West End tenants say heat problems persist despite repairs

Tenants in a West End rental building say their heat has been unreliable for months and they’re fed up.

Tenants in a West End rental building say their heat has been unreliable for months, and they’re calling on their property manager to fix the problem as winter weather approaches.

Robert Charlebois, who has lived in the building for more than two decades, says his electric heaters are working below the legal limit.

“Well, it’s frustrating and, you know, I’m 90 years old. I don’t need that kind of stuff,” Charlebois told CTV News.

Another tenant, Ren Kaminsky, says he’s also noticed a steady cool-down.

“Heat loss is apparent,” Kaminsky said. “There has been some problems with the heat in our building, like getting heat.”

Charlebois says he’s going public with the issue to accelerate much-needed repