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
Poilievre will do 'anything to win,' must condemn Alex Jones endorsement: Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is ramping up his attacks on Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre as he promotes his government's federal budget.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
New evidence challenges the Pentagon's account of a horrific attack as the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan: CNN exclusive
New video evidence uncovered by CNN significantly undermines two Pentagon investigations into an ISIS-K suicide attack outside Kabul airport, during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
All Alberta wildfires to date in 2024 believed to be human-caused: province
There are 63 wildfires burning in Alberta's forest protection area as of Wednesday morning and seven mutual aid fires, including one in the Municipal District of Peace.
Video shows suspects waving weapons, smashing glass in Toronto jewelry store robbery
Arrests have been made after five men were captured on video rampaging through a jewelry store in Toronto, waving weapons and smashing glass display cases.
Pilot proposes to flight attendant girlfriend in front of passengers
A Polish pilot proposed to his flight attendant girlfriend during a flight from Warsaw to Krakow, and she said yes.
Ottawa injects another $36M into fund for those seriously injured or killed by vaccines
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Ex-SNC executive sentenced to prison term in bridge bribery case
The RCMP says a former SNC-Lavalin executive has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison in connection with a bribery scheme for a bridge repair contract in Montreal.