Real estate broker Mathieu Arseneault, star of the show Numbers 1 at CASA, must appear before the disciplinary committee of the Organisme d’autoréglementation du courtageimmobilier du Québec (OACIQ) on Monday morning. The trustee considers that the broker has dishonored the profession and that the fault is serious enough to request an immediate suspension of his license.
The flamboyant broker Mathieu Arseneault, known for visiting his clients by helicopter or luxury car, contravened the honor and dignity of the profession, according to the OACIQ trustee. The disciplinary committee will have to determine on Monday whether the protection of the public risks being compromised if he continues to practice his profession.
This is because the filmed scenes of Mathieu Arseneault published on social networks have aroused a lot of discontent beyond the internet and hundreds of thousands of subscribers of the star broker for a year.
In videos on TikTok, still online at the time these lines were written, Mathieu Arseneault walks through a shopping center asking children accompanied by adults, a group of teenagers and a recent fifth-grade high school graduate about their school results. The scenario is always the same. The broker asks the minor: “How are your school results going?” »
In one of them, a child replies that her average is 80-90%. “Can mom confirm?” », he asks, turning to the adult. “It matters to me that you have good results, I’ll give you $100,” he said, giving the child a brown ticket.
As the little girl tells the camera that she will use the services of Mathieu Arseneault later to buy her house, he gives her an additional $100. “Do you follow Mathieu Arsenault on TikTok? », he asks again. “No, I don’t think so,” replies the little girl shyly.
“If you had followed Mathieu, I would give you $1,000,” he says.
This series of videos earned him disapproving comments and mockery, both on the internet and in comedy shows.
“Sensitive heart”
A broker since 2003, Mathieu Arseneault currently works for the eXp real estate agency in Gatineau. On his website mathieuarseneault.com, he states: “Yes, I may be one of the most successful real estate brokers in the world, but I am a father and a husband above all. »
He describes himself in three words: broker, father and philanthropist.
Giving back to the community is what keeps me grounded and sharing my success with people in need makes me proud of who I am.
Quote taken from Mathieu Arsenault’s website
In a video titled “Sensitive Heart” and supported by sad music, he tells the story of a day where he fulfilled one of the “greatest wishes” of a person suffering from generalized cancer which was “of take a helicopter ride.” “I can’t say no,” he says to the camera.
However, his detractors who criticize him on social networks accuse him of boasting of helping his neighbor and of trying to obtain sympathy by taking advantage of the most deprived.
On TikTok, a video by mathieuarsenaultno1 with the mention #makethedifference and #inspiration features the broker in a McDonald’s restaurant ordering “100 hamburgers for the homeless”. The price he pays appears on the screen: $200.68.
Then, on camera, he says, “I just put a property up for sale and right next door there’s a ton of homeless people. »
“We’re going to go feed them, come with me,” he said. The video ends with a tearful melody indicating “5,500 houses sold over the past 20 years”.
This video has been viewed millions of times, notably by comedian Julien Lacroix who made a parody of it published on Facebook.
Brokers also informed The Press of their discomfort with their colleague’s publications and the display of their wealth which can lead consumers to think that brokers are paid too much or that they succeed in getting rich by defying the Real Estate Brokerage Act. The videos, they believe, devalue the image of the real estate broker profession and undermine consumer confidence in brokers.
According to OACIQ data, Mathieu Arseneault is not making his first complaint since he held his license. With 76 requests for assistance, it ranks third among the brokers having received the highest number of complaints.
In the fall, the broker and his wife, also a broker, appeared before the disciplinary committee regarding the creation of false documents. The committee has not yet determined whether or not the brokers were guilty of this offense.
Who is Mathieu Arseneault
Mathieu Arseneault has been a broker since 2003.
In 2021, he appeared on the show for the first time Numbers 1 at CASA, where he became a star broker. He is also on board for the second season of the show.
The same year, he had to pay a fine of $5,000 for contravening section 83 of the Regulation respecting the conditions for carrying out a brokerage operation, the ethics of brokers and advertising.
On November 7, 2023, he and his partner Catherine Gosselin were summoned to a disciplinary hearing for manufacturing false documents.
On December 18, 2023, he is expected before the disciplinary committee on the charge of having committed an act derogatory to the honor and dignity of the profession.