Fight for your right to heat

Posted By: Shuyee Lee · 2/6/2013 2:56:00 PM

In a CJAD 800 News exclusive first brought to you this morning, we told you about Côte-des-Neiges tenants struggling to get heat in their apartment building.

Tenants rights groups say, don't put up with it.

"We frequently get complaints about heating especially when it's cold like now," said Arnold Bennett, director of the Housing Hotline, which receives dozens of calls every winter about this issue.

Ted Wright of the Westmount Legal Clinic said excuses and explanations such as trying to get things fixed or working on the problem doesn't cut it.

"It's a sob story. Bring out the violins for the landlords because the law says clearly the landlord has to have heat adequate for the building," Wright said.

That means 21 degrees Celsius. Anything below that is grounds for a Rental Board claim for compensation or an order to fix it. That could take awhile.

"Since heating issues are considered to be an urgent cause, it takes basically 1.8 months to be resolved," said Geneviève Trudel, spokesperson for the Rental Board. Heating complaints are not counted as a separate file but grouped under cases related to the lease such as non-payment of rent.

So tenants rights groups say document everything and take matters into your own hands: bill the landlords for additional Hydro costs sch as space heaters or sic the city inspectors on them.

"They will come in and check the system and order the landlord to solve the problem or he will get fined," Bennett said.

Trudel said the amount of the fines depend on the case.

Last year, the Rental Board logged in over 25,000 cases of lease related problems including heating.

 

Arnold Bennett Tenants Rights Hotline and Walk-in Clinic

Phone: 514-488-0412 or 514-990-0190, Mon–Fri, 9am–9pm

NDG
6462 rue Sherbrooke Ouest, #2 (corner Cavendish)
Saturdays 10:30am–1:00pm 

Downtown YMCA
1440 rue Stanley Room 517
Sundays 10:30am–1:00pm

 

Westmount Legal Clinic Hotline and Walk-in Clinic

Westmount YMCA
4585 rue Sherbrooke Ouest
Wednesdays 6:30pm–9:30pm

westmountlegalclinic@hotmail.com

 

Régie du logement

514-873-2245

 

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  1. Joe posted on 02/06/2013 01:27 PM
    You are right in a real case. However there are tenants that are always just looking for trouble and make trouble including not paying rent on time. Why is it that in most cases the tenants that pay on time and are polite and nice never have problems with their heat or other situations and it doesn't get fixed.
    1. Sonia posted on 02/06/2013 04:18 PM
      @Joe @Joe:I totally agree with you. My dad has a duplex home in NDG. His tenants always complain and fight him on everything. He has two 4 1/2s on the top floor and a 6 1/2 below (with basement). They are not heated so he charges them low rent for that reason (4 1/2s are at 525$ and 6 1/2 at 600$ because he is a family friend). EVERY FEBRUARY wihtout fail when I send them their rent increase they call and complain. SERIOUSLY!!!!! My friend lives 2 doors down and pays 675$ for a COLD 4 1/2 and you don't hear her say a peep. It is horrible that the tenants have more rights than the people that actually SAVE all their lives to buy property as an investment, give fair rents only to be screamed at and completed to. Horrible. Why isn't there a Board for the LANDLORDS - and I'm not talking scumbags like Mr.di Giambattista from Park Ex. He is horrible but my father is not. He has a good clean property and gets shat at all the time. My brothers and I have taken over for him now and we tell the tenants, If you are not happy with the increase that the Rental Board site provides then please leave. Seriously, I would be able to rent it out for another 150$ each at least. Horrible horrible how therei s no protection for the landlords.
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