Sunnydale residents complain of ‘illegal’ key deposits

Residents of an apartment complex in Sunnydale have a legal battle on their hands — but they have some help on the way.

After a story was published in the Waterloo Chronicle outlining numerous issues in a pair of townhouse complexes on Sunnydale Place in Waterloo, it was discovered that at one of the properties, “illegal” key deposits were collected.

Now residents are battling to have them returned.

“Some people were charged $200, $250, $300,” said George Roche, a resident of Sunnydale Place.

Both Roche and his wife, Andrea Coulson, are working with residents and a paralegal to return the funds.

In Ontario, landlords are allowed to collect key deposits, but it is limited to only the cost of replacing the physical key.

According to residents in the buildings, nearly every single tenant has been charged more.

The townhouses at 516-532 Sunnydale Place are owned by Sivon Investments Inc., a company owned by Jamie and David Novis of Burlington.

The company also owns properties at 295 Lester St., 86 University Avenue W. and 511 Albert St. in Waterloo.

David Novis was reached by phone about the alleged illegal deposits, but he declined to comment.

If Sivon Investments overcharged every unit in the complex (approximately 50), the total collected is estimated at about $10,000.

For now, Roche and Coulson are working to collect information from their neighbours. Brittney Forsyth, a paralegal from Beamsville, Ont., has been contacted, and the two sides are in talks about how to approach the situation.

The talks are still in the preliminary stages, said Forsyth.

“We often see situations where there’s a lot of misinformation or tenants just don’t know their rights,” said Forsyth. “And I hate to say it, but sometimes we see landlords who take advantage.”

On top of the key deposit issue, Roche and Coulson said many residents also are dealing with maintenance issues or battles over eviction.

While 516-532 Sunnydale Pl. had issues in terms of maintenance and upkeep, residents say it pales in comparison to the situation at 519 Sunnydale Pl., which is located across the culde-sac.

In those apartments, tenants complained of unsafe steps (most of which have now been repaired), heaving floors, cockroach infestations and unusable appliances that have not been replaced.