Hi Everyone,
Well, I don’t know what the weather or temperature is like where you live, but it’s pretty frosty here in southern Ontario in more ways than one. This is what I mean.
For the last few days the temperature has been between 14-19 degrees Celsius, or about 57-66 degrees Fahrenheit. This is not the average temperature for this time of year. Normally, or like it was last week, the temperature for southern Ontario is usually between 22-30 degrees Celsius, or about 71-86 degrees Fahrenheit. Those are temperatures I can live with. Unfortunately, that was also when the heat was completely cut off in my apartment building.
Now that the date of June 1st, for heating apartment buildings has passed, just when it starting getting cold, landlords in Ontario are not legally bound to heat their buildings. I understand this. BUT, BUT, I am of the belief that the heat should be turned on if the temperature falls below a certain level. Naturally I, like many other people in my apartment building, have commented or complained about this amongst ourselves and to the superintendent.
On Monday, June 3rd, I knocked on someone’s door to ask if their heat was on, thinking that my heaters stopped working. They told me that the heating for the whole building was shut off as of June 1st, the legal date. I was not happy about this because I have a small frame and I get cold very easily, hence my knocking on their door.
On Tuesday June 4th, I saw one of my neighbours that I needed to speak, so I went to their back door. As we were speaking, I said, “It is warmer outside than it is in my apartment. It’s freezing in there!” They agreed and told me that they too, were cold to freezing for the last few nights.
As I left their apartment, I saw the superintendent for the building, (who doesn’t live in the building by the way) and I told him that my apartment was freezing. Since we rarely get along he gave me his brightest smile and gleefully I might add, asked, “Is it?” He knew exactly what I meant. His heartless attitude got my blood boiling!
When I replied, yes, he told me that I was the ONLY one in the building who has told him that. Because, in my opinion, he lies to everyone on a regular basis, which is one of the reasons we don’t get along, I knew that comment was a lie too. People in this building talk! I just spoke to someone about the heat, or lack of!
The second I got into my apartment I got onto the Internet and began my online search of temperature regulations. What I found is the date I stated above of June 1st. Because I believe that everything in life is changeable, doable and movable, I started with my phone calls. Oh yes, Tuesday was a busy day!
First I phoned the city. They looked up the heating by-law. Their legal date for heat is May 15th, which is different than the provincial date of June 1st. This is an important difference because if the by-law of a city is longer than that of the province, a landlord must abide with the city by-law regardless of what the provincial by-law is.
When I told them that the majority of the people who live in this building are seniors, because up until 3.5 years ago, this was a senior’s apartment building, they gave me the number for, The Regional Department which covers pretty much everything.
The person I spoke to asked if I called yesterday. I said no, but that question told me that I wasn’t the only one unhappy about the temperature in my apartment. She transferred me to Environmental Health. That office closed at 4:30 and it was 4:45 pm. After that I called my landlord.
I told him my apartment was freezing and asked if I could borrow one of the two portable heaters. His response was a flat out no! Why? Well, my hydro is included in my rent. If he let me borrow a heater, he would have to pay for that extra hydro, thereby paying for my heat.
Then he told me how much it cost to heat the building, that I was the only one who has called him about this and if I wanted a heater then I should ask someone in the building if I could borrow theirs. He also told me that I’m a little kid, to put more clothes on and that I, like everyone else in the building should accept that he has met his legal obligation. If the old lady on the third floor could understand the heating law, then I should too. Again he told me that heating the building has cost him a lot of money, which he is trying to save.
Big MISTAKE!!! For one, how did my landlord know about the old lady on the third floor complaining about the heat? Obviously, he heard that from someone. Hmmm. The answer to this can be found above. Anyway, …..Unlike the seniors in this building I refuse to be pushed around. I told him I called Environmental Health but he didn’t seem to care. BIGGER MISTAKE!!!
Canada is a first world country. That means that it is a free country and the province of Ontario, the province that I live in is part of Canada. As a citizen of this first world country, I know I have rights. Those rights extend to my being a tenant of an apartment building. One of those rights is the reasonable enjoyment of the vital services of the apartment I am paying for. Heat is one of those vital enjoyments!
I called Environmental Health first thing Wednesday morning. They told me there was nothing they could do, but gave me a number for City Hall. I called them (again) and they transferred me to by-laws. The woman there asked if I would like to speak to the Head of Enforcement. I said I did. I told him the above.
How my hydro is included in my rent, how my landlord refused to give me heater, how the drop in temperature has affected me and that I, like ALL tenants should not be held hostage by this or any by-law regarding the heat, or lack of.
