Tenants at a Kingston townhouse complex are saying their property management company has banned all pools, including small kiddie pools, from the property.
Several tenants at a Homestead townhome complex on Parkway Street in Kingston have spoken with Global News, saying they were told by representatives from Homestead they were no longer allowed children’s pools in their communal front yards.
Tenants were also allegedly told that chalk was no longer allowed on sidewalks in the complex.
“The head administrator walked over and said you’re not allowed pools, and now chalk was considered graffiti,” said Blake Dier, who lives in one of the townhomes.
Dier, along with other tenants, says Homestead delivered the ordinance door to door, rather than offering any written notices.
Dier says tenants were always allowed to have pools, as long as they were being emptied after use — now he and other residents are confused about why they’re being banned.
“We were shocked that this was even happening because we’ve never had an issue with it,” Dier said.
Homestead’s assistant vice president Mike Terkalas negated some of the tenants’ claims in an emailed statement, but did say they had delivered some instructions concerning pools on the property.
Terkalas says the issue came up when one tenant was keeping a large wading pool, about 60 cm deep, unattended in a communal front lawn.
Terkalas pointed to a city of Kingston bylaw, which prohibits pools of a certain height to be standing without being properly fenced in.
The bylaw says “any body of water located outdoors on privately owned property, in which the depth of water at any point can exceed 60 centimetres, must be enclosed.”
Terkalas claims that one specific pool was regularly left unattended, and it was this pool that prompted Homestead to take action.
“We truly appreciate our tenants and want them to enjoy their homes; however, the safety of our residents and the children of the community is our top priority, and swimming pools on front lawns is simply too dangerous for us to allow,” Terkalas said in an emailed statement.
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Tenants like Dier stand by the fact that they were told that even small pools, like kiddie pools, were no longer allowed on the property.
Terkalas has not responded to several requests for clarification on whether all pools, or simply large pools, are now prohibited.
In his emailed statement, Terkalas did say drawing with chalk on the sidewalk was never banned, despite several tenants claiming the opposite
Terkalas says he’s investigating and speaking to all staff on site about what he calls a miscommunication.
— With files from Alexandra Mazur.
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