They bought a house together to save money, but things quickly turned ugly
A seemingly simple purchase agreement between friends has degenerated into a bitter legal battle, leaving one owner with losses of nearly half a million dollars.
In an effort to beat skyrocketing house prices, Canadian Marc Lefebvre, 71, said he agreed to pay half the mortgage on a house bought by his friend.
He claimed the couple planned to sell the property and split the proceeds five years later. Now, seven years later, Lefebvre wants to pocket the return on his investment.
But he claimed his ‘real friend’ Hendrika Johanna Ross has refused to sell and will not answer his calls.
He has now filed a lawsuit against Ross and her son Kyle Bradley Post, who also lives in the property.
Canadian Marc Lefebvre, 71, claimed he agreed to pay half the mortgage on a house his friend bought – with the plan to sell five years later and split the proceeds. Pictured: The Maple Ridge home, purchased in 2016 by Hendrika Johanna Ross
Marc Lefebvre, 71, a tradesman specializing in furniture and home improvement, believed his friend’s proposal to co-purchase the property would be a good investment
The friends agreed to purchase the Maple Ridge property in October 2016 for $545,000 ($398,433 USD), the lawsuit alleged.
Lefebvre, a tradesman specializing in furniture and home improvements, said he believed Ross’s proposal to co-purchase the property would be a good investment because it would also provide housing for his friend.
Under this assumption, he allowed her to apply for the mortgage on his behalf.
When applying for the mortgage, Ross, a nurse, told her boyfriend of decades that the bank said he didn’t qualify, but he claims she assured him he would still own half the property even if it is not mentioned on the title. .
He said he agreed to those terms.
But Lefebvre later discovered that Ross was registered as owning 99 percent of the interest on the deed and that her son owned the remaining one percent, the lawsuit said.
Lefebvre has filed a lawsuit against his boyfriend of nearly a decade, Hendrika Johanna Ross, and her son, Kyle Bradley Post.
The Sept. 20 claim alleged that Ross — who met Lefebvre after performing work on her daughter’s home in 2014 — breached the couple’s standing agreement in various capacities.
The lawsuit alleged that Ross, who supposedly submitted an initial down payment of $250,000 ($182,777 USD), agreed to Lefebvre’s initial contribution of $62,000 ($45,329 USD) and informed him of their $245,000 ($179,119 USD) mortgage USD).
Under their alleged agreement, Lefebvre said he would pay $2,500 ($1,828 USD) per month, plus annual lump sums of $10,000 ($7,311 USD) to $15,000 ($10,966 USD), to pay off the loan quickly, which amounts to his share of the house.
The “investment agreement” the couple allegedly entered into in 2016 listed the mortgage at the “secured” valuation, but Lefebvre later discovered that Ross had instead taken out a mortgage for a much larger $769,500 ($562,559 USD).
The plan was to pay off the $245,000 ($179,112 USD) mortgage in five years and sell the property, according to the lawsuit, a milestone now seemingly out of reach for the tradesman.
Lefebvre’s claim also alleged that both Ross and Pose used the mortgage “for their personal gain” and not solely for its intended purpose, as he is suing the mother-son duo for “fraudulent misrepresentation.”
The father, grandfather and craftsman said he had made several improvements over the years to the Maple Ridge home, which is now valued at approximately $730,000 to $880,000 USD.
Lefebvre said his projects included building a playhouse for Ross’ grandchildren and a patio with a barbecue shelter.
The father, grandfather and craftsman said he made several improvements to the Maple Ridge home over the years, including building a playhouse for Ross’ grandchildren and a deck with a barbecue shelter.
The estimated cost for all of his alleged improvements, which Lefebvre claimed were “not intended as a gift,” was a substantial $21,800 ($15,937 USD), not including labor costs, according to the lawsuit.
Lefebvre is also seeking damages for breach of trust, breach of contract and reasonable compensation, where the couple socialized every day and regularly dined out together.
In addition to the many upgrades Lefebvre contributed, he said he put down $14,000 ($10,235 USD) for his half of the property taxes and insurance and another $8,000 ($5,849 USD) for new furniture, figuring he’d would be fairly compensated by Ross’. ‘.
Seven years later, the home is now valued at $1 million to $1.2 million ($730,000 to $880,000 USD), which if sold would return the couple’s investment and provide them with an additional profit.
Ross is said to have agreed to sell the property in the summer or fall of 2024, before Lefebvre said she had completely cut off communication with him, leaving minimal options for the tradesman who was now hugely out of pocket.
Neither the mother-son pair nor Lefebvre could be reached for comment by DailyMail.com. Lefebvre said he will wait until the case is resolved before commenting National Post reported.
