A local Kingston woman is facing eviction after refusing to pay her rent over what she is calling a mould issue in her apartment.
Tina Desrosiers claims property management with Osgoode Properties are doing nothing to deal with mould in her unit at Bayridge Courts in Kingston’s west-end, and she’s worried about the health impact it’s having on her and her and daughter.
Desrosiers says her new normal has become scrubbing her walls and carpets with bleach cleaner.
“There has been mould on the walls, there has been mould in the carpet,” said Desrosiers.
Senior vice-president of Osgoode Properties, which is based out of Ottawa, Geoffrey Younghusband, says they’ve inspected Desrosiers’ apartment, and do not believe she has mould.
“Our site manager and our property manager have attended this resident’s apartment in response to a request to remove a mold stain on her carpet. Also present was a public health inspector from the City of Kingston (invited by the tenant). The stain on her carpet is not consistent with something that would be considered mold,” Younghusband said in an emailed statement.
Unhappy with how inspections of her property have gone, Desrosiers stopped paying her rent in February. She now faces an imminent hearing with the Social Justice Tribunals Ontario and potential eviction.
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Desrosiers says that Osgoode Properties is trying to get rid of her instead of dealing with what she is calling a health hazard.
“Fix the damn carpet,” Desrosiers said. “Don’t you dare try to kick me out, don’t you hide something. You know what’s going on here, don’t hide it, take care of it.”
Afraid that she and her daughter will be kicked out, Desrosiers says she hopes she can push back her eviction trial until July.
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