Tenants say no quality of life during years-long renovations at Etobicoke building

Several residents of an Etobicoke apartment building who have lived through more than two years of renovations say their landlord is trying to force out long-time renters in an attempt to make more from new tenants

Steve Agalitiotis, who has rented a unit at 240 Markland Drive for 13 years, says the building was a great place to live and home to a thriving community until real estate company Carttera Management Inc. took over the property about three years ago and began renovations.

"They're not even pretending at this point," he said. "The on-site property manager here has told me flat out, 'We don't want you here. If you don't like the way we run the building, you're more than welcome to leave.'"

In addition to feeling forced out, several tenants told CBC Toronto they have raised a number of complaints, including constant noise and dust, garbage left behind by contractors, frequent power, water and elevator outages, and poor accessibility in a building with a large number of seniors.

The tenants said they feel that most of their concerns about the situation have gone unaddressed and they've been limited in how they've been allowed to communicate with the property management team. But Forest Hill Kipling, the company that manages the property on behalf of Carttera Management Inc., said residents can communicate with them via a number of channels including in person or by email, text or phone call. 

In an email sent to CBC Toronto Tuesday, the company said, "all residents are welcome to discuss their concerns" with management. The statement did not include a direct response to questions of whether the building's owners want tenants to leave the building.

Last fall, CBC Toronto reported tenants in the building had dealt with two years of renovations, including in-unit upgrades that were often left unfinished. At the time, Carttera was seeking an above-guideline rent increase to help pay for the renovations, though tenants say that increase never materialized.

Now, six months on, Agalitiotis and other tenants in the building said the situation has only become worse. Some tenants say they now fear interactions with management.

Gerald Strocen and his wife have rented a unit in the building for 10 years. Prior to that, Strocen's parents lived in the building together, and the couple wanted to be close to his father after his mother died. 

"The rent was really good. The building was nice. It was really well maintained. So it was a no-brainer," he said.

But the past few years have been a nightmare, Strocen said.

"There's still holes in my ceiling from when they did the windows [two years ago] that they said they're going to come back and fix and they never did," he said.

On a tour of the building, CBC Toronto saw one unit on the second floor had a number of cracks and holes around windows that tenants say were replaced earlier this year. Another, on the fourth floor, showed a newly-installed HVAC system that had been dry-walled but not painted. In both cases, the tenants said they were told the contractors had finished the job.

According to Forest Hill Kipling's statement, the renovations and improvement program was completed in October 2022 and any ongoing construction is related to a new development being built next door.