As many people continue to struggle with rising rents and the cost of living in the city, over 300 tenants in four Toronto apartment buildings are participating in a rent strike that has been going on since last year.
Participating tenants are withholding their rent in response to grievances for things like above-guideline rent increases and dilapidated conditions.
Over the weekend residents of the four properties marched down a stretch of Lawerence Avenue, calling for rent control at their buildings. The strike at 33 King Street and 22 John Street is stretching into its eleventh month, while tenants at 1440 and 1442 Lawrence Avenue West have been striking since October 1, 2023.
The York South-Weston Tenants Union (YSWTU) told Now Toronto that 100 tenants living at 1440 and 1442 Lawerence West are striking against their landlord, Barney River, a Toronto-based private real estate investment and management company. Meanwhile, 250 people living in the buildings at 33 King Street and 22 John Street are striking against management company Dream Unlimited.
Tenants at the 33 King St. property are striking due to excessive above-guideline rent increases.
READ MORE: Hundreds of Toronto tenants rally in rent strike
“Despite being a rent-controlled building, rent at 33 King has increased 3 times higher than rent control and 3 times higher than wages have increased in the last 5 years,” Chiara Padovani, co-chair of the YSWTU, said in an email.
“Even in 2021, Dream Unlimited ignored the pandemic rent freeze and increased rents by 3 percent.”
“At 22 John tenants are striking because on average Dream Unlimited is increasing monthly rents 10% just because they can,” Padovani continued.
“This building is not protected by rent control, despite being built on public land with millions of dollars of public funding.”
This year, landlords in Ontario can raise rent by a maximum of 2.5 per cent. These rules apply to most private residential rental units covered by the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, but do not include new buildings occupied for the first time after November 15, 2018, new lease agreements, commercial properties, long-term care homes, or community housing units.
Padovani also explained that tenants at 1440-1442 Lawrence Ave W. are striking for similar reasons.
“At 1440-1442 Lawrence Ave W, tenants are on rent strike because their corporate landlord, Barney River Investments has refused to do basic maintenance and repairs while also raising rents above the guideline to add insult to injury.”
The conditions in the building were so bad that Canada Post deemed it unsafe to deliver mail to it for years, Padovani said.
In response to the strike, the union says the management companies have tried to evict tenants.
“Both Dream Unlimited and Barney River have opted to attempt to evict hundreds of tenants rather than come to the table and negotiate tenants’ very reasonable concerns,” Padovani said.
“This is an unfortunate course of action, but is a demonstration of the impunity that so many of these real estate corporations believe they can operate under. That said, the YSW tenant union is prepared for such attempts and no one on rent strike has been evicted,” Padovani continued, adding that the union continues to welcome both Barney River and Dream Unlimited to the negotiating table.
DREAM UNLIMITED SAYS IT’S OPEN TO COMMUNICATION
Dream Unlimited told Now Toronto that when it acquired 33 King St. there were three existing above-guideline increase applications pending approval.
“These applications were submitted by the previous building owner for work that was largely completed between 2016 and 2018,” the company said in an email statement.
At 22 John St., Dream Unlimited says the building was completed in 2019 and is not subject to above-guideline increases.
“The YSW Tenant Union indicates that rent has been increased as high as 17% or $500.00 per month. Contrary to this claim, no individual has received an annual increase greater than 7% to 9% depending on their rental term,” Dream Unlimited shared.
The company says it has met with residents and the tenant associations, and will continue to keep lines of communication open.
“The YSW Tenant Union is encouraging residents to withhold their rent and asking them to breach their obligations under the law. They are not acting in the best interest of the residents, and they are risking their ability to continue living in their homes. It is irresponsible and unethical,” the company said.
Dream Unlimited says despite the ongoing Landlord and Tenant Board proceedings, more tenants are choosing to pay their outstanding fines.
“Fortunately, our experience has been that more and more tenants are choosing to pay their outstanding rent or are accepting our longstanding offer to work with us to develop repayment plans.”
Now Toronto reached out to the other property management company, Barney River, for a comment but did not hear back in time of publication.
