Landlord of condemend Halifax apartment shares his side of the story

The owner of a Fairview apartment building that’s been vacated and boarded up is speaking out, via his lawyer.

“The owner provides accommodation for some tenants who otherwise would have difficulty obtaining safe affordable residential accommodation,” Michael Moore, the lawyer for George Tsimiklis, said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The owner provides accommodation for some tenants who otherwise would have difficulty obtaining safe affordable residential accommodation," Michael Moore, the lawyer for George Tsimiklis, said.

Tsimiklis owns 22 Evans Ave, an apartment building that was issued an order to vacate due to unsafe living conditions.

The city delivered the notice to the owner and the tenants on Tuesday, Sept. 27.

“We met with the landlord a couple of months ago and worked with him and while we didn’t say at the time that if you don’t do this we’re going to close the place, he knew that was one of the options,” Brendan Elliott, a senior communications adviser with the city, said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We met with the landlord a couple of months ago and worked with him and while we didn't say at the time that if you don't do this we're going to close the place, he knew that was one of the options," Brendan Elliott, a senior communications adviser with the city, said.

In a statement read by Moore, the owner of the property says they’ve repeatedly fixed issues with the building but the property kept getting damaged.

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“The owner has continuously repaired damage to the property and almost immediately after the required repairs are made by the owner some of the tenants and/or their guests or third parties have damaged or vandalized the recently repaired areas,” Moore said.

It’s not clear how many tenants were displaced by the order but the city says it was around 10.

The Department of Community Services has been working with clients of theirs that were affected and say the owner has been helping them find new housing for the tenants.

“We are pleased to say that the landlord of Evans Ave, HRM and Metcap Management have been instrumental in helping our affected clients secure alternative rental accommodations and the department will assist with moving expenses,” Heather Fairbairn, a media relations adviser with the Department of Community Services, said.

Moore says Tsimiklis isn’t leaving the tenants high and dry.

“The owner, together with the Nova Scotia Department of Community Services, has ensured that the tenants previously occupying the property have been relocated to safe and habitable accommodations and the owner has paid the Oct. 1, 2016 rent for the tenants that have been relocated.”

The statement also reads that now that the property is vacant the owner has started renovating the property to comply with all existing municipal and provincial bylaws to provide safe and habitable accommodations for future tenants.