Petition Regarding AGI, Building Maintenance, and Management Concerns

2 Grandstand Place, East York, ON, M4H 1E2

We, the undersigned tenants of Grandstand Place, are coming together to express our demands and concerns regarding the recent Above Guideline Rent Increase (AGI) application, ongoing maintenance issues, and concerns with Vass Ventures' management team for this building.

Tenants have repeatedly raised concerns individually. However, residents continue to experience problems that affect the safety, security, health, comfort, and affordability of their homes. We believe management must address these concerns through a clear, building-wide plan with written timelines and accountability.

Tenants should not be asked to absorb an exceptional rent increase while essential repairs remain incomplete, pests persist, and residents struggle to obtain timely, respectful responses. Ontario's Residential Tenancies Act requires landlords to keep rental properties in a good state of repair, fit for habitation, and compliant with health, safety, housing, and maintenance standards. And AGI is not a substitute for fulfilling these basic obligations.

Our Concerns

1. Above Guideline Rent Increase: Tenants oppose the 3.9% AGI and are concerned that management is seeking additional rent while longstanding building problems remain unresolved. Moreover, tenants are concerned that the parking-lot work cited in the AGI is unnecessary and cosmetic, as the parking lot was functional before the work was completed.
2. Ongoing Maintenance and Pest Problems: Residents have repeatedly reported repair, maintenance, and pest problems without receiving timely, complete, or lasting solutions.
   
   1. Tenants have experienced delayed and incomplete repairs. Work orders are often delayed, unanswered, or closed before the problem is properly resolved. Outstanding concerns include broken or unreliable appliances, electrical outlets, locks, damaged walls, bathtubs, mould, ventilation, and other in-unit repairs.
   2. Poor management and operation of common areas and building systems affect tenants daily. Tenants report a recurring broken elevator and inadequate snow and ice removal. These issues require timely repairs, preventive maintenance, clear notice of service disruptions, and lasting solutions, particularly as tenants rely on the elevator for accessibility and mobility.
   3. Multiple tenants report recurring mice and cockroach infestations. Pest problems affecting multiple units require a coordinated, building-wide response.
3. Management Practices and Treatment of Tenants: Tenants deserve clear communication, respect for their legal rights, and professional treatment when raising concerns about their homes. All tenants must be treated with courtesy, dignity, and professionalism.
   1. Residents report management or contractors attending units without proper advance notice. Except where the law permits otherwise, tenants must receive at least 24 hours' written notice stating the reason, date, and reasonable time of entry.
   2. Some tenants report being required or pressured to pay six months' rent in advance and later being asked for additional money. Management must provide clear written accountings and correct any collection practice that is inconsistent with the Residential Tenancies Act.

Our Demands

We respectfully request that Vass Ventures Inc.:

1. Provide a written commitment from management to withdraw the 3.9% AGI application that tenants were informed of via N1 notices. We refuse to pay for cosmetic repairs while the urgent repairs requested go unattended. The Above Guideline Increase is to cover repairs that are not essential and do not resolve the pressing issues in the building.
2. Complete outstanding repairs and address maintenance issues promptly. Review all outstanding maintenance issues and work orders and provide written, concrete actions required in completing the necessary repairs within reasonable timeframes. Priority of repairs should be given to issues affecting the health, safety, security, and/or the basic condition of residents' homes. Maintenance must be carried out in accordance with applicable health, safety, housing, and maintenance standards under the Residential Tenancies Act.
3. Carry out building-wide pest control and preventive maintenance. Arrange a professional, building-wide inspection and appropriate pest-control treatment. Management must also conduct regular inspections and preventative maintenance to identify and address building problems before they become more serious.
4. Provide a written explanation for collecting advance deposits from tenants as indicated in Concern 3(2). All collection practices must be consistent with the Residential Tenancies Act.