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Tenant in Metro Vancouver apartment advised against using Air Conditioning


samiamnot

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As a heatwave continues to bring warm temperatures to the region, a tenant living in an apartment complex in Metro Vancouver is concerned about her inability to install AC in her suite.

 

The resident in question, whose name we’re protecting due to privacy concerns, told us that a day after they emailed the property manager for permission to have an AC unit in her suite, a notice was sent to tenants advising them that they were requested not to use AC in their units.

 

“Right in the middle of a heat wave, no less,” the tenant said.

 

According to the tenant, they formally requested consent on July 3, and on July 4, the notice advising tenants not to use AC was posted.

 

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Pinecrest Apartments is located in Coquitlam, a building managed by Tribe Property Management.

 

“Tribe’s slogan is ‘community management with heart,’ but to allow tenants to live in hot apartments in the midst of a heat wave doesn’t seem to have very much ‘heart’ if you ask me,” the tenant told Daily Hive.

 

The concerned tenant told Daily Hive that they emailed the property manager to get consent to acquire an air conditioner through BC Hydro’s free AC program. The posted notice stated that management would perform an electric assessment of the building to see if it could allow for more air conditioners.

 

The tenant emailed the building manager as a follow-up but didn’t receive a response. They later received an email on July 8 from the building manager asking the tenant to provide information about their electric usage for the last 12 months and further information about BC Hydro’s AC units, which the tenant did not have.

 

According to the tenant, some residents have AC units installed, adding insult to injury.

 

“It seems as though they are doing nothing but picking on certain tenants while playing favourites with others,” the tenant added.

 

Daily Hive was informed by building management earlier today that there have been some changes.

 

“We can confirm that this building had a recent assessment done by an electrical contractor that raised concern about old wiring in the building, with the recommendation that no one in the building use AC as a safety precaution until further notice,” said a statement from a representative of Tribe.

 

The building management’s statement indicated that tenants with installed AC units would be prohibited from using them.

 

“A communication was delivered to all tenants whether they had an existing AC unit or not, advising there to be no use of AC in the building until further notice. We have also put staff on notice to ensure this ask is being met by all tenants.”

 

Tribe adds that they’ve made this choice for the safety of all tenants in the building.

 

“There are 44 suites or what we refer to as units in the building. Of those, only 3 have individual AC units in their suites (as of yesterday). So the ask is those with AC in their individual homes to please refrain from using them until the assessment is completed. We will have the results of the assessment shortly, at which time it can be determined what the wiring can handle, and this will be communicated accordingly. At this time, the ask is impacting very few in the building,” the Tribe spokesperson added.

 

While the building manager has since removed their AC unit, the tenant shared pictures with Daily Hive showing other units still have installed AC units.

 

“So until management has people actually remove them, I don’t believe people aren’t using AC, and don’t believe management will properly enforce their request that AC not be used,” the tenant added.

 

The Residential Tenancy Branch suggested that the tenant file a report “given the fact that my tenancy agreement doesn’t restrict AC usage,” and that’s what they plan to do next.

 

We asked Tribe for a copy of the electrical assessment, and in response, it said it would provide us with an update next week.

 

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/tenant-vancouver-apartment-ac-use

Edited by samiamnot
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Just now, Snoop Hogg said:

Why does this remind me of all the threads about a certain Tim Hortons location in Burnaby that has egg laying insects and homeless people?

 

Daily Hive is a legit source.......unless it's not

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2 minutes ago, samiamnot said:

 

Daily Hive is a legit source.......unless it's not

I don’t care if it’s Daily Hive or The Outhouse Times. It screams of the other threads I mentioned, which was just an agenda an amateur journalist was pushing. 

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Posted (edited)
1 minute ago, Snoop Hogg said:

I don’t care if it’s Daily Hive or The Outhouse Times. It screams of the other threads I mentioned, which was just an agenda an amateur journalist was pushing. 

 

ACs + heat waves = very real problem. Some of us are lucky enough to have AC while others don't or can't because of slumlords like this. Didn't hundreds of people die in a heat dome a few years ago? You'd think people would learn

Edited by samiamnot
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7 minutes ago, Bob Long said:

Just buy a portable ac and don't turn on the oven at the same time. If a circuit breaker blows that's what it's there for.

 

 

the Hive article says they said tenants were prohibited though

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2 minutes ago, Gurn said:

management "requests"--- not requires.

Install the AC unit, and if they get feed back/grief just say 'Request denied'.

eos

 

Buildings can refuse mini splits but a portable or simple window unit that doesn't require a reno? Seems unlikely.

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Just now, Bob Long said:

 

Buildings can refuse mini splits but a portable or simple window unit that doesn't require a reno? Seems unlikely.

 

Every tenant there should go to the tenancy board. Highly unlikely management would win unless they can prove there's a significant electrical problem in the building that warrants no ac use

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Just now, samiamnot said:

 

the Hive article says they said tenants were prohibited though

 

Seems fishy. A landlord may have said it and implied it, but I don't believe it would be enforceable. Tenancy office would certainly back the tenant.

 

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12 minutes ago, Bob Long said:

Just buy a portable ac and don't turn on the oven at the same time. If a circuit breaker blows that's what it's there for.

 

And don't leave the pipe/vent at the window when the AC isn't being used.  Not that I condone doing things that way.😉

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4 minutes ago, JoeyJoeJoeJr. Shabadoo said:

Absolutely, portable AC and keep your mouth shut for gods sake. 

 

You can still see ac hoses silly lol

 

Isn't there human rights board for things like this too?

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1 minute ago, NewbieCanuckFan said:

And don't leave the pipe/vent at the window when the AC isn't being used.  Not that I condone doing things that way.😉

 

Hey stick the vent pipe up your kitchen vent hood of you have to.

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3 minutes ago, Bob Long said:

 

Buildings can refuse mini splits but a portable or simple window unit that doesn't require a reno? Seems unlikely.

I lived in a shit hole apartment when I went to school and it was a south facing corner unit. It would get up to 95 degrees in there some days but at least it would cool off to 93 by the morning. It was unbearable to say the least, and these were the days just before portable ac's were affordable. I bought a 10000 btu wall unit and stuck it in the window like Kramer with the Cammando 8 and filled in the rest with a sheet of plywood. Best investment I ever made and I haven't lived without AC since. Granted this wouldn't fly in any higher end buildings, but in my case they were probably more concerned with the cockroaches and crack heads so I got lucky. 

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6 minutes ago, JoeyJoeJoeJr. Shabadoo said:

I lived in a shit hole apartment when I went to school and it was a south facing corner unit. It would get up to 95 degrees in there some days but at least it would cool off to 93 by the morning. It was unbearable to say the least, and these were the days just before portable ac's were affordable. I bought a 10000 btu wall unit and stuck it in the window like Kramer with the Cammando 8 and filled in the rest with a sheet of plywood. Best investment I ever made and I haven't lived without AC since. Granted this wouldn't fly in any higher end buildings, but in my case they were probably more concerned with the cockroaches and crack heads so I got lucky. 

 

Sounds a lot like my first place in North Burnaby. Oh the memories.

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14 minutes ago, JoeyJoeJoeJr. Shabadoo said:

I guarantee you more than half of those residents already have and use ac and they are pissed off at this women for drawing attention to it. 

 

Judging by the daily hive's piece it seems like people are defying the landlord's notice anyway lol. Good on them.

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2 hours ago, stawns said:

It's better to apologize than ask permission 

Our servers used to say that for years when they rang in lunch menu items 2 hours early at 10am... the eventual write-ups put a stop to that right quick. :classic_laugh:

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