A handful of tenants in an aging residential complex in Vancouver will have their rent temporarily reduced after going more than a month without heat.
Joshua Chartrand, a resident of the 10-unit Hartethorne building on West 12th Avenue, said he has been bundled up indoors for about six weeks due to a busted boiler that has not been repaired by the owner, Oakwyn Realty.
Space heaters have been provided, but with winter fast approaching, that’s not good enough, he added.
“It snowed in Vancouver yesterday, it’s freezing cold,” he told Global News. “I had to say something because it’s so wrong.”
Oakwyn Realty did not return a request for comment on this story by deadline.
In a phone conversation with Chartrand on Monday, however, building co-owner Arlene Chiang said additional radiant heaters would be provided to tenants and all would receive a rent reduction of 15 per cent for November and December. They would also be reimbursed for the correlating difference in their hydro bills, she added.
“I really apologize that it’s gotten to this point,” Chiang told Chartrand. “We have a team working on it and I’ve been working on it relentlessly.”
Several tradespeople were in the building Monday, she added, assessing the situation.
The company’s promise of rent reduction and bill compensation did not come until after Chartrand reached out to media. Oakwyn Realty has yet to provide a timeline for when a new boiler will be procured.
In an email to Chartrand on Nov. 3, the company said a “few technicians” have reported “it’s not a simple fix that can be done within 24 hours,” and “multiple alternative long-term solutions” are being considered.
“A new boiler costs over $60k so we hope you understand that it is not an easy and quick purchase,” a representative wrote.
Meanwhile, Chartrand said one tenant in the building has told him she’s wearing gloves and a toque in her unit in the middle of the day.
Another tenant who didn’t want to appear on camera told Global News her space heater blew a fuse when she plugged it in and she is now using the oven to keep warm.
Chartrand is calling on Oakwyn Realty to eliminate rent for the period tenants have gone without heat. He has also vowed to keep speaking publicly if the issue isn’t resolved.
“It’s plain and simple — it has to be fixed and we need to be given something for dealing with this.”
Under B.C.’s Residential Tenancy Act, a broken primary heating system qualifies as an “emergency repair.” That legislation also requires landlords to keep their properties in a state of repair that complies with health, safety and housing standards laws.
“The general rule is that repairs have to be made within a reasonable timeframe,” said Andrew Sakamoto, executive director of the Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre.
“As a tenant you pay rent for the full use of your rental unit, which means you’re certainly entitled to essential services like heat.”
Sakamoto advised tenants impacted by disrepair to write their landlords explaining the problem, and if those attempts fail, seek dispute resolution through the B.C. Residential Tenancy Branch.
In the case of an urgent matter — like a broken primary heating system — he said tenants can apply for an expedited hearing to shorten the wait time.
“Certainly we see an uptick in people calling about heat-related issues in the winter,” Sakamoto explained. “I can say generally speaking, repairs and eviction are the most common issues we hear about.”
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