Tenants told to leave delapidated hotel
The City of Vancouver is removing tenants from the Balmoral Hotel and has ordered the dilapidated building’s landlords to begin repairs immediately.
“The City of Vancouver’s chief building official has determined that the structural and fire concerns at the Balmoral constitute an unsafe condition and has issued an order pursuant to the Vancouver building bylaw directing that occupancy of the Balmoral cease as of June 12,” read a statement given to reporters at a news conference Friday.
The letter states that if the landlords fail to take action, the city will go ahead with repairs and charge the costs back to the landlords.
City staffers maintain the move is not an eviction, but an “evacuation” due to safety concerns. “Evacuating and relocating tenants from the Balmoral was a last-resort decision, but it is clear from the professional assessment of the building that the imminent risk is too great for the residents to remain,” the statement said.
The city’s actions came a day after Mayor Gregor Robertson sharply criticized the Balmoral’s landlords, the Sahota family.
“The living conditions in the Balmoral Hotel are disgusting. No resident of Vancouver should have to live in housing like that,” Robertson said Thursday in a statement. “The repeated building and safety violations are putting some of our most vulnerable residents at risk and are a massive strain on city resources.”
The Sahotas also own the nearby Regent, Astoria and Cobalt single-room occupancy hotels. Their real estate holding company, Triville Enterprises, is valued at more than $130 million, according to B.C. Assessment.
Following the mayor’s comments Thursday, a dozen Balmoral residents and housing advocates occupied Robertson’s office that afternoon, demanding action on the dilapidated property at 159 East Hastings St. The mayor wasn’t made available to meet with them and the group left in the evening.
Just prior to the news conference, reports of an eviction notice being posted at the Balmoral had already surfaced online. The notice, dated June 1, 2017, reportedly orders tenants to leave within 10 days, citing water damages, wood rot, leaky piping, mould, sagging floors and other safety concerns.