What to know
- Tenants at 75 Spencer Ave. in Parkdale have launched a rent strike in response to a proposed 5.4 per cent above-guideline rent increase by landlord Kin Pong Chung and property manager Metcap Living.
- Residents, including families with young children, cite unsafe conditions such as broken heaters, collapsing ceilings, sinking floors, and loose tiles, despite claims the increase is for building improvements.
- Many tenants say they exhausted other options, including petitions and email campaigns, before resorting to withholding rent.
- The strike echoes a 2017 Parkdale rent strike, with tenants hoping for dialogue and a fair resolution; no Landlord and Tenant Board hearing has been scheduled yet.
Tenants at a Toronto apartment building have officially launched a rent strike in response to their landlord’s request for an above-guideline rent increase totalling 5.4 per cent.
As of March 1, many residents of 75 Spencer Ave. in the Parkdale neighbourhood began withholding rent from property manager Metcap Living and building owner Kin Pong Chung.
The strike follows an application by Metcap for a 2.9 per-cent, above-guideline increase (AGI). In 2025, the maximum allowable increase for rent-controlled buildings was 2.5 per cent. However, landlords can apply for AGIs to cover the cost of capital repairs and building improvements.
Tenzan N., who lives in the building with her partner and two-year-old son, said they already struggle to afford their one-bedroom unit, which costs nearly $2,000 a month.
She said the landlord attributed the proposed increase to building improvements, but says most of the improvements were only in the lobby. Meanwhile, she describes the rest of the property in disrepair.
“It’s, like, collapsing. I haven’t had a good heater at all. Even during the coldest time of the winter, my child ended up getting sick like four times since the snow fell,” she said. “I requested them to fix the heater, but apparently the costs that they’ve been getting from other technicians are too high.”
Tenzan also points to problems in the parking garage, where she pays $100 a month for a spot. She says several sections have been closed off due to collapsing ceilings and sinking floors. In addition, she says floor tiles have come loose in several units, creating potential safety hazards for residents.
If the AGI is approved, Tenzan says she may have no choice but to move.
“I don’t work. I’m a full-time student, and I have a two-year-old, and we’re surviving on one income, my partner’s, and it’s not affordable,” she said.
Mahmoud Abdellatif, another tenant, said the building’s condition does not justify a significant rent increase. He says ongoing issues persist in both individual units and shared spaces.
Abdellatif pays $2,180 a month for a two-bedroom unit he shares with his wife. Moving, he says, would likely mean paying nearly $800 more for a comparable apartment.
“So, basically, that would take more than 70 per cent of my income,” he said.
As also mentioned by other tenants, Abdellatif said going on rent strike was a last resort after months of unsuccessful attempts to contact management about needed maintenance. In 2025, tenants delivered a petition signed by a majority of residents and launched an email campaign urging company representatives to meet with them.
“We contacted them in person. We sent them a list of demands saying we don’t want that, that was 14 months ago, and we did an email campaign where we emailed everyone at the company trying to get them to come talk to us,” he said. “I was the one in contact with the property manager myself, and she refused at each and every turn.”
Toronto has seen similar actions before, particularly in Parkdale. In 2017, nearly 300 residents across five Metcap buildings went on rent strike from May to July in protest of above-guideline increases, and ultimately secured concessions.
Tenants at 75 Spencer Ave. say they are hoping for a similar outcome, and for dialogue.
“Come talk to us. We’re waiting to talk to you,” Abdellatif said.
A hearing date before the Landlord and Tenant Board has not yet been scheduled. Now Toronto reached out to Metcap Living for comment but did not receive a response by publication.
