TheStar.com - Open letter to absent landlord

From: Subject: TheStar.com - Open letter to absent landlord Date: Sat, 6 Nov 2004 22:38:53 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0000_01C4C451.64C76240"; type="text/html" X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1441 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0000_01C4C451.64C76240 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_PrintFriendly&c=Article&cid=1099395151909&call_pageid=971358637177 TheStar.com - Open letter to absent landlord var LoginLogoutHtml =3D = ShowLoginLogoutHtml();

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Nov. 4, 2004. 08:09 AM

Open=20 letter to absent landlord

CHRISTIAN=20 COTRONEO

Dear Mrs. Tobis,
Sorry to hear that you're sick.

Your lawyer, Richard Hissey, recently regretfully informed = me you=20 were confined to your bed, and even if you weren't, you "wouldn't = want to=20 talk to anybody."

That's too bad, because the two apartment high-rises you = own at 40=20 and 60 Tyndall Ave. could really use a landlord's touch.=20

In fact, the buzzer code might as well be 9-1-1.

First, there's the ongoing litany of complaints from people = who=20 have lived in the buildings. Then there were the demonstrations in = July,=20 2003, when tenants publicly declared your buildings unfit for = humans. And=20 now, your company, S. Tobis Investments, has earned this year's = Golden=20 Cockroach Award, as the city's worst landlord.

Established in the late 1980s, the Golden Cockroach calls = out the=20 bottom-dwellers of the rental kingdom. And, according to Bart = Poesiat of=20 the Parkdale Tenants Association, who established that award, your = buildings sound the very depths.

"It's really horrid," said Poesiat, who has also been = trying to get=20 in touch with you over the last two years. "We've seen a lot. But = this=20 surprised even us."

The buildings, he added, are long on leaks, vermin, and = violence.=20

Short on a landlord who cares.

"Bounce something off me," offered your lawyer, Richard = Hissey when=20 told about the dubious distinction.

So I asked what he thought of the building's woeful = reputation."My=20 take on it, the tenants are exaggerating as they usually do, I = suppose,"=20 he said. "If you rely on what the tenants say, their evidence is=20 anecdotal."

What about the holes in the wall? Apparently, there's one = in the=20 laundry room that humans can crawl through...

"Maybe the hole's been in the wall a long time and maybe = tenants=20 are not that concerned about a hole in the wall in the laundry = room."

Have you seen it? I asked.

"I've never been there."

Well, neither had I. So I decided to pay a visit =97 and = see if,=20 perhaps, tenants were exaggerating a little.

The first building, at 40 Tyndall, looked like a winner at = first.

A sign in front of the elevators addresses "all the = wonderful=20 tenants in the building." Another sign advises that furnace work = is in=20 progress. When I visited, there was even a plumber's truck parked = outside.

"This is the best super we've had in a long time," said = tenant Judy=20 Ann Rayner. "Things are better than they've ever been."

Drug dealers are on their way out, she exulted. There's = lots of=20 fresh paint and even a leafy plant hanging in the lobby.

"We're surprised it's still hanging here," she admitted. = "It hasn't=20 been stolen yet."

Things change, as they often do, once you get past the = lobby.

Please consider doing something about that mutilated = bird-like=20 creature on the second floor stairwell. Not to mention the steady = stream=20 of garbage =97 everything from cigarette butts to batteries =97 in = the halls.

I appreciate the note on a hallway door warning, `This is = not a=20 garbage bin. Please take garbage outside.'

But I think the closing warning =97"action will be taken if = you are=20 caught" =97 may be a tad too mild.

The door opens to a tiny closet and a floor-full of = garbage. Then=20 again, almost every floor has a bag of garbage or two stewing in = the hall.

Likewise, many apartment doors are in tatters. The one = leading to=20 apartment 507 looks like it's been assaulted by a cheese grater. A = makeshift covering addresses the hole where a lock used to be.

The keyhole to another unit is horribly twisted, like = someone=20 wedged a screwdriver in the hole and kept twisting. Another door = doesn't=20 even have a knob =97 just a little metal handle.

Unlike its neighbour, 60 Tyndall didn't have any helpful = notices in=20 the lobby. But here's one you might consider.

Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter.

"It's garbage," says one man, stepping into his apartment. = "Nothing=20 but garbage."

And not even a plant in the lobby.=20

Instead, the halls are even more battered than its = neighbour.=20 Cigarette butts form a constellation on the carpets, threatening = to=20 biodegrade before anyone stoops to pick them up. The whole = building feels=20 soft and wet, scarcely held together by caulking and cockroach = bait. There=20 are crater-size holes in walls, ceilings appear to be sinking in = places.

Maria Wolak thinks it's about to come crashing down. After = 11 years=20 here, she's hauling boxes inside for her big end-of the month = move.

Do you have cockroaches? I ask.

