Tenants dealing with rats, cockroaches, and mould in Parc-Extension apartment hub
The appalling state of 18 apartment buildings owned by the same property management firm near l'Acadie Boulevard in Montreal's Parc-Extension neighbourhood has begun to spark some serious calls for action. Huge numbers of tenants have reached out to authorities about the rats, cockroaches, and mould they have found in their units, owned and rented out by Raamco International Properties Canadian Ltd.
Over 30 of them have reached out to the Parc-Extension Action Committee (CAPE) for advice.
"In the past two years we've received a lot of people from these buildings at my office. Mainly complaining about mice, cockroaches or repairs," said CAPE representative André Trépanier. "Recently it's more the people are very scared about the rats... It is a very dangerous animal. And people are scared."
Several other regulatory bodies and oversight associations have been getting involved as well. Gateway Property Management Corporation is a third-party company that essentially holds responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the buildings.
"We've been very aware and concerned about this situation at l'Acadie and are highly involved," said Maureen McMahon, Gateway's VP of human resources. "We will be speaking with our team in Montreal and finding out what we can possibly do as a next step."
Trépanier also raised the issue recently with Mary Deros, a city councillor who represents the Parc-Extension district. She echoed the concern demonstrated by Gateway and CAPE.
"We want to assure the citizens that corrective measures will be taken ASAP," said Deros.
Before taking any substantive action though, she will be waiting on reports from borough inspectors in order to get a clearer idea of the situation and who is at fault for it.