No heat in downtown Windsor apartment for more than a month

Small space heaters are the only thing keeping tenants warm inside a downtown Windsor apartment building in these frigid winter temperatures.

According to Braiden Wiseman, a tenant living inside a unit on 16 Ellis Street, heat stopped coming through the radiators in early November.

"It's instantly cold as soon as I walk in. There is no sense of relief of coming up the stairs and being in a warm apartment," said Wiseman, adding he has received no clear update on when the heat will be restored.

In a statement, the contractor hired by the ownership group for the building said the boiler was installed incorrectly and work has been underway to bring "all components back to proper specifications."

"Safety trial is underway and next step is to cycle test," said Cole Manufacturing owner Lloyd Cole. "We will then send out a heat survey to ensure all units are heated accordingly."

Responding to the long wait for tenants, Cole added the owners "inherited a building with multiple system problems."

"A complete overhaul of the system for safety and performance has been required," said Cole.

The chief operating officer for M&J Doors, which owns the Ellis Street apartment building, said tenants will be reimbursed for the electricity costs incurred from running space heaters — which her group provided.

"Unfortunately, this is not in our control. We are doing the very best we can to rectify the issue and had hoped to be up and running already. Unfortunately, that did not happen," said COO Jami Jaclyn in a statement.

"With continued support from our dedicated management team, we continue to provide heaters to tenants as needed."

For Wiseman, the space heaters have had very little impact on tenants' quality of life.

"I'm cranking this up to max and the heat pretty much comes to here where my hand stops," said Wiseman, holding his hand about a foot away from the heater.

Increased electricity costs isn't the only compensation tenants without heat for an extended period of time should receive, according to paralegal Chris Hall.

"They would have to apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board to get a rent abatement because they've lost the enjoyment and use of their particular units," said Hall.

But that's easier said than done.

Hall added delays at the Landlord and Tenant Board could mean waiting six to eight months for an application to be processed.

In the meantime, he advises tenants in any unit without heat, power or water for an extended period of time to report it to the city.

"Anytime you lose that type of vital service, which is a City of Windsor by-law, you should be calling 311 and allowing the inspectors to investigate so they can find out what the issues are," said Hall.

When asked about a timeline on when the heat will be restored, the building owner said repair work is in the "home stretch."

"Please know we have taken this issue very seriously which is why we have remained focused and committed to resolving," added Jaclyn.

However, an exact timeline on when the heat is expected to return was not provided.