It wasn’t long ago tenants in a building in Leaside were preparing to wage war with their landlord and fight evictions orders informing them they had to move out.
The apartments are small group of apartments on Bayview Avenue. Just like the cemetery which is right across the street, the community was looking like a ghost town more and more each week as tenants left. The Group Of Six There are ninety-seven apartments in the complex. However, most people had already left leaving only nice units still with tenants.
The Group of Six
There are 97 apartments in the complex. However, most people had already left leaving only nine units still with tenants.
Of those nine three had agreed to move out. Six tenants, who are seniors and living on a small fixed income remained.
Eviction Notices
Tenants of the affordable units received eviction notices at the end of April informing them that the owners ADMNS Kelvingrove Investments Corp wanted them gone. It’s not like these seniors were bad tenants, but the Corporation would be renovating the old complex for the next 18 months and then seeking to raise the rents “significantly above the Ontario provincial guideline.”
Aggressive Landlords
According to tenants association leader Jade Jenkins, the landlords had been “very aggressive, pushing, pushing, pushing people to sign the form.” Despite the fact some tenants had been living there for more than forty years they were given one months notice go get out.
The owners responded by saying “We sympathize with our tenants and realize that the relocation has and will have significant impact on them… our team has been committed to helping all of the tenants make the transition to new accommodations.”
Things Have Changed Over the Past Month
The last tenants who were holding out have changed their minds and now agree to move out. Once they are gone, the landlord can begin doing renovations.
Details are protected by confidentiality agreements. However, in the past tenants have received very generous rewards for moving. These include free rent and more than three months of rent in cash after they vacate.
