A seemingly straightforward homebuying agreement between friends has spiraled into a bitter legal battle, with one owner facing a loss of nearly half a million dollars.
In an attempt to beat skyrocketing home prices, Canada resident Marc Lefebvre, 71, said he agreed to pay half the mortgage on a home bought by his friend.
He claimed the pair planned to sell the property and split the proceeds five years later. Now, seven years on, Lefebvre wants to pocket the return on his investment.
But he claimed his ‘genuine 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 home his friend bought – with the plan to sell and split the proceeds five years later. Pictured: The Maple Ridge home purchased in 2016 by Hendrika Johanna Ross
Marc Lefebvre, 71, a craftsman specializing in furniture and home improvements, 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 of 2016 for $545,000 ($398,433 USD), the lawsuit claimed.
Lefebvre, a craftsman specializing in furniture and home improvements, said he believed Ross’s proposal to co-purchase the property would be a good investment as it would also provide accommodation 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 decades-long friend the bank said he didn’t qualify, but he claimed she assured him he would still own half the property even though he wouldn’t be listed on the title.
He said he agreed to those terms.
But Lefebvre later discovered Ross was registered as owning 99 percent interest on the deed and that her son owned the remaining one percent, the lawsuit read.
Lefebvre filed a lawsuit against his friend of nearly 10 years, Hendrika Johanna Ross, and her son, Kyle Bradley Post.
The September 20 claim alleged that Ross – who met Lefebvre after he performed work on her daughter’s home in 2014 – breached the pair’s standing agreement in several capacities.
The lawsuit claimed that Ross, believed to have 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 secured $245,000 ($179,119 USD) mortgage.
Under their alleged agreement, Lefebvre said he would pay $2,500 ($1,828 USD) a month, plus yearly lump sums of $10,000 ($7,311 USD) to $15,000 ($10,966 USD), to quickly pay down the loan, amounting to his share of the house.
The ‘investment agreement’ allegedly settled by the pair in 2016 listed the mortgage at the ‘secured’ valuation, but Lefebvre later found out Ross instead took out a mortgage at a far 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 unattainable for the craftsman.
Lefebvre’s claim also alleged that both Ross and Pose used the mortgage ‘for their personal benefit’ and not solely for its intended purpose as he sues the mother-son duo for ‘fraudulent misrepresentation.’
Over the years, the father, grandpa and craftsman said he made several improvements to the Maple Ridge home now valued at around $730,000 to $880,000 USD
Lefebvre said he constructed a playhouse for Ross’s grandchildren and a deck with a barbeque shelter, among other things
The father, grandpa and craftsman said he made several improvements to the Maple Ridge home over the years, including constructing a playhouse for Ross’ grandchildren and a deck with a barbeque shelter.
The estimated cost for all of his alleged improvements, which Lefebvre claimed ‘were not intended as gifts,’ tallied a sizable $21,800 ($15,937 USD) not including his cost of labor, according to the lawsuit.
Lefebvre is also seeking damages for breach of trust, breach of the agreement and reasonable compensation, adding the pair socialized every day and regularly shared dinners together.
In addition to the many upgrades Lefebvre contributed, he said he chipped in $14,000 ($10,235 USD) for his half of the property taxes and insurance and an additional $8,000 ($5,849 USD) for new furniture under the impression he would be ‘reasonably compensated by Ross’.
Seven years later, the house is now valued at $1 million to $1.2 million ($730,000 to $880,000 USD), which if sold would return the pair’s investment and leave them with an additional profit.
Ross allegedly agreed to sell the property in the summer or fall of 2024, before Lefebvre said she completely cut off communication with him – leaving minimal options for the craftsman who was now hugely out of pocket.
Neither the mother-son pair or Lefebvre could be reached for comment by DailyMail.com. Lefebvre said he is waiting for the case to be settled before commenting, the National Post reported.
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