Rexdale renters urge city to crack down on poor conditions at apartment complex
CBC
Greg Desgroseilliers has dealt with repeat flooding inside his Toronto apartment, but he doesn't live in a flood plain nor is it the result of thunderous rain storms.
His place floods when his neighbours use the shared laundry room.
He said dirty laundry water repeatedly flooded the 21 Bergamot Ave. townhouse he moved into in 2008, wrecking its parquet flooring so many times Desgroseilliers has now just painted the concrete subfloor and gotten used to mopping it up.
He's also stopped calling his landlord, Pinedale Properties Ltd., who he said previously just did cosmetic fixes and put down a replacement floor that felt like "Jenga" underfoot.
"I just felt like it's a losing battle," Desgroseilliers told CBC Toronto as he provided our reporter a tour of his place.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow was also at the apartment complex on Saturday. She was invited by tenants who are pressing the city to bolster its RentSafeTO program, which is designed to ensure landlords meet maintenance standards.
Chow's council has sought to improve RentSafeTO enforcement in recent years, but renters in various parts of the city have said it still lacks teeth.
Chow said she can see why. The Bergamot buildings' rankings on RentSafe's website are between 89 and 91 per cent.
"It does not look like a 90 per cent building for me," Chow said.
"It's not a good quality of life when you cannot use your laundry. It's not a good quality of life when your floor gets flooded. And it's terrible quality of life when there is an entrance where there's no ramp and if you're in a wheelchair you can't get in. That's hard."
Chow promised tenants that the building inspections carried out by bylaw officers would improve.
"It has not been perfect, but it will improve. OK, you have my word, it will improve," Chow said.
Pinedale Properties Ltd., which manages both rental buildings and commercial sites while also serving as a developer, runs the buildings.
CBC Toronto has sought comment from the company for this story but hasn't heard back as of 7 p.m. Saturday. This story will be updated if Pinedale responds.
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