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l WAl'bltuXJ CHRONICLE - Wednesday, August 15,2010 - a “ls-unmana- , “U ( II' I Y NEWS WW” MbwANDY WATOON - . _ ‘~ inn-ma mumâ€"w“ ' W‘s?” " m; Ma... 519.579.4110 810.741.2708 lNlRO . .' g - OHM . Inside these walls A tour of Northdale rental houses finds unsavoury conditions " BY Ban-rm Din/EN“ ‘ fl Special to the Chronicle \ tudents should be wary of more than just Slocation and price when looking for a place to (all home. A Chronicle investigation found dirty and unsafe conditions in three houses in the stu- dent ghetto of Northdale: one shower coated 2 _ " a . with mould, and another lacking in smoke , alarms. «- -‘ â€". , ' The first investigation took place in a If" . “ f. townhouse on Hickory Street. The landlord ~. ' a} lived on the main floor of the threeâ€"story 5 ff; house, and three bedrooms on the top floor . _ff,-’:»_if.;;‘ 4.23“. were for rent. For $500 a month, plus utilities “if? ‘, ' you could rent out one ofthree bedrooms â€" i" ”if; fizuéfi the remaining two would go to strangers. 15:1??ng fight For this amount. a student would have ,‘.;g “4 ‘ access to one small shared bathroom. The 335“; .,' kitchen. located in the basement, was also 1 '. ,.__ M 5&3; used by the landlord. The landlord‘s food tzéféf’fffizé, “31; A " supplies occupied the cupboards and tables. u't'fii f i" ‘ Access to the kitchen involved walking "«“j 5 ‘ V ' through the landlord's living area. . 01.1: ,‘._ _. we: , . , a» ~ This unit did follow basic safety regulaâ€" "“ if“? "it ', ' ' tions. with smoke alarms on every floor. s, wit-t 431-55 “3 i. Q ; . ,. . : ,‘ ‘T~. ail. § The second house the Chronicle looked , . . . at was a licensed I 0d gin g house on Sunview also 253133: erental home, complete With broken Window, IS not one of thémnx~ahfmo Street. The stench of mildew was difficult to ' ignore. The airwas musty and stale. as ifthe wiched between the window sills and dent find safe and healthy yet affordable house hadn't been exposed to fresh air in smeared in the comers of the floor. accommodations when sub-standard hous- “One if the biggest tips 1 would give them months. Students currently living there pay $450 a ing seems to be this common? is to talk to the current students living in the The floors were filthy, with dirt peppered month. plus utilities. Roni Oestreich, University of Waterloo's unit,” Owneich said. across the tiles. The young woman giving the The last licensed lodging was house on off-campus housing specialist. said the uniâ€" “Even just about maintenance issues and tour was a past student who lived in the Columbia Street. and could house five stu- versity supplies their students with a student how attentive the landlord is â€"- prior stu- unit, and claimed the landlord had recently dents. The front hall and kitchen walls had housing checklist. dents know these answers better than any cleaned the house. oil stains which resembled old Splotchy “We tell them to think about how long it one else.” The ceilings upstairs were low, which wallpaper. will take them to get to campus, if the path The student housing checklist c be gave the two rooms the illusion ofgbeing The kitchen was taken over by dirty dish- that they are going to be walking down is accessed online on the schoolihihl& dwarf~sized. Occupants over six feet would es. Cereal bits and crumbs covered the floor. well lit and well maintained, and so on." Oestreich said the university housing not beable to stand tall in the room. The landlord showing the house let Oestreich said. department will review a students lease to The tiles in the front hall closet were flak- potential tenants View one room. The other Safety is vital and a student should make sure they understand what they are ing and splitting away from the wall and the four remained locked. The room shown was always feel secure in their neighbourhood. signing Laurier university also supplies the - wood around the windows was chipping, newly renovated. with white fumiture and She encourages them to look under trees or same services to students. The stench continued to linger. newer carpet. It seemed to be the “model shrubs around the unit for any hidden There are houses within the Nonhdale This rental seemed to have safety viola- room." The landlord said the other rooms obstructions. to check for locks on every area that have acceptable standards, but tions. were much smaller, though each one would door and window, and for accessible fire growing complaints about the outside con- Cables were fully exposed throughout cost the same amount â€" $480 a month, plus exits. Make sure smoke alarms and carbon ditions seem to be reflected on the inside. most or the house, running from the base- utilities monoxide detectors are in working order. Many critics say Northdale has earned merit to the upper level. There were tire Flies swarmed the fridge and the bottom Another key section on the checklist is the “ghetto” name. but maybe issues would extinguishers on every floor, but no visible half of the oven was rusting and falling the quality ofthe house, Oestreich said, Stu- be alleviated if students and landlords smoke detectors. apart. dents should be on the lookout for signs of understood and adhered to their rights and No bathrooms in the basement had There was one smoke alarm in the unit. mildew or mould. cracks in the walls, evi- responsibilities. overflowing garbage, and the toilet was rust- but no visible fire extinguishers. dence of rodents and cockroaches. and Only then could the student ghetto rid its ing and discoloured. Dead bugs were sand- So the questions stands â€" how can a stu- whether appliances are in working order. reputation â€" one oil stain at a time. ,//’ ‘ . . / sf {_ y . 3,7 Dacourrno l ' ;_-«~ ‘ 1 â€"a DESIGN CENTRESâ€" E r . ' ‘ 583 Kin Street N. Waterloo \ R: J ‘ism 772-1157 \ . 577 A .W., 11 t ,. ~ \ d sier‘MNEv; zflifé'afié’i‘i N \_~_\ l;"lllclllllll \l1ll|ll' (519)578â€"5330 (51975767570 k, ,, Our Paw. on mhoondoeoutlngcom ‘