"Cockroaches?" her face crumples into laughter. "Oh my = goodness, do=20 we have cockroaches. Everywhere!"

There's a window just below her unit, she says, which has = been=20 broken since she moved in.

Someone seems to have just walked away from apartment 203. = A sign=20 on the door calls on the sheriff's power to declare it abandoned.

The washroom, adjoining the laundry room, is not fit for = children.=20 Describing it may not even be fit for you, Mrs. Tobis. Especially = on your=20 sickbed.

"The only good thing is low rent," says a woman. "And even = that's=20 climbing up."

About $800, she says, rents a one-bedroom here.

Even when they're half-full, the buildings house hundreds = of=20 people. Many of them are writing cheques month after month.=20

Many of them are wondering where the money goes. And many = of them=20 wonder where you've been, Mrs. Tobis.

Get well soon.

Rental Confidential appears every two weeks. Got a story? = Contact=20 Christian Cotroneo at ccotron@thestar.ca

Additional=20 articles by Christian Cotroneo

=9B = Subscribe=20 now and save 68% or = more!

<= /TD>

Legal Notice: Copyright Toronto Star = Newspapers Limited. All rights reserved. Distribution, transmission or=20 republication of any material from http://www.thestar.com/ is strictly = prohibited without the prior written permission of Toronto Star = Newspapers=20 Limited. For information please contact us using our webmaster=20 form. www.thestar.com online since 1996.

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LINE-HEIGHT: normal; FONT-STYLE: = normal; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; FONT-VARIANT: normal; = TEXT-DECORATION: underline } .linkz4 A:hover { FONT-SIZE: 10px; COLOR: #000033; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; FONT-STYLE: = normal; FONT-FAMILY: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; FONT-VARIANT: normal; = TEXT-DECORATION: underline } .plain_white_bold { FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 11px; COLOR: #ffffff; FONT-FAMILY: = Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif } .grey { FONT-SIZE: 11px; COLOR: #777777; FONT-FAMILY: = Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif } .body_text { FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif } .blue { FONT-SIZE: 10px; COLOR: #0040da; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana, Arial, = Helvetica, sans-serif } .blue A:link { FONT-SIZE: 10px; COLOR: #0040da; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana, Arial, = Helvetica, sans-serif; TEXT-DECORATION: none } .blue A:active { FONT-SIZE: 10px; COLOR: #0040da; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana, Arial, = Helvetica, sans-serif; TEXT-DECORATION: none } .blue A:hover { FONT-SIZE: 10px; 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	Special Reports
›	U.S. Election
›	Investing 1, 2 & = 3
›	MFP Inquiry
›	Vital Signs
›	Atkinson Series
›	Ad Scandal Probe
›	Conflict in Iraq
›	[More Specials]

';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= document.write(content);=0A= }=0A= =0A= function feature() {=0A= var content =3D '';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= content +=3D '


Today\'s = Features
>	Condos	>	Homes
>	Travel	>	Wheels

';=0A= document.write(content);=0A= }=0A= =0A= function weather() {=0A= var content =3D '';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= content +=3D ' ';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= content +=3D ' ';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= content +=3D ' ';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= content +=3D '

Intermittent Clouds
H 14 / L 5
';=0A= content +=3D ' ';=0A= content +=3D '4 Day Forecast ';=0A= content +=3D '

