Again no HOT WATER

Since yesterday afternoon, Friday September the 13th 2013, there has been no hot water. And this morning we are unable to take a shower or wash. For a building of this size to be without hot water for more than a few hours is simply unacceptable and disgraceful.

Theft At the Marina Center

Last week (the last week of May 2013) a theft occured at the Marina Center in an apartment on the west side of the first floor. These are the apartments that have access to a garden which is above the garages. The perpetrator(s) apparently entered during the night, and by the sliding door. He/she/they entered while the tenant, a single woman, was sleeping in the bedroom, and made off with a purse from the living room. The victim had to have all her credit cards etc., replaced.

If you live on the west side first floor, it may be a good idea to put door alarms on your windows and on the sliding door. You can get the magnetic battery operated door alarms at a Dollarama for 1$. You just stick them to the side of the window or door and on the window or door and switch them on. Then when someone moves the door or window an alarm sounds. The sound is just strong enough to alert you and to the scare a would-be intruder.

The Marina Center has a bad reputation and has had some nastly tenants, including drug dealers and professional ladies, so if you move into this complex you should be aware that you will need extra protection and good insurance.

Power outage exposes danger and criminal negligence

On Saturday May 11th 2013 around 11h15 the power went out in the area. Normally the emergency backup power system should have kicked-in and lit up the hall and stairwells, but not here! That's right, the entire building went dark. No emergency lighting in the halls, no exit signs lit up, and absolutely NO lighting in the emergency stair wells! Even the water pressure went down.

Back in April 2011 a fire in a building across the street caused the power to go out. This led to the authorities discovering that the Marina Center's emergency backup system did not work. Two years later, the problem continues.

If there would have been a fire in the building during the outage (which lasted for almost an hour), nobody would have known because no alarm system would have worked. Furthermore, had an evacuation been necessary, it would have been impossible since the building was totally dark! And if the fire department would have needed to use the water, it would not have worked because the pressure went down!

It seems clear that NOTHING has been done to rectify the problem (in two years), thus putting the lives of the tenants in danger! Incompetence or criminal negligence? You decide. Would you want to live here?

Yet Another Fire Alarm

Today Wednesday February 6th 2013, at 22h20, the fire alarm goes off again!!! Think twice before moving into this building!

Water shutoff without notice

It has been a crazy day at the Marina today Monday January the 28th 2013. First the fire alarm goes off at about 5h30 am THREE TIMES!!!!! and then they shut off the water completely around noon without giving any notice what so ever. No water in the kitchen or bathroom. None what so ever!

Gotta go to the bathroom... nope, not possible, no water to flush!!! Need to clean you hands... nope, no water. Need to cook, nope no water!!!!!

Would you want to live here????? The building management here is completely incompetent!!!!

Fire Alarms Gone Wild!

This morning, Monday January 28th 2013, at 05h30 am we got our FOURTH fire alarm in a MONTH (December 28th, January 14th, January 16th and January 28th)!!!!! But what is worse is that it went off THREE TIMES!!!! A few minutes of being shut off after the first ringing session, it goes off again, then stops for a bit and goes off again!!!!This is absolutelty outrageous and people here in the building are very angry and fed up. AVOID THIS BUILDING AT ALL COST!

Fire Alarm Again

If you have been living at the Marina Center for a while you are sure used to the fire alarm going off every now and then. Tonight it went off twice within an hour. And if you leave your appartment and head down the stairs to the lobby you will probably notice that you are almost alone. In fact this happens so often that almost nobody bothers to even leave their appartment. I counted about 20 people in the lobby for about 240 appartments! If a fire did ever happen, the fire department would have a hell of alot of work getting people out and the negligent administration would have alot to answer for.

After speaking to fire fighters, it was discovered that the person or people responsable for the Marina Center did not even call the fire department when the bells rang! But the trucks came twice anyway. That brings up alot of questions and the most serious, being a matter of criminal negligence.

When the fire alarm is pulled, it is essential that the people responsable for the building call the fire department.

According to the fire department the building has and is recieving fines for excessive false alarms. So the question arises, do the employees have instructions to not call the fire department when the fire alarm is pulled to save money on fines? In anycase, it seems some of the tenants are calling 9-1-1 when the bells are sounded, so they'll end up getting fined anyway.

It would be much smarter for the building managers to call 9-1-1 themselves, because if there ever was a fire and it was discovered that they did not call, not only would they be liable but I'll bet my hat that the insurance company would refuse to pay.

