So, you think your Apartment sucks?

[Avenger]

I just thought I would take a moment to see if anyone has similar stories! Right now it really sucks, but I am sure one day I will look back and laugh that I was dumb enough to put up with all this bad luck and poor treatment!

I currently live in the Apartments at 1130 Queens Avenue, run by Barney River Investments. Over the past year and a half, I have had the following happen, or still happening:

1) Promised a pool and gym within a month, as they were just "being repaired" upon moving in. A year and a half later, they are still not open.
2) My balconies have been sealed off for 6 months (and still are) for re-paving. This leaves us with a tiny bedroom window for fresh air.
3) My car was broken into twice in one week - it is an old beater car, worth under $500. They stole my MP3 CD Deck, trashed the car, smashed the ignition, tried to steal it, failed, and left. This happens at least once a year to tenants in the underground parking, and the management has failed to take action or install any sort of security.
4) My fridge broke down, and will not be working again for at least a week.
5) 2 Outlets do not work at all (2 sets of 2), and they do not really want to knock out the wall to fix the wiring.
6) The power is so poorly wired and old that I cannot run appliances such as block heaters or mini fridges without blowing a fuse.
7) The hot water is problematic or nonexistent a few times a month.
8) Our elevators consistently stop working, get off at the wrong floor, refuse to open, etc.
9) Our visitors parking has been taken away for over 6 months due to construction, and will be far into the future, as the next repair is window replacements!
10) When I moved in I had to wait 2 weeks after the last tenant vacated so they could repaint walls and re-wax the floors as agreed. None of this was done, and the place was really dirty on moving in.

There are a bunch of other things, but they are all small and not worth mentioning. Anyone else have this much trouble with their place?

Update:
Link added: http://www.rentersnews.ca/modules/powerpages/pdetail.asp?CP=5,487&PID=232&SID=2

[UrbanPoet]

do you live in a run down building?
do they charge really low for rent?

[Absolute]

Sounds like grounds for a lawsuit - have you approached the tenant's tribunal?

[Tijuana]

if not lawsuit, atleast if you leave you wont get a penalty for breaking the lease or whatever

[AmberMoon]

That does not even sound like a safe environment. I would think since you have been there over a year that you are able to leave at any time since you probably haven't signed another lease, I would personally start looking to relocate to a safer area and apt.

[Avenger]

I am on a month-to-month agreement, and need to give 30 days. I have written to get a rebate for the inconveniences, but they keep blowing me off. If they do not get back to me in a week I am submitting a T3 form. Moving is a pain, and the problems here just keep adding up and getting worse :( Anyone else have similar problems elsewhere?

This place is right across the road from Oakville Place Mall, a relatively good area near Sheridan College, so I don't know why there is so much trouble.

[Absolute]

Wow, your experience looks like all of mine look like nothing - I hope you get something out of this!

[corrupt123]

Woah, I know exactly where you live. Drive past it all the time to go to my girlfriends place.

In oakville, you should be able to find a mucn nicer place. Are you attending sheridan? What are you paying for rent, and what are you doing for work?

You should seriously be able to do better. You sound intelligent enough.

[trixstar]

wow that sucks..

[hyperion]

I can relate to the outlet problems, the hot water, the elevators, but not everything else. I guess some people do have it worse than me. My suggestion is move, I can tell you from personal experience that a lot of those things WON'T get better, and the others will take ages to do so.

[Avenger]

I pay about $900 all said and done for a 725 sq foot 1 bedroom. I do Mortgage Funding in Toronto, and am seriously considering moving now!

[T-DOT]

900 a month? Plus costs to getting downtown? Abort Abort Abort Abort Abort

[aidzhsiah]

Um... I don't understand the problem. Just MOVE. It's like you think it's such a horrible place to live and such a poorly managed building yet you're still there despite the fact you have no binding lease.

That's just laziness.

[Bytown]

900 a month? Plus costs to getting downtown? Abort Abort Abort Abort Abort

Its hard if he is in a multi year lease.

[Avenger]

Um... I don't understand the problem. Just MOVE. It's like you think it's such a horrible place to live and such a poorly managed building yet you're still there despite the fact you have no binding lease.

That's just laziness.

It is a big investment and a lot of time to move you know! Plus there is always the hope things will get better, but as soon as something gets fixed, something else breaks or goes wrong! I am currently looking for other places, but it just blows my mind all of these problems can happen, and so consistently.

[Avenger]

900 a month? Plus costs to getting downtown? Abort Abort Abort Abort Abort

In Oakville that is normal, and once you factor in the insurance savings (I would live either in Oakville or Mississauga) on the car, it didn't make much of a difference.

[BaconMunch]

well I hope bandits don't realize you may possibly have a cache of Wii's at any given time :p

[UncleSteve]

That building was pretty much ghetto when I first moved to Oakville 20 years ago. The Leafs will win Lord Stanley's Cup before that place is decent.

[Derek]

I used to live right down the street from there, on Ryerson road. Love Oakville... good times...

[atforum]

I used to live right down the street from there, on Ryerson road. Love Oakville... good times...

Now you live in the intratubes right next to me :D

[felix]

It is a big investment and a lot of time to move you know! Plus there is always the hope things will get better, but as soon as something gets fixed, something else breaks or goes wrong! I am currently looking for other places, but it just blows my mind all of these problems can happen, and so consistently.
Just wondering, didn't you look at the condition of the building and unit before you decided to rent there? If you're not sure, at least ask a few residents to see if it's in livable condition?

