Flooding at east Hamilton apartment leaves residents cold, without elevator

A group of tenants at an east end Hamilton apartment say it’s one problem after another with their building and the most recent has left them shivering.

Two broken radiators caused extensive flooding in hallways and a main staircase, and left elevators unusable, trapping some elderly residents in their homes.

Not to mention, some units have been without heat all winter.

Kayla Bogacki says it was around 5 p.m. Sunday, when she opened her door to find several inches of water pooled on the hallway carpet.

“There’s immense damage on the floors, in the stairwells and in the elevator shafts,” Bogacki said.

Tenants of 355 Melvin Ave. alerted Hamilton’s Fire Department, which says flooding was caused by two broken radiators in the 18-storey building, leading water to flood the east stairwell from the fifth floor down.

Images and videos taken by tenants were shared with CHCH News. The property manager would not allow reporters into the building to take a look for themselves when they arrived Monday morning, adding that the company is working on repairs.

The tenants say the recent cold snap has caused the flooding water to freeze over, making the east stairwell unusable, while the elevators are also down.

“You can get in the building, but you can’t get to your apartment because of the elevators — 18 floors,” said Peter Shadid, who’s lived in the apartment for 14 years. “If you live up there, you’re walking.”

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That’s an issue for several seniors who live near the top of the complex. Tenants say they’ve been trying to help out, by bringing food and other necessities up the stairs to the 18th floor.

“We’ve been helping with laundry, grocery shopping, day-to-day needs, and even some people in the building take out their garbage if they can’t do it,” said Thomas Hoey, who’s lived in the apartment for 5 years.

In a statement, building owners Skyview Living said, “additional building staff have been called in to provide direct support to residents, with particular attention to our elderly residents and those with mobility challenges. Staff are assisting with daily needs and ensuring regular check-ins, so no resident is left without support.”

The company added that they’re working to repair the elevator service as quickly as possible, as well as the lack of heat in the building, but tenants say the heat has been out long before this weekend’s issues. All winter, in fact.

“It’s just freezing, it’s unlivable,” said Bogacki.

“You’re shivering and all that, your teeth are chattering when you wake up in the morning,” said Hoey.

They told CHCH News that their units range from 5 to 15°C on any given day, below the 20°C landlords are mandated to regulate units at during the winter.

Hamilton City Councillor of Ward 4 Tammy Hwang said she’s met with both tenants and the company about the issues.

“I think that there’s a lot of challenges here,” said Hwang. “It feels like the ownership group is also on it, but we’re also really pushing from the bylaw and property standards perspective, to help keep 355 safe and healthy for their residents.”

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