The solution would be to install inexpensive hidden security cameras, so that the culprits can be caught and dealth with. Considering the revenues this building is generating, it should not be a problem... unless you have the mentality of a slum-lord.

Do the math, 16 appartments times 15 floors makes 240. Take an average of 700$ per month rent and it means 168,000$ per month, or 2,016,000 per year. Take about 10 employees at say, 35,000 each making 350,000 annually in salaries, plus the "Queen's" 100k (LOL) and your at 450,000. So 2,016,000 - 450,000 leaves 1,566,000. And let's just take off 566,000 for utilities, taxes and a nice margin of error. We are still left will a million dollars in revenues.

Investing a little in maintenance and security would not be a stretch and would in fact add value to the building. UNLESS off course your business model is to minimize all maintenance so as to frustrate tenants enough to move so that new tenants come in with a slightly higher rent. The new tenants would stay a year or two and also move, thus allowing you to legally increase the rent by 50$ every time.

OR, maybe the business model is to make life as unbearable as possible for as many people as possible so as to be sure to be able to get rid of as many tenants as possible, as fast as possible, in the event the building was to "go condo". With the wave of condo buildings sprouting up all around the Marina Center, it would not surprise me.

High turnover means less demanding tenants and greater short term revenues. That's a short term and short sighted view. Better tenants, better upkeep, reasonable rent increases, means a more stable revenue stream... a smarter, long term view, ensuring a better return on investment, and a alot less fire alarms.

More Elevator Problems

Elevator number 1 has been broken again for several days now causing much inconvenience. And to make matters worse, today is Saturday December 1st, people are moving in and out, leaving us with only one elevator for the 16 floors of the building, since of the three, one is used for moving and one is brocken.

Despite knowing that the first of the month was coming, nobody at the administration was bright enough to call a repair man, so we are all stuck with the consequences.

If you look at the positive side of this, we can all loose a few pounds if we take the stairs. Our beautiful stairwells look like they have not been cleaned, painted or maintained since the building was built some 30 years ago. Holes in the walls add character and make you think you are in the Bronx projects.

Elevator Problems AGAIN!

The mezanine elevator is brocken AGAIN! It is about time building management had the elevators replaced with new ones. After some 30 years of operation it makes sense that they would have problems. But it should be in their overall plan of maintaining this building that the elevators be replaced. The problems have become a serious inconvenience to the tenants.

Elevator Problems Again

The elevators here are notorious for breaking down, almost like clock-work. I don't think a week goes by that one of the three elevators does not break down. It is true that the building is some 30 years old and these are old elevators, but it has gotten to the point where something really needs to be done.

So this week, instead of it being the common mezzanine elevator break-down, now its the middle elevator... and its been a couple of days now that it is out of service.

Fire Alarm Annoyance

This past Thursday night the fire alarm was pulled twice during the night, at about 1 AM and again at about 2 AM. This has happened quite a few times in the past months and is a real annoyance. Building management should be installing security cameras at strategic locations to be able to identify the individual(s) who are causing such a disturbance, but then they just don't care.

No water again!

This morning, Saturday August 27th at around 11 am the water was shut off again. No notice or warning was given. I was told the water will be back on at around 3 pm and that it was shut off because of repairs. It would have been nice to be told about it.

On a positive note (Swimming Pool)

This year the swimming pool was brought on-line in a smooth manner, including the heating of the water, without anyone having to go to the office and make a fuss. As a result, the pool has been well used by the residents and especially their children. Thank you!

Water Shut Off Again

Today Tuesday July 19th 2011, between 12 noon and 15h00 the water was shut off again for another emergency. Apparently another pipe broke and all of the residents had to be inconvenienced again. It would not be so bad if it really was a rare thing, then one could argue that these things just happen. But when the water is shut off so often for apparent breakages, you have to ask the question... is anyone maintaining the building? If the pipes are in such bad shape, why don't they put into place a schedule to replace the pipes systematically starting with the oldest or worst off, instead of waiting for them to break.

Too Much Dog Poop

Dog owners are still walking their dogs in the park next to the pool and allowing their dogs to poop on the grass. There is so much dog poop there that the children in the building are unable to play in the park without stepping in it.

It is sad that these people claim to be educated but yet not enough to respect the other tenants in the building.

There is a large unused lot just west of the Marina Center, accessible from Gouin, where they can bring their dogs to do their poop, but it seems to be too far for these lazy people.

