Tenants of a Burnaby building riddled with mould and exposed ceilings took their concerns to the house of its owner on Sunday.
Renters at 6659 Dow Ave. in Burnaby say they’ve been plagued with problems that include leaky ceilings and black mould. Some repairs have been started, but the tenants say this included them being locked out of their suites.
So, several of them protested at the ritzy Vancouver west-side home of the building’s owner. They waved signs and protested, but were unable to get the owner to come out.
Instead, the owner called the police, said Ivan Drury, who was assisted the protesters.
Problems at the building started in November 2020 when tenants began complaining about leaks in the ceiling of their suites. This came to a head on February 10, 2021, when a portion of the ceiling in 6659 Dow Avenue gave way in multiple units revealing widespread black mould and rotten wood. The tenants’ then-investor/landlord Matchpoint Development responded with superficial repairs only after several tenants spoke to CTV News in early March. Even still tenants were still left with unlivable suites and a number of unanswered questions.
“Neither Matchpoint Development, which owned the building or Peterson Commercial, which now manages it, have communicated to tenants how long the job will take, under what conditions they can return," said Serena Lowe, a tenant in the affected building and member of Dow Avenue Tenants Group. "The timelines and priorities continue to shift and get extended, with no end date in sight ”
The company issued a statement to media about the situation.
“Restoration work at 6659 Dow, including ceiling and unit repairs, is taking longer than anticipated, and understandably, it is proving to a stressful situation for tenants,” according to the statement, first published by News1130.
“Access to the work site and several suites had to be temporarily restricted during these repairs to ensure tenant safety. The management team is attempting to work with tenants on an individual basis to best respond to their specific needs, and that is on-going.”
“The management team has attempted to be both proactive and reactive in their communication and arrangements with tenants, including the provision of temporary housing within the Dow Avenue complex. The management team has provided written up-dates to tenants on repairs, the desire to work individually with tenants to address their specific needs, creation of a communication hotline, and access to information on the rights of tenants during this process and going forward.”
