DuProprio and the Real Estate Brokerage Act

In the La Presse article “Le PQ veut réglementer DuProprio” [The PQ wants to regulate DuProprio], published on September 20, 2018, Parti Québécois member Carole Poirier is reported as saying that “DuProprio does not provide comprehensive consumer protection” and that the Real Estate Brokerage Act (REBA) needs to be reviewed to rectify this.

DuProprio would like to clarify a few points in the article.

First of all, the REBA was recently reviewed under Bill 141, and the final draft, which was passed and became effective on July 13, 2019, confirms that DuProprio does not engage in real estate brokerage. All stakeholders in the industry, including DuProprio and real estate organizations, participated in the discussions that led to the passing of this bill, which was endorsed by the three main parties (PLQ, PQ and CAQ). So it’s surprising that Ms. Poirier says “some people have gotten around this law.”

Where does consumer protection fit into all this?

In the same article, Ms. Poirier says DuProprio does not provide the complete consumer protection called for by the REBA. It’s important to remember that the REBA only protects against damage resulting from misconduct committed by brokers. Given that DuProprio customers are not represented by a broker, this protection is simply not necessary. Essentially, the legal implications are the same whether you do business with a broker or not.

What about consumers?

One important thing needs to be pointed out: this whole debate about bringing DuProprio under the REBA was initiated by the real estate brokerage industry, a direct competitor of DuProprio—not by consumers.

In fact, Quebec owners are happy that they can rely on our services, and those who do business with us are extremely pleased with their experience. Many people have expressed their satisfaction our website.