What is also disappointing is that the building management just does not seem to care enough to hang up signs or advise these people, or even bring them before the rental board or have them evicted.

Absolutely disgusting!

NO WATER AGAIN!

This morning, Sunday June 26th 2011, there is NO hot water in the building. And as of 12h50 no water at all!!!!

Mezzanine elevator out of service again

That's right, it has happened again. The mezzanine elevator is broke again, less than a month since it broke the last time! As of this afternoon Monday June 6th 2011, its kaput and out of service. Should we be surprised?

Mezzanine elevator out of service again

The mezzanine elevator is out of service AGAIN and now its been over a week. Not that building management seem to care, but with the first of June rapidly approaching and people moving... it will be utter hell.

Fire across the street exposes faulty safety system

A fire today, Friday April 22nd 2011 around 9h30, across the street from the Marina Center in a commercial/residential building imposed much inconvenience to residents with a power outage caused by the fire department.



This outage exposed a major problem with the Marnia Center's emergency system in that it simply did not work. Large residential buildings like the Marina Center are required to be outfitted with a backup system so that when there is a power failure, certain basic lighting systems continue to operate from an independent backup generator, usually a gas powered generator. But today, during the power outage, the entire building was left without any light in the halls and stairways... a serious breach of the National Building Code and the National Fire Safety Code, two laws that are applied in each municipality across Canada to ensure the safety of residents.

As the fire from across the street grew, smoke billowed across the street to the Marina Center and entered into to the building through the various vents used by the ventilation system. Since the emergency power backup system was not working, the emergency ventilation system in the stairwells was NOT working. In fact, once the fire department discovered the faults in the Marina Center, they installed their own ejector fan powered by a gas generator on the north stairwell to evacuate the smoke from inside the building. You can see on the pictures below that the fan and generator are labeled 457. 457 is the ladder truck stationed at station 57 which is the fire station just south of the building. So, the fire department had to take an ejector fan from a fire truck and put it in the Marina Center to evacuate the smoke because the Marina Center's system was not working!



- Why was it not working?
- For how long has the emergency system been broken?
- When was the last maintenance?
- When was the last inspection?

Obviously tenants were not happy and word got around. In the late morning fire fighters were dispatched to the Marina Center and went up floor by floor to make sure residents were okay, as the halls were pitch black. Then later that afternoon an inspector from the fire department made rounds checking the smoke detectors of each apartment in the building.

This lack of oversight on the part of Marina Center management is surely going to be the subject of an investigation and an eventual fine by fire department inspectors. But for tenants it also means that their lives were put in danger and justifies a rent decrease.

What would have happened if the fire was in the Marina Center? And what would have happened if the power would have been shut off by the fire department only to discover that tenants could not evacuate without lighting or could asphyxiate because the pressurized stairwell ventilation system was not working?

Alarming questions that merit concern.

Why is there so much DUST in this building?

Several people have confirmed to me that they are also experiencing a ton of dust in their apartments. In one day things lying out are covered in dust! Where is this filth coming from? Why is there just so much dust in the apartments? This building is just filthy!

Another family moved out on my floor again because of the dirt, the problems and the attitude of building management. Others including myself, are next. You have to be crazy to want to live in this building. Had I known how it was I would have never moved here!

Template Letter for Compensation for Water Problem

Below is a link to a Microsoft Word document which you can download and modify slightly to meet your specific circumstances as pertains to the cutoff of the water this past Saturday November 20th to Monday November 22nd 2010.

Click here to download the document

You can either send the letter to building management by registered mail or deliver it by hand. If you deliver it by hand you must ensure that Ms. Mizrachi signs the letter properly and legibly and then you need to retain the signed copied. You supply her with another copy, so make sure to print and bring two copies with you.

If Ms. Mizrachi refuses to compensate you by reducing your next month's rent, then you will be forced to file a complaint at the rental board.

Graffiti in the Elevator

Some dimwit provided us with some amateur art in one of the elevators this weekend. Time to install security cameras in the elevators.

Monday Morning 6AM NO HOT WATER!

It's Monday morning and there is NO HOT WATER. That means going to work without a shower and without shaving. Absolutely UNACCEPTABLE! It is time to move!

No Water... Again!

COLD WATER CAME BACK AT 11:25 SUNDAY 21 NOV.

