A tenant of a North Burnaby highrise wants the property manager to address numerous safety issues that he says have recently plagued the building.
Siamand Maroofi, his wife and their 14-month-old daughter moved into Maple Place Towers on Halifax Street four months ago.
Since then, Maroofi, who owns two properties himself, said he has witnessed a host of problems, including a broken door at the front entrance that has yet to be fixed.
“For three weeks now, you can’t open it from the inside when it’s closed; there’s no way out,” he told the NOW. “Instead of taking care of it, they kept the door open with a big stone.”
Worried about his family’s safety, Maroofi approached management last week to ask when the broken door will be fixed. Assistant manager Leo Leon responded with “later,” according to a video recording of the verbal exchange, shot by Maroofi.
The NOW has confirmed the lock was recently removed to allow the door to open and shut.
When reached by the NOW, property manager Daria Lubczyk said a new door has been ordered, but it will take up to eight weeks for it to arrive.
“It’s a long process. Nothing can be done in one day,” she said.
Lubczyk added having no lock is “not a safety issue, it’s not any issue.”
Another mechanical problem tenants have had to deal with, Maroofi noted, is the elevator.
A few months ago, a young girl who lives in the building was trapped on the 11th floor for two hours, he said, adding there have been other similar incidents.
“I understand older stuff breaks down, but if anything gets to that point, I think it needs to be changed. It’s more of a safety concern,” Maroofi said.
When asked about the elevator occurrence, Lubczyk said she wasn’t aware of the matter and couldn’t comment. The elevator, she noted, is up to code and is inspected every month by the operating company.
The garage door, meanwhile, broke down about a month ago and wasn’t fixed for two weeks, Maroofi said.
There was another weekend he said his shower broke, and he was told on a Friday evening it couldn’t be fixed until Monday morning because maintenance crews “don’t work on weekends.”
The NOW also confirmed there’s a missing floor plan in the basement near the laundry room, which Maroofi said is worrisome should there be a fire.
“They’re just being disrespectful. This building is mainly elderly and newcomers. It is a bit more affordable, let’s be realistic, but we all still pay rent. It doesn’t mean our life has no value,” Maroofi said. “I can’t just pick up and move every six months.”
Tenants with safety concerns are being instructed to voice their concerns by visiting the management office, according to Lubczyk.
“It would be the best approach,” she said.
Maple Place Towers is owned by Cressey Development and managed by Nacel Properties.