[Absolute]

Now you live in the intratubes right next to me :D

Stalking a mod? :D

[jokaz]

Run away before they are going to replace the windows. At my previous buliding it took them 2 months to replace all the windows for the whole buliding, and the noise was unbearbale not mention the dust and dirt.

[masterhapposai]

wtf?

I rent a condo for under $1200, everything included, washer & dryer inside, security everywhere

an apartment like yours is worse than the jane & finch ones for $700-800

$900 is a ripoff. get a basement apartment even

[1jVu]

wtf?

I rent a condo for under $1200, everything included, washer & dryer inside, security everywhere

an apartment like yours is worse than the jane & finch ones for $700-800

$900 is a ripoff. get a basement apartment even

actually i live in jane and finch..
though i live in a house but most of my friends around the area do live in apartments and it isnt bad at all.. so dont bash jane and finch apartments unless youve been in it lol.
ive been literally in all the buildings and in each apartments. its the townhouses thats poorly managed not the buildings.

to avenger, i suggest you leave.
big investment + time consuming, yes, but its better to live in a place where you like going home to rather than dreading it. take a day or 2 to move etc. dont cope with the things you dont have to.

[Avenger]

Thanks for all the input guys! As for checking prior to moving in, I looked at many places, and compared prices, and this one seemed to be very good, and the tenants I spoke to were happy. The only problem when I moved in that was evident is no pool and gym, but it looked useable, they just said they were repairing a leak, and it would be fixed shortly. I was lied to.

As for the Wii Cache, I do not store very much in terms of valuables here, I have an alternate location nearby where I leave customer orders if they are for an extended time. I know better than to keep lots of valuables around! Not to mention I have insurance for that anyhow.

I have been looking around for a place, so hopefully something will present itself in the same price range.

Also, the construction and noise does not really bother me, as I work 8-5, so I am never home when they do it. If I were home for all the drilling and whatnot for these balconies over the last 6 months, I would not have been able to handle that. I think the ultimate solution is to just BUY a place, which I plan to do once I get a decent downpayment.

[Steeve Urkel]

I am on a month-to-month agreement, and need to give 30 days. I have written to get a rebate for the inconveniences, but they keep blowing me off. If they do not get back to me in a week I am submitting a T3 form. Moving is a pain, and the problems here just keep adding up and getting worse :( Anyone else have similar problems elsewhere?

This place is right across the road from Oakville Place Mall, a relatively good area near Sheridan College, so I don't know why there is so much trouble.

Have you put any of your requests in writing to someone other than the building management?

If you just call them, they won't do much from my experience.

I bought a condo and had so many building problems I ended up contacting some provincial dept, my lawyer, title insurance (for home/apt owners only) and then the head or owner of the building company.

And in the end they did change everything I wanted.
And I even made them put in a street sign as they were too cheap to do it in the first place.

If you contact the provincial group that deals with housing they will do something, and I'm also sure that the building management will hate you :lol:

I know because the condo management where I am really hates me :)
not that I care as they have to fix everything people here want...

Good luck.

I would document everything as you need good proofs and photos also.

[Steeve Urkel]

Run away before they are going to replace the windows. At my previous buliding it took them 2 months to replace all the windows for the whole buliding, and the noise was unbearbale not mention the dust and dirt.

I haven't been able to open my windows here during the day for 3 years. I have been living on a construction lot w building until 6pm everyday exept some sundays and they start at 6:30am.

Where i am they are building for another 2 years also..and in the morning the delivery trucks come by at 4am to drop off building and the snowplow in the winter always does the doorsteps at 3am :mad: but i got a very good deal on my place, so can't entirely complain:lol:

[akito925]

I just thought I would take a moment to see if anyone has similar stories! Right now it really sucks, but I am sure one day I will look back and laugh that I was dumb enough to put up with all this bad luck and poor treatment!

I currently live in the Apartments at 1130 Queens Avenue, run by Barney River Investments. Over the past year and a half, I have had the following happen, or still happening:

1) Promised a pool and gym within a month, as they were just "being repaired" upon moving in. A year and a half later, they are still not open.
2) My balconies have been sealed off for 6 months (and still are) for re-paving. This leaves us with a tiny bedroom window for fresh air.
3) My car was broken into twice in one week - it is an old beater car, worth under $500. They stole my MP3 CD Deck, trashed the car, smashed the ignition, tried to steal it, failed, and left. This happens at least once a year to tenants in the underground parking, and the management has failed to take action or install any sort of security.
4) My fridge broke down, and will not be working again for at least a week.
5) 2 Outlets do not work at all (2 sets of 2), and they do not really want to knock out the wall to fix the wiring.
6) The power is so poorly wired and old that I cannot run appliances such as block heaters or mini fridges without blowing a fuse.
7) The hot water is problematic or nonexistent a few times a month.
8) Our elevators consistently stop working, get off at the wrong floor, refuse to open, etc.
9) Our visitors parking has been taken away for over 6 months due to construction, and will be far into the future, as the next repair is window replacements!
10) When I moved in I had to wait 2 weeks after the last tenant vacated so they could repaint walls and re-wax the floors as agreed. None of this was done, and the place was really dirty on moving in.

There are a bunch of other things, but they are all small and not worth mentioning. Anyone else have this much trouble with their place?

Update:
Link added: http://www.rentersnews.ca/modules/powerpages/pdetail.asp?CP=5,487&PID=232&SID=2

time to move out, and go somewhere else