“What if we have a cold snap in July that lasts a week? Am I just supposed to accept that and freeze my butt off for however long it takes to warm up? No one can control the weather. There has to be something I can do. As I have said, more than half of the people who live in this building are seniors on a fixed- income. Even if they had a portable heater, some of them can’t afford to pay for the extra hydro. Are they supposed to freeze too? What if they get sick?”
Thankfully he asked me some key questions. Apparently because I have what is called, central heating, meaning that once my landlord turns off the heat, I have no access to heat at all, he then told me exactly how to solve my problem.
Since resolving this issue entails my filling out forms, and possibly attending and speaking at a council meeting, it will be taken care of overnight. Naturally I was not happy to hear this but at least it is something. Unfortunately, not only was a large part of my Wednesday lost to this, there was nothing I could do about filing the forms until Friday. I had to get back to work.
Here we are at Thursday morning of June 6th. I called my landlord again. This time I was PLEADING with him to PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE let me borrow a portable heater because I am freezing. I remind him that I am about 100 pounds. Then I tell him that I am concerned that I am going to get sick and I don’t want to miss anytime from work. His response was the same.
Hydro is expensive. Put more clothes on, get some more blankets and borrow a heater from someone else. If he gives me heater then he would have to give one to other tenants too. “I know but you only have two heaters, just give me one. I am TELLING you, I am freezing in here and I don’t want to miss any time from work because I am sick.”
He doesn’t care. Now he reminds me of the cost to heat the building and how he is trying to save money. BIG MISTAKE!!! Then I remind him how there were several tenants in the past that he had to PAY TO EVICT because they didn’t pay their rent for months and how THAT cost him a lot of money. That’s when he hung up on me. BIG MISTAKE!!!
I thought, “Okay, you want to save money off my back by not letting me borrow a heater that I know you have, well guess what Buddy, my lights are on! In fact, ALL of the lights are going to be on in every room of this apartment. If that’s what I have to do to heat this place, so be it.” I turned on every light and left to do some errands. On the way home I spoke to someone about my lack of heat and they suggested I turn on my oven and open the door. Now that is on too. I probablydidn’t think of that earlier because my brain, just like my body was FROZEN!!!
But here is the interesting part. As I was looking something up for this blog I had to make a couple of phone calls. And all of those were to my benefit.
Am I pissed off at the freezing temperature of my apartment for only myself? NO!!! As I mentioned above, the majority of the people who live in this building are seniors on fixed-incomes. Just so everyone knows, there are also people who live in this building who are on disability and other forms of social services who are also on fixed-incomes. Since I have spoken to most of them, I know that they will not use a fan or their air conditioning because they CANNOT afford the hydro. Somehow they suffer through the heat, or in this case, the lack of.
But are we, as a society, just supposed to roll-over and allow this to happen? Live without heat? In my opinion, and I am always legally allowed to have one, I say NO! We, everyone, should not have to suffer third world conditions ESPECIALLY when we live in a first world country, that being Canada!
Each and every one of us has rights! If we don’t know what they are, we will get stepped on!
I did not appreciate the superintendent smiling like a Cheshire cat when he heard that I was freezing in my apartment. He doesn’t live in this building. For all I know he could have heat and doesn’t have to SUFFER in the ways that I and the other tenants of this building do. His response was cold hearted. Why? Well, in my opinion he is. But I am sure that there are other superintendents out there who treat tenants the way he does. Errrr.
Did I appreciate my landlord telling me put more clothes on, get out my blankets and stop calling him because he doesn’t want to hear me asking him for a heater. Not in the least! I am a GOOD tenant. In the 3.5 years that I have lived here, I have yet to be late with my rent or have a complaint of any kind made against me. My landlord knows that, he was just hoping that I, like most people in this building would accept his answer of no heat.
That is unacceptable! I am imploring anyone who reads this blog to take time to fill out forms, make phone calls or whatever you can. The weather has a mind of its own. And no one should have to suffer in the cold. By-laws can and will be changed, ONLY if enough people stand their ground.
As tenants we all have the right to reasonable enjoyment of whatever we rent and that includes heat!
There is more to this story that I cannot get into right now but I will keep everyone posted. It may be frosty here in more ways than one, but my blood is boiling!
(In this blog I referred to another blog I wrote called, Are You’re Lights On? Here’s the link, http://arebelsrant.com/are-your-lights-on/ )
Thank you for reading, A. Rebel’s Rant! ;D
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