Hamilton man furious after landlord Vrancor cuts off gas without notice

A Hamilton man hasn't had a warm meal or hot shower in more than two weeks after he says his landlord cut the gas to his building without notice.

The landlord says they thought the building was empty.

Russ Meier has lived in a one-bedroom apartment at 756 King St. E. - a boxy, two-storey structure between Sanford and Arthur avenues - for over two decades.

But he's been one of just two tenants left in the 14,000-square-foot, mixed-use building after Vrancor brought the property for $1.5 million in 2018 and announced plans to construct a highrise in its place.

Meier said he worked out a deal at the time to pay a Vrancor property manager $800 in cash for rent at the end of every month.

That property manager stopped coming around this past February.

Then, in late June, the gas went out.

Ever since, Meier, 54, has been without heat or a stove - living off pre-packaged, store-bought subs and showering in ice-cold water.

You never get used to it," he said of the shower, not when it's that cold. My heat is gas, my cooking is gas, my hot water is gas. I can't live like this. You have no idea."

Vrancor couldn't provide a reason Friday as to why no direct notice was given to the tenant for the gas cut.

Quite frankly, we were under the impression that no one was living there," said spokesperson Mario Frankovich. We are investigating this issue."

Frankovich said Vrancor is beginning the process to demolish the structure and erect a mixed-use, low-income building with as many as 350 units and a parking garage.

It's not a matter of eventually," he said. The intention is to build in an expedited fashion on the property."

Frankovich says a property manager served Meier with a notarized affidavit" on Jan. 5 requiring him to vacate the building because of an impending demolition.

But Meier said he never received such a notice.

They absolutely did not serve me with anything," Meier said emphatically. I'd love to see a copy of it, if they're making allegations."

Frankovich, when told Meier had never received the affidavit, said information provided by the property manager suggested he had.

That property manager has since been terminated," he said. We certainly don't want to call this tenant a liar; we're just going off what the property manager said. That's why we're investigating this issue."

Days after the gas was cut, on June 25, a Vrancor employee personally served Meier at his apartment with an N4 eviction notice on the basis of rent arrears.

The notice, reviewed by The Spectator, alleged Meier owed $8,000 in late rent payments dating back to September 2020.

It left Meier shocked. He showed The Spectator a receipt that said his rent was paid through at least December 2020.

I've paid rent every month in cash up until February, when the Vrancor property manager stopped showing," said Meier, who added he's paid rent in cash since moving to the building in 2000. How am I going to pay rent if no one comes to get it? I would have paid."

Meier said he decided to stay at 756 King - even after tenants from the building's eight other apartments had left by 2018 - because he was never asked to leave.

A Vrancor partner actually asked me to stay because, that way, there's lights on in the building and it's not going to get overrun by junkies," said Meier, who's been medically retired and on fixed income since 1996. So I said, Sure, great.'"

But that came at a cost.

Meier said repairs Vrancor committed to carrying out when they bought the building never materialized.

The roof on the second floor is currently mouldy, torn, leaking; its carpet flooring drenched in water. The walls are chipped and peeling. The lights only function in one portion of the hallway. The front door, facing King, is nailed shut with its glass shattered. The only working door - atop a fire escape facing Arthur - requires Meier to lean a plank of wood against its knob every night because it doesn't lock.

I'm afraid the fire alarm doesn't work," Meier said Friday, walking through the derelict building. They said they would fix the roof when they bought it, because the water damage is horrendous.

But no one comes around. It's just been me and an elderly man downstairs."

Frankovich didn't directly address the allegations of poor maintenance, but said the now-terminated property manager had gone by on a number of occasions and saw no evidence of somebody (living) there."

Of particular frustration to Meier are Vrancor's claims that no one was living in the building when the gas was cut off.

Somebody served me an N4 days after the gas line was shut off. How could they not know?" he said. And if they would have sent that (Jan. 5) affidavit - which I never got - then they would have known somebody was here."

Frankovich said the only reason Vrancor filed an N4 was because Meier never responded to the affidavit.

If the affidavit is being challenged as not valid, then we would concurrently file for failure to pay rent," he said. But we're not interested in collecting any back rent. That's not our intention ... We filed the (N4) notice and would be very happy to just call it a day. We didn't want the rent in the first place."

Frankovich added Vrancor doesn't want this to be an acrimonious event."

We're really looking to move forward with this low-income housing project because there's a real need for it. That's what this is about."

For Meier, the impending demolition - and the confusion that's come with it - has left him feeling more than alone."

Who do you reach out to? The guy who's dangling a carrot in front of your nose saying, We want you out of here. We'll help you out. But you still owe your back rent,'" said Meier.

On a fixed income, how the hell do I pay my back rent? How the hell do I find another place with no time?"

Sebastian Bron is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: sbron@thespec.com