“Akelius business idea is to give a better living in major metropolitan cities” says Endruweit, in response to the UN allegations. The report claims large property management companies are trying to encourage tenants to vacate units so they can put them back on the market at higher rates. The allegations come as Sweden-based Aklieus is under scrutiny globally from human rights advocates.Ī July 2020 report from the United Nations’ Human Rights office alleges that Akelius Residential buys up properties and makes living inhospitable for tenants either by neglect or invasive repairs. But they argue the landlord has a responsibility to maintain accurate records and should be held responsible for the resulting loss of a “vital service” – i.e. In the complaint, the tenants do not dispute that incomplete plumbing records are to blame for the prolonged cold water shortage. It is not us who caused the deferred maintenance but we are prepared to rectify it.” “However, the situation itself is not completely surprising for 85-year-old building with maintenance needs. “The situation at 100 Vaughan Road has caused inconvenience to the residents,” Endruweit says. Permits were required for work (though the filing alleges that applications for permits were never filed) and COVID-19 restrictions meant repairs could not be completed. Management and various plumbers or maintenance technicians said a notice had to be given to shutdown water in the building, and Akelius did not have accurate plumbing schematics for the old building. Taking a shower and flushing the toilet was possible at all times.”Įndruweit says the low cold water pressure issue intensified during the first lockdown and to minimize tenant interactions, the company “proceeded with a series of repairs in an incremental fashion.” “The low water pressure was insufficient but we did a workaround to provide enough warmer water at regular pressure. “To make it clear, there has been water at all units at all times,” Endruweit wrote in an email to NOW. However, he maintains that showering and using the toilet was always possible. The company acquired the building, which was built in 1935, in December 2018.ījörn Endruweit, head of Akelius’s Toronto operations, tells NOW the water was not restored “as fast as hoped,” neither confirming nor denying the length of time the affected tenants lived without consistent cold water. In a statement to NOW, Aklelius blames the situation on deferred maintenance on old, deteriorated water lines. It further alleges the landlord withheld a vital service, interfered with their reasonable enjoyment and “obstructed, coerced and interfered with them.” The complaint accuses Akelius of failing to maintain the building “in a good state of repair and fit for habitation” and failing to comply with health, safety, housing and maintenance standards under the Residential Tenancies Act. The tenants say the service was restored after a plumber that was on site for a separate issue realized the reason for the shortage and turned the valve back on. “Our experience with Akelius is that they were evasive with answers, unresponsive and completely negligent.” “These tenants went through a nightmare trying to get a basic utility fixed that was affecting their quality of life and basic functionality,” says Josh Matlow, the city councillor for the area. The filing states disruption occurred because a valve supplying water to the north side of the building was shut off, leaving only hot water and very low water pressure. In the February 1 filing, 19 affected tenants residing at 100 Vaughan Road allege they were unable to take showers, wash their hands or even use the toilet intermittently over 96 days during the first-wave lockdown.Īccording to the 37-page filing, cold water service was “severely disrupted” in 11 out of the building’s 33 units, from February 19 to May 24, a period that included “lengthy outages.” Tenants living in a Toronto apartment building owned by Akelius Canada say they lived for three months last spring without reliable access to cold water, according to a recent filing to the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB).
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