Downtown Hamilton tenants frustrated after spending weeks with no gas and AC

As a new Hamilton resident, Sarah Thorne has spent the start of her first summer here spending hundreds of extra dollars in food and appliances.

Her downtown apartment hasn't had natural gas for more than a month and has been without air conditioning for two weeks. 

Thorne and other tenants at 27 Bold St. have been without gas since May 24, when it was shut off after a retaining wall fell into the building.

Then, on June 12, the building's central air stopped working — an amenity they were promised when moving in.

Thorne and other tenants are frustrated with the building's landlord for not providing vital services they were promised.

"We're all trying to still function in our lives … and it's impossible," she told CBC Hamilton.

The building is listed as "luxury apartment rentals," on owner Valour Group's website. Thorne said she pays $1,800 a month for rent.

According to Thorne, the building's management said the gas issue would be fixed in a matter of days, but that didn't happen.

Dan Smith, the city's acting director of licensing and bylaw services, told CBC Hamilton his department received the complaint about there being no gas in the building on June 12. That day, bylaw issued an order to restore the service in 48 hours, but it wasn't restored.

He said charges for the property are pending, but have not been issued yet.

Smith also said the city is working with tenants, Enbridge Gas and Valour to address the issue. The issue could be resolved this week, he said late last week.

Thorne said she's spent upwards of $1,200 dollars buying appliances to be able to have a hot meal and a portable air conditioning unit to keep herself somewhat cool. Even then, her unit was sitting at around 30 C during a recent heat wave.

Valour Group president Richard G. Hall told CBC Hamilton the work to repair the wall and restore gas is "complex," as the company must coordinate with three adjacent property owners as well as the city, Enbridge and "multiple insurers, engineers, and contractors."

Hall also said rent for June and July was waived for tenants.

Tenants say communication has been challenging

Thorne said the building's communication has been "vague" since she moved in three months ago. For instance, she said tenants were told July's rent was only "paused" and not waived. 

Another tenant said this is not a new problem. Cody Alexander said it is "very typical" to hear tenants complaining about issues at the building being ignored "until they're too big," he said.

Alexander, who's lived in the building for more than three years, said the HVAC system has had sporadic problems throughout his time there. The fact that the gas still isn't back on isn't a surprise, he said, adding that the company said the wall would need to be fixed to do so. 

"Other than one day of surveyors kind of looking at the damage, we've not seen a single person here beginning work on the removal of that rubble," he said. "There's no clear sense of urgency from Valour Group to fix this problem."

Hall told CBC Hamilton a workaround involving gas lines may be possible, as early as this week. He also said the company has been communicating on a daily basis with different tenants. 

"We are committed to ensuring safety, transparency, and continued timely communication as we work toward a resolution," he said.

Air conditioning may be out for the entire summer: building owner

The building's central air conditioning also stopped working at the building on June 12 due to a broken coil.

Thorne said the recent heat wave was unbearable.

"I was like 'I'm going to die here,'" she said. Temperatures were over 30 C early last week and felt like 40s with the humidex.

"I was taking cold showers and cold baths multiple times a day — on Sunday and Monday, I'd say four or five times a day in order to bring my temperature down," she said. She also had to buy cooling mats for her two cats.

Thorne is an employment counsellor and trainer at the YWCA in Toronto and works mostly from home, which has made the lack of services even more noticeable.

Alexander, who works as a voice actor and runs an audiology clinic with his wife, said he was "very uncomfortable" during the heat wave.

Hall said it could take eight more weeks for the AC replacement parts to arrive, which means residents at the building could spend most of the summer without cooling. He also said tenants were offered "$350 credit to fund the purchase of portable air conditioners."

But Thorne and Alexander, who have been coordinating with other tenants and advocacy group Hamilton ACORN, said most tenants did not accept it, as the amount wouldn't cover a unit that could cool their spaces.

"It's kind of a slap in the face," said Alexander. But waiving some of their rent was "very much appreciated," he added. 

Smith said the city is investigating the AC issue as well.

He said while the city can't require building owners to have air conditioning, they can require existing ones be "maintained in good working order."