';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= content +=3D '';=0A= document.write(content);=0A= }=0A= =0A= =0A= =0A= =0A= function checkforblanks(){=0A= for (var i =3D 0; i < arguments.length; i +=3D 2){=0A= if (!arguments[i]) {=0A= alert("The search field is empty. Please enter text to search = Thestar.com.");=0A= return false;=0A= }=0A= }=0A= return true;=0A= }=0A= =0A= function visit( elem ) { =0A= i =3D 0;=0A= while (i < elem.options.length) {=0A= if (elem.options[i].selected) {=0A= newURL =3D elem.options[i].value;=0A= break;=0A= }=0A= i++;=0A= }=0A= if (newURL !=3D "") {=0A= document.location.href=3DnewURL;=0A= } else {=0A= return 0;=0A= }=0A= }=0A= =0A= function MM_jumpMenu(targ,selObj,restore){ //v3.0=0A= = eval(targ+".location=3D'"+selObj.options[selObj.selectedIndex].value+"'")= ;=0A= if (restore) selObj.selectedIndex=3D0;=0A= }=0A= =0A= function validate(theform) {=0A= var isFull =3D checkforblanks(theform.searchstring.value, "Search = String");=0A= if (!isFull)=0A= {return false;}=0A= } =0A= =0A= function gallery_open( sitename, galleryid, h, w ) {=0A= var GalleryWindow;=0A= var pagename =3D sitename + '/Render';=0A= if (h =3D=3D null) {=0A= h =3D 500;=0A= }=0A= if (w =3D=3D null) {=0A= w =3D 488;=0A= }=0A= pagename=3D'thestar/Render';=0A= var url =3D = '/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=3D'+pagename+'&c=3DGallery&cid=3D' + = galleryid;=0A= GalleryWindow =3D window.open( url, 'gallery_window', = 'height=3D' + h + ',width=3D' + w + = ',screenX=3D10,screenY=3D10,top=3D10,left=3D100,resizable=3Dyes,scrollbar= s=3Dyes' );=0A= if (GalleryWindow.opener =3D=3D null) {=0A= GalleryWindow.opener =3D self;=0A= }=0A= =0A= GalleryWindow.focus();=0A= =0A= }=0A= =0A= function goTo( url ){=0A= document.location=3D url;=0A= return 1;=0A= }=0A= =0A= function view_gallery( sitename, galleryid, h, w, t, iid ) {=0A= var GalleryWindow;=0A= var pagename =3D sitename + '/Render';=0A= if (h =3D=3D null) {=0A= h =3D 500;=0A= }=0A= if (w =3D=3D null) {=0A= w =3D 488;=0A= }=0A= pagename=3D'thestar/Render';=0A= var url =3D = '/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=3D'+pagename+'&c=3DGallery&cid=3D' + = galleryid + '&t=3D' + t + '&colid=3D' + iid;=0A= GalleryWindow =3D window.open( url, 'gallery_window', = 'height=3D' + h + ',width=3D' + w + = ',screenX=3D10,screenY=3D10,top=3D10,left=3D100,resizable=3Dyes,scrollbar= s=3Dyes' );=0A= if (GalleryWindow.opener =3D=3D null) {=0A= GalleryWindow.opener =3D self;=0A= }=0A= =0A= GalleryWindow.focus();=0A= =0A= }=0A= =0A= function getCookie(name){=0A= var cname =3D name + "=3D";=0A= var dc =3D document.cookie;=0A= if(dc.length >0){=0A= begin =3D dc.indexOf(cname);=0A= if(begin !=3D -1 ) {=0A= begin +=3D cname.length;=0A= end =3D dc.indexOf(";", begin);=0A= if (end =3D=3D -1) end =3D dc.length;=0A= return unescape(dc.substring(begin,end));=0A= }=0A= }=0A= return null;=0A= }=0A= =0A= function setLongCookie(name, value) {=0A= var today=3Dnew Date();=0A= var expiry =3D new Date(today.getTime() + 366*24*3600*1000);=0A= if(value !=3Dnull && value !=3D "")=0A= document.cookie=3Dname + "=3D" + escape(value) + "; expires=3D" + = expiry.toGMTString()+"; path=3D/";=0A= }=0A= =0A= function getDomain(){=0A= url=3Ddocument.location+"";=0A= if(url.indexOf("://")=3D=3D-1){return "-";}=0A= rest=3Durl.substring(url.indexOf("://")+3);=0A= domain=3Drest.substring(0,rest.indexOf("/"));=0A= return domain;=0A= }=0A= =0A= if(getCookie("gx_session_id_")){=0A= if(!getCookie("starAccess")){=0A= setLongCookie("starAccess", = "Star-"+getCookie("gx_session_id_")+"||"+getDomain());=0A= }=0A= else{=0A= oldCookie=3DgetCookie("starAccess");=0A= if(oldCookie.indexOf("||")=3D=3D-1){ = thisCookie=3DoldCookie+"||"+getDomain();}=0A= else{thisCookie=3DoldCookie;}=0A= setLongCookie("starAccess", thisCookie);=0A= }=0A= }=0A= =0A= IE5 =3D ((document.all)&&(navigator.appVersion.indexOf("MSIE = 5.")!=3D-1)) ? true : false;=0A= IE6 =3D ((document.all)&&(navigator.appVersion.indexOf("MSIE = 6.")!=3D-1)) ? true : false;=0A= IE5plus =3D IE5 || IE6;=0A= =0A= if(IE5plus) {=0A= window.onbeforeprint =3D trackPrint;=0A= =0A= function trackPrint() {=0A= var printimg =3D new Image();=0A= printimg.src=3D"http://www3.thestar.com/print/page_printed.gif";=0A= }=0A= }=0A= =0A= function firstpopup( iUrl ) {=0A= var params =3D = 'left=3D10,top=3D10,width=3D'+(window.screen.width-50)+',height=3D'+(wind= ow.screen.height-50)+',toolbar=3Dno,location=3Dno,directories=3Dno,status= =3Dno,menubar=3Dno,scrollbars=3Dno,resizable=3Dyes';=0A= this.open(iUrl,'',params);=0A= }=0A= =0A= function getRandom() {=0A= return Math.floor(1000000*Math.random());=0A= }=0A= =0A= ------=_NextPart_000_0000_01C4C451.64C76240 Content-Type: application/octet-stream Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://ads.thestar.com/js.ng/site=thestar&page=printer&spacedesc=banner document.write('

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