Residents scramble to find new homes after Langford building deemed unsafe

Residents of an 11-storey apartment building in Langford, B.C., had an unexpected moving day Tuesday, a day after their building owner and the city said they had to leave for their safety. 

The evacuation came after both the owner, Centurion Property Associates, and the city received notice from the Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia (EGBC) about potential structural issues at RidgeView Place on 2770 Claude Rd.

While EGBC did not itself recommend that tenants leave, the building's owner hired an independent engineer who completed a visual inspection and advised an evacuation due to serious safety concerns. 

In 2019, residents were told to leave the one-year-old building because it was determined to be seismically unsafe. 

Work was done to upgrade the building, and the city issued a new occupancy permit in April 2022. 

While it has not been made clear what exactly the new safety concerns are, a statement from the city hint to issues with the remediation work.

Residents told CBC News they felt comfortable moving into the upgraded building, trusting that any original structural issues had been addressed. 

Ashley MacDonald lived in a two-bedroom unit with her seven-year-old son and her father.

"We did kind of think … with all the remediation that was done, that it was a safer than usual building."

MacDonald, like many of her neighbours, spent Monday night in a hotel, and will do so for the next few evenings while they look for new places to live. 

She said the building owner has not helped find places to stay in the short term or the long term. 

Each renter has been offered $1,000, in what the company referred to as "a gesture of compassionate assistance."

"We just all feel completely abandoned," said MacDonald, adding she hasn't been told yet when she can fully move out of the building.

She says her questions to the building owner have so far gone unanswered. 

In its letter to tenants Monday, the company said it was reviewing options to shore up the building temporarily, so that residents could come back and get their furniture and other belongings — but it did not say when that information would be available. 

Tenants who were able to free themselves up Tuesday were at the building, removing whatever small items they could. 

Couple Ariana Kingerski and Matthew Morais had only moved into the building two months ago. 

They spent Monday night with family, and then will stay at an AirBnB. 

"It's probably like the worst feeling just being told that you have to leave where you're at," said Kingerski.

Morais said they're doing the best they can. 

"We know the Victoria rental market is not easy. So just everyday researching and reaching out to properties and just taking it day by day really."

The building owner has told residents that they can move back into their units once remediation work is done, but has given no timeline.

Still, Kingerski and Morais said, there's no way they'd move back into the building.

'Horrible' situation, mayor says

Langford Mayor Scott Goodmanson said the situation is "horrible" for residents, and that some people are having issues with insurance.

"At least two companies have said that because this is a pre-existing situation from Centurion, they are not going to honour the insurance," he told CBC's On The Island.

He said city staff are investigating but that ultimately, it'll be up to Centurion to compensate renters.