“I have two pairs of socks on. I wear my slippers. I cover up with a blanket when I’m sitting out here, and I do have a space heater.”
Those are some of the things Michelle Bradley says are needed to stay warm in her northwest Calgary apartment.
Bradley says she first complained about not having enough heat in her apartment on Jan. 20, and despite the extreme cold the city is experiencing this week, she’s still waiting for the problem to be fixed.
With temperatures in the city dipping below -30 C in recent days, Global News has had tenants in several buildings report a lack of heat in their apartments — with some saying its out altogether.
Bradley, who pays rent of $1,800 per month, has lived in an apartment owned by Mainstreet Equity Management, along with her dog, for two years.
She says when she first reported problems with the heat two weeks ago, she was told one of the building’s boilers was out.
“I’ll send a plumber, was the first response,” said Bradley.
“Then I heard nothing until I messaged again the other night. Then they said that they would send somebody in to come and discuss it. They told me Monday that it would be fixed by the end of day Tuesday.
“So yesterday (Tuesday), when it wasn’t done, I sent another text message saying, hey, what’s going on?”
Bradley says Mainstreet offered to provide space heaters, but she refused because she’s worried what it would do to her energy bill.
“It’s horrible,” said Bradley. “Who wants to be in — I call it an igloo, right? You can’t do anything. You touch your nose and you feel like you’re in the hockey game, you’re in the Saddledome.
“It’s great when I’m watching a hockey game, but I’m not watching hockey all day long.”
Michelle Bradley, who rents an apartment in northwest Calgary says she first complained about not having enough heat on January 20 and is still waiting for her landlord to fix the problem.
Global News
William Gillis, of ACORN, an advocacy group for low and moderate income renters, says complaints like Bradley’s are nothing new, they happen every time there’s a cold snap.
“So one of the things we help tenants with is that there is a legal minimum for temperature set by the Residential Tenancy Act,” said Gillis.
“It’s actually it’s 23 C — and there is a process that if your apartment temperature gets below that and it’s a problem, you can contact Alberta Health Services — their Environmental Public Health Department — and they’ll schedule an inspection and this will usually this will lead to direction to the landlord to fix the heat if necessary.”
However, Gillis said the system doesn’t work very well for tenants because it can take weeks to get an inspection.
Gillis said the process is also time-consuming, with many tenants working multiple jobs, going to school, or looking after their families.
“They don’t (have) time to sift through this complicated paperwork and process, and it’s particularly troublesome for low- and moderate-income tenants.“
Gillis says many tenants are also afraid to make a complaint for fear of being evicted or subjected to other retaliatory action by their landlord.
Plus, with the high cost of rent and Calgary’s low vacancy rent, finding another place to live can be very difficult.
Global News tried several times to contact Mainstreet Equity Management to ask about the problems with the heat in Bradley’s apartment, but as of publishing had not received a response.
ACORN, an advocacy group for low and middle income renters, says many people who have complaints about not having adequate heat in their apartments are afraid to come forward because they are worried about being evicted.
Global News
Global News also contacted the office of Dale Nally, the Minister of Service Alberta and was emailed a statement explaining the requirements for landlords under the Public Health Act and the process tenants can follow if they have a complaint.
The statement reads “Landlords are required to ensure each residential rental unit complies with the Public Health Act, including the Housing Regulation and Minimum Housing and Health Standards. These standards require that heating facilities be properly installed and maintained in good working condition and capable of heating all habitable rooms to at least 22 degrees Celsius.”
The statement continues by saying “complaints and questions may be submitted to the local Alberta Health Services Environmental Public Health office. The complaints are reviewed, and a Public Health Inspector may decide to inspect the premises and take further enforcement action, if appropriate.”
The Minister’s office said more information can be found online at www.albertahealthservices.ca/eph/eph.aspx and at www.alberta.ca/residential-tenancy-dispute-resolution-service.aspx.
But all that information is little consolation to Bradley, who just wants her heat back on.
“I’ve been very patient. Like I said, I’m a good person. I pay my rent on time. I’m quiet. I don’t party. My dog is quiet. I you know, I’m a respectable person, but this is ridiculous,” said Bradley.
“I’m paying $1,800 per month and I can’t get heat in my apartment. This is just silly.”