Rated Buildings

BACKGROUND

In the Spring of 2002 the Parkdale Tenants Association (PTA) launched an aggressive campaign to evaluate living conditions in Parkdale apartment buildings. At the PTA's General Meeting late in 2001, attended by more than 200 tenants, people complained that rents were going through the roof and that many tenants were living in slum conditions. In response, the PTA came up with the idea of rating apartment buildings -- just as the City of Toronto had started rating restaurants and eating establishments. The aim was to shame the authorities to enforce building standards and to force the landlords to make required repairs. From the number of complaints by tenants, it seemed apparent that weak enforcement of apartment maintenance, coupled with the deregulation of rents brought in by the new Tenant Protection Act, had led to a situation where many Parkdale tenants were paying high rents for unacceptable conditions. Add to this the environment of fear: if a tenant complains, it is very easy for a landlord to evict that tenant in the pro-landlord 'eviction machine' (the Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal) devised by the Ontario government. It also became clear that for many years the City of Toronto had not been enforcing its own housing By-laws. Yet it is primarily the City's responsibility to enforce maintenance, health and safety standards in apartment buildings. Tenants are continually puzzled and frustrated that their complaints to City inspectors (who work for the City of Toronto's Licensing and Inspections Branch) do not seem to be followed up or result in remedial action by the landlord.

THE PTA'S EVALUATION OF BUILDINGS

1. The questionnaire

After some initial experimentation and a few test runs interviewing tenants door-to-door, the PTA devised a simple one-page questionnaire that asks tenants about health and maintenance conditions in their apartments and in the common areas of their buildings. The questionnaire also asks about the behaviour of landlords and their employees towards the tenant, the type of repairs done, and the rents charged. Later a section was added asking when and if the tenant had complained about the problems to the landlord and if the landlord had done the repairs requested by the tenant; and, if no repairs had been done by the landlord, whether the tenant had complained to City inspectors and, if so, what was the result. In keeping with the City of Toronto's protocol on rating restaurants, tenants were asked to evaluate each question with a simple 'pass', 'fail' or 'conditional pass' rating.

2. Surveying and organizing tenants

We surveyed Parkdale tenants on the street, by telephone (from our extensive tenant contact lists) and of course we interviewed tenants door-to-door. Most tenants greeted us with enthusiasm and it was clear they were very happy that at last someone was listening to their housing problems. We encounterd many situations where people were living under disgusting conditions and people asked us for immediate help. Soon the news spread about what the PTA was doing and people called our BAD LANDLORD HOTLINE (416-760-2149) to complain about bad maintenance and health and safety hazards in their buildings, and to ask us to survey the buildings. From the information we were getting, we were able to focus on surveying and rating some of the worst buildings in Parkdale. But there are other ill-maintained and decrepit buildings still waiting to be rated and condemned.

When we 'rate' a building, we generally put out flyers door-to-door letting tenants know when we are coming to interview them, to inspect the common areas and to discuss the situation in their building. A few days later we return (usually in the evening or on the weekend), knock on all the doors and either interview tenants individually, or invite them down to the lobby where we explain what we're doing, discuss conditions in the building, and have tenants fill out questionnaires. These meetings are often very emotional as tenants pour their hearts out and vent their frustration and bewilderment at why they have to live under such deplorable conditions in a civilized society - and pay such high rents to boot. If the conditions in a particular building are very bad, we immediately strategize how to take action to improve the cleanliness, vermin infestation and urgent disrepair. We encourage people to get involved in the campaign and in organizing in their building. We also do a visual inspection of the common areas of the building as well as inside the apartments. Recently we have begun documenting the examples of disrepair we see in the buildings. We also help tenants to complain to their landlord and to the City.

The PTA often holds follow-up meetings with tenants in the worst buildings on how to get the City as well as the landlords to make improvements right away. We believe that the City is as much a part of the problem as the bad landlords. For example, we have gone with a group of tenants and supporters to the local Office of Licensing and Inspections to demand immediate action to repair buildings. And we have staged public 'condemnations' of the worst buildings in public street events in front of the worst buildings. And of course the worst building's owner will get the GOLDEN COCKROACH award for the worst landlord of the year.

3. Preliminary results

Up to Oct 30, 2003, at least some tenants living in each of 40 Parkdale apartment buildings have been surveyed. Of these buildings, 9 have been rated to date. In all cases where buildings have been rated, 15% or more of the tenants have been surveyed; many more have attended follow-up meetings with the PTA. Members of the PTA have also done visual inspections of the buildings' common areas and some of the worst apartments. Of the worst rated buildings, 4 have been publicly condemned by the PTA as unfit for habitation.

Buildings where a number of tenants were interviewed:

20 West Lodge Ave, 103 West Lodge Ave, 105 West Lodge Ave, 90 Jameson Ave, 96 Jameson Ave., 109 Jameson Ave, 120 Jameson Ave, 125 Jameson Ave, 130 Jameson Ave, 145 Jameson Ave, 146 Jameson Ave, 190 Jameson Ave, 100 Tyndall Ave, 118 Tyndall Ave, 1548 Bloor St. West, 62 Brock Ave, 176 Cowan Ave, 502 Dowling Ave, 200 Dufferin Street, 245 Dunn Ave, 2 Laxton Ave, 9 Laxton Ave, 1447 King St. West, 1463 King St. West, 1465 King St. West, 47 Spencer Ave, 75 Spencer Ave, 1370 Queen Street West, 13 Thornburn Ave, 70 Wilson Park Road, 21 Maynard Ave, John Bruce Co-op,

Buildings that we failed at first but have since improved:

• 115 Dowling Ave. - Then & Now (coming soon!)

• 31 Spencer Ave.
• 87 Jameson Ave.
• 166 Jameson Ave.
• 110 Jameson Ave.

• 40 Tyndall Ave.
• 60 Tyndall Ave.
• 157 Jameson Ave.
• 165 Jameson Ave.
• 1475 King St. W. - see story about this building