The deadline has long passed for residents of a Guelph building who were told they had to leave by Nov. 30 for renovations to take place.
Now, they’re in “waiting mode,” said Daniel Kaufmann, one of the remaining tenants at 8 Brant Ave.
Over the summer, residents of 8 Brant Ave. were told the corporation that owns the building, Brant Apts Inc., would be terminating the lease effective Nov. 30 for extensive renovations that would require tenants to leave for six to nine months.
The other two buildings in the complex were given a deadline of Dec. 30 to leave.
Residents were offered cash for keys or the option to return, but many worried that wouldn’t be the case.
Cheques were slipped under their doors for three months rent as incentive to leave, but beyond that they’ve heard nothing from the owners, who have only until the end of the month to apply for a hearing with the Landlord Tenant Board.
According to Tribunals Ontario, applications to end a tenancy through the LTB must be filed within 30 days of the termination date set out in the N13. That means Brant Apts Inc. has until Dec. 30 to apply for a hearing.
“I called the LTB the other day, and there has not been anything filed against our building yet. So we’re not sure what’s going on right now. Of course, Canada Post could be causing delays,” he said, adding that only about a third of the building residents remain.
The work was initially expected to take six to nine months, during which time tenants would be required to leave. The concern was their units would be rented out by the time they returned. However, notices were recently posted stating the work was expected to only last from Nov. 1 to Jan. 31, though residents say it seems to have been paused.
Though Kaufmann said they feel less panicked now than they did initially, he and fellow tenant Kerry Litchy installed cameras in their units “in case anything happens.”
“Just because we were expecting they might come back and check for people that haven’t left after Nov. 30,” he said. “But all that happened was the superintendent slid the cheques under our doors.”
He also wonders why, if there are empty units in the building, remaining tenants can’t just move into those for the duration of the construction.
The building is owned by a corporation affiliated with Michael Klein, who tenant advocacy group ACORN recently dubbed Ontario’s biggest renovictor.
Village Media spent months trying to contact Klein for comment to no avail – until recently.
In a rare media interview, Klein spoke to Village Media site TorontoToday, denying the allegations from tenants and advocacy groups across the province.
“There’s no such thing as renoviction,” he said, adding that everything his affiliated companies do is legal and according to provincial law, and that they don’t use maintenance issues to pressure tenants.
In response, Kaufmann said Brant Apts Inc. “hasn’t responded to a single maintenance request. Not a single one.”
Kaufmann was among a sea of protestors who recently flocked to a home owned by Klein in Toronto’s Forest Hill neighbourhood. Other protestors included tenants in Toronto facing similar instances of renoviction by Klein-affiliated corporations.
“They made fools of themselves,” Klein said.
Of the renovations, he said they are necessary and long overdue.
“These are 50-year old buildings that have never been renovated,” he said, noting the units need new kitchens, bathrooms and floors.
Klein also said his affiliated companies have never faced any government penalties for evictions — and alleges that ACORN has repeatedly slandered him to the point of considering legal action.
“They may force my litigious hand,” he said.
With files from TorontoToday.
