Tenants in apartment without heat for nearly one year to have 5 months of hydro costs covered
The company which manages a downtown Windsor, Ont. apartment building — where tenants have gone nearly a full year without heat — has promised to cover five months of increased hydro costs for tenants who had to plug in electric heaters to stay warm.
CTV News Windsor spoke with two tenants on Feb. 4 at 524 Pitt St. W. who said heat had stopped coming into their units in March of 2022. Marda Management, which attributes the outage to a faulty boiler, covered tenants’ hydro costs for the first two months of the outage.
According to the tenants, the lack of heat became a non-issue from May to September since the weather became warmer. By October, as the weather started to cool down, the heat still had not been restored and Marda had not offered to provide any further compensation, tenants added.
Instead, Marda provided supplemental heaters but tenants told CTV News Windsor they were inadequate and they were forced to buy electric heaters out-of-pocket to stay warm. One tenant, Jorden Arsenualt, added he would be turning to the Landlord and Tenant Board to recoup 100 per cent of his hydro costs from the full duration of the outage.
Following the story’s publication over the weekend, Marda Management issued a new notice to tenants Monday.
“We realize through this time you may have been using alternative measures to heat your home during this time,” the notice from Marda Management’s Tenant Services Division reads.
“To that end, we ask you to submit hydro bills you have received between October 2022 and February 2023. We will be evaluating each bill and issuing credits accordingly to compensate you for the increased usage expenses you may have incurred due to using alternative heating solutions,” it reads.
In a phone call with CTV News Windsor, Arsenualt said he is happy to see things “moving in the right direction” but he wants further compensation from Marda.
“My tenant board pursuits still likely stand. I still have my [application filing] fee that I paid for … as well as my personal heater that I had to purchase to create any sort of livable environment,” he said.
In a separate notice issued to tenants Wednesday, Marda Management said the boiler needs to cycle for 48 hours to evacuate any trapped air.
That means tenants will need to wait until Friday to find out if heat has been successfully restored to the entire building.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trudeau acknowledges charges in Nijjar killing, calls for commitment to democracy
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the charges laid Friday in relation to the murder of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Princess Anne lays wreath at B.C. veteran's cemetery; receives 21-gun salute
Princess Anne paid tribute to veterans buried at a cemetery in British Columbia today, laying a wreath to honour the more than 2,500 military personnel and family members buried there.
Mystik Dan wins the 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in a three-horse photo finish
Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby in a photo finish, edging out Forever Young and Sierra Leone for the upset victory.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.