GIROUARD
Hi,
We are currently renting at 2290 Girouard street. And Marc is our landlord. Everything is new and fully renovated in the apartments but the stairway, elevator and lobby are still under construction.
We pay about 950$ for a 4.5 NOTHING INCLUDED.
We were told renovations are to be finished in july, we moved in regardless in April 2010.
The renovations are done cheaply. We constantly have to remind salvatore and Marc about the half fast jobs they have done in certain of the rooms, they keep promising to come by when they can to fix it. (we are still waiting on them) Personally, im not in a rush, so i wont be harassing for them to get it done, YET.
They have WITHOUT notice turned off our electricity for an x amount of hours, even day for renovation purposes. When i complain and let them know what happened, electricity goes back on within the hour.
So far, i have no complaints besides Marc's mysterious behaviors with my sister and I (his tenants)We are two young girls (my 1 year old son included) who rent the apartment and some days he randomly calls, asking how we are, that he has forgotten his key to the front door and if we are home so he can pick one up from us. He has oddly non-stop complimenting my sister and I, offering weird and random suggestions.
I dont know if we are mistaking his good will for evil manners.
But if he continues my parents and I are going to be forward and address the issue.
MY overall status: im satisfied at the moment. And I think you are taking some of the points and twisting them, thus why i have commented trying to clarify some the points you have made.
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