New owner clearing apartment building
Spadina Avenue units to be gutted, but tenant refusing to leave until lease is up
KITCHENER — A Toronto investor has purchased an apartment building at the corner of Spadina Road East and Highland Road East and hopes to clean it up and continue to keep it as a rental unit.
The 61-unit apartment building at 270 Spadina Rd. E. is “cockroach infested” and in a “state of disarray,” said Stephen Litt, a local project manager representing the Toronto investor.
“It’s a nasty project,” said Litt, who expects a “full-scale” renovation to begin in April. The renovations include electrical and plumbing work.
But for Patrick Lauer, 66, the apartment building is his home and his lease isn’t up until the end of July.
Lauer has been told repeatedly he has to leave, and says each time he asks for the appropriate forms under the Landlord and Tenant Board, he’s given a different form.
“They are telling me I have no choice,” he said.
Lauer was told he had to leave in 60 days.
Lauer said many other tenants, including recent immigrants, have already vacated the building.
In one instance, a written statement given to him said his behaviour was a problem because he got into a “screaming match” and a “physical altercation” with a crew of workers, Lauer said.
Lauer denies it and says he isn’t leaving until his lease is up. At one point, Lauer said he was told he would receive three months rent for free if he agreed to move out.
Lauer said he would agree but, “I said put it in writing.”
“This could all have been handled if they had done the right thing in the beginning,” he said.
“If they had been a respectful business, I would have agreed but this is gameplaying and bullying.”
Litt said a third-party company was hired to help current tenants move out and assist them with finding other suitable housing.
“We are being a good landlord and going about this the right and ethical way,” he said.
Litt said full-scale renovation, which includes some demolition, is set to begin in April.
“We want everyone out of the building by April,” he said.
Litt said the renovations will take more than a year.
“It’s structurally sound. That is its only redeeming quality.”
Mike Seiling, chief building official at the City of Kitchener, said a building permit application was filed with the city on Jan. 10. The owners want to conduct major renovations but the city requested more information, he said.
“We want to know what are the phases and what can we expect phase 1 and phase 2 to start,” Seiling said.