And once again... today Saturday November 20th 2010 at around 4 p.m. the water in the building just vanished. Was Harry Potter in town promoting his new movie which coincidentally started to appear today in cinemas? Nope, not likely. But at this writing (6 p.m.) there is still no water and so there will also be no supper. The only positive thing about this is that I won't have to do the dishes.

I guess the Marina Center is participating in an economic program to support our local restaurants. Just remember to keep your receipts so you can claim it back from building management from your next rent check.

But seriously, this is a regular occurrence and is very inconveniencing especially on weekends. In the past notice has occasionally been given by posting a written paper at the elevators either the day of the water shutdown or maybe a day before. Short notice maybe, but at least we got notice.

Parking Problems

This past week three tenants were inconvenienced by a garbage container in their parking spots. Despite the fact that these tenants are paying a monthly fee to use the parking spots, building management just permitted someone to dump a garbage container in their parking spots. For three days, these tenants were not able to park in their own paid spots. Lack of respect on the part of building management? Or was it maybe harassment? Apparently one of the three tenants is taking building management to the rental board. Coincidentally the container landed right in that tenant's stop! The Quebec Civil code forbids the landlord from harassing a tenant and the tenant can obtain punitive financial damages when this occurs. This tenant has pictures of the container in the parking spot, which inconvenienced a total of three tenants.

Spread the word

We have been getting a lot of traffic to this blog. Please spread the word. Several people have been helping pass out flyers in the building, thank you to them. Please tell people about this blog and ask them to participate by commenting or submitting their problems or questions. The more tenants who know about this and participate the more pressure we will put on building management to get their act together and clean up the building.

You do NOT need to accept a RENT INCREASE

I still hear people talking about getting rent increases despite problems with their apartments. You are NOT required to accept a rent increase. Just because building management advises you that they want to increase your rent does not mean you are required to accept it. Always educate yourself!

Some tenants have even told me that Zeeva asks them to come to her office and tries to impose and negotiate a rent increase. Same goes for parking fees.

To start with, you refuse to do anything verbally with Zeeva. Always tell her to put it in writing (she hates putting things in writing). Then when you get a letter for a rent increase just send back a letter by registered mail refusing the increase and saying that you want to stay but that you do not agree to the increase. It is then Zeeva's responsibility to file a claim with the rental board asking that your rent be increased. You will get a notice in the mail once Zeeva does this with a date to go to the rental board.

The only way building management can justify a rent increase is if they can prove that enough renovations were done for your apartment or globally in the building to justify an increase, otherwise, the most they can get is a cost of living increase of between 1 and 3%.

AND... if you have problems with your apartment, like a ventilation problem, water temperature fluctuation problems in the shower, etc., you can actually ask for a rent DECREASE. To ask for a rent decrease you need to file a complaint with rental board and pay a filing fee of 64$ which is reimbursed to you if you win.

You can easily call the rental board (514-873-2245) and ask them for help and they will tell you exactly what to do. You have rights as a tenant despite what Zeeva may want you to believe. Educate yourself and exercise these rights and you will benefit from them.

Click here for a sample letter to refuse a rent increase.
Cliquez ici pour une exemple de lettre pour refuser une augmentation de loyer.

Problem with comments fixed

Thanks to the person who left a paper in the building explaining that there was a problem with the comments. In fact, I forgot to configure them. It is now fixed, and you can add comments as an anonymous user without having to register and your comments appear immediately.

Voice your concerns

The purpose of this blog is to allow residents to voice their concerns and discuss issues. You can view the current posts (below), and respond to them or suggest topics.

Rent Increases

Note that residents are not obliged to accept rent increases. When a rental increase is requested by building management, the tenant may simply write management a letter stating that they want to remain and renew their lease for another year but that they do not agree to the increase. This letter must be written and send by registered mail or "served" unto the management. Served, meaning the building manager must be willing to accept it and sign indicating that he/she has received it on such a date, so that the tenant can prove that the notice was given. Once the letter has been sent, and received by building management, it is then up to the building management to make a request at the rental board to force the increase on the tenant. This request must evidently be justified by either receipts proving some major renovations or the rental board will usually grant only modest increase representing an increase in the cost of living (usually between 1 and 3%).

The rules governing rental properties are outlined in the Quebec Civil code which you can find here in English. See around article 1877. You can also call the rental board and ask for their help by phone by dialing 514-873-2245.

Click here for a sample letter to refuse a rent increase.
Cliquez ici pour une exemple de lettre pour refuser une augmentation de loyer.

Laundry Room

In the spring of 2010 the washing machines and dryers were changed and the prices were increased. Although the change of equipment was welcome, the new machines simply do not perform as well as the old machines. Especially the dryers which now require two cycles instead of the one cycle with the old machines.

My solution... I wait till the end of the month, accumulate enough laundry during the month, and then bring it all to a laundromat called "Buanderette Ciel" with very large machines located at the corner of Gouin and Alexander (4728 Alexander, 514-676-0839) in Roxboro near the Sunnybrook train station. They are open 7 days a week from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. They even offer cleaning service with delivery.

It may be a bit of a drive from the Marina Center, but the large machines allow me to do all the laundry in one load, saving me lots of time. There are several sizes of machines, from the standard small size to very large.

Cleaning Comforters
It is impossible to clean large comforters in the machines at the Marina Center, they are simply too small. Bringing a comforter to a dry cleaner costs over 30$ to clean, way too expensive. This laundromat is also ideal for cleaning comforters. Just bring them there and put them in a very large washer for 3$ and a large dryer for 1$/hour cycle and its done.

In fact, the large dryers dry in minute cycles where 25 cents gets you 15 minutes of drying time. So you can do things like add 5 cents to increase the drying cycle by a few minutes to touch things up. Way cheaper and more efficient (time wise) than at the Marina.

Dog Poop on Grounds

There are many residents with children in the Marina Center and also many residents with pets. Unfortunately SOME of the residents with pets do not respect the fact that many children enjoy playing on the grounds, especially in the small park next to the building on the water front. The grass in that area is full of dog poop (fresh and dry). Unlike cow poop, it is not a good fertilizer. Despite there being a sign warning of the municipal by-law which prohibits animals from defecating in the area, many pet owners bring their animals for a walk in the park area and allow them to leave their poop behind.

Strangely enough, there is a large wild wooded area bordering the grounds, just west of the building which is large enough for even the biggest dog to roam and defecate without disturbing anyone. But some pet owners seem to be too LAZY to walk a few more feet to bring their dogs there! Why I wonder?

I think it is time non pet owning residents and residents who have pets and who respect others who don't, complain to Pierrefonds city hall (or borough hall) so that they put a patrol car there again to give out hefty tickets. I heard that the last time they did that it brought some great results... and big fines.

Peeing in the Elevator
On one occasion I entered one of the elevators only to be overwhelmed by a smell of animal urine. I immediately went to see the janitor and asked him to intervene, which he did. If your dog accidentally urinates in the elevator please have the decency to go and get the janitor and have it cleaned up. Please!

Ventilation Problems

The upper level apartments are having issues with the ventilation system. The air pressure from the roof fans which are supposed to suck out the bad air via the bathroom and kitchen vents are not working properly. Although some have been changed due to continued complaining, most have not. What this means is that bad air which is sucked out of the lower apartments rises to the top of the building where the pressure from the outiside air prevents it from venting out, and since the fans are about 30 years old and no longer strong enough to vent the air, the air ends up being pushed into the upper level apartments. Many of the residents have sealed the kitchen vent with plastic or duct tape to prevent the bad odors from others from coming in. This bad air can be toxic and cause health issues!

Mrs. Zeeva Mizrachi, the building manager, has refused to really deal with the problem as she prefers that the tenants leave so she can bring in new tenants to replace them. Every time a tenant changes she can increase the rent, even if its only slightly. I'm not sure how this will benefit the building, as more tenants means more wear, while less tenants, especially respectful ones, means less wear on the building. In the end, it would be in the owner's interests to change this policy.

By the way, the owner of the building has decided to occupy apartment 1505 when he is in town. He has converted the north-east corner 4 1/2 to nothing short of a palace with his own laundry equipment, a powder room with a shower and a corner Jacuzzi-style bath in the master bathroom. He also got himself a brand new kitchen with nice appliances and new cabinetry which sure beat the 30 year old Flintstones model that I have. Expensive tiles in the hallway and nice wood floors in the bedrooms make the apartment look like a chic condo. I wonder if he will have a problem with ventilation, or if they replaced the fans for the risers that service his "condo"?

Swimming Pool

Last year (summer 2009) the heater in the swimming pool did not work and the water was so cold that you could not stay in for more than a few seconds. It was terrible for the many children in the building who look forward to the swimming pool every summer and who were not able to make proper use of it.

This year, in the last week of June, although late, they finally repaired the heater making the pool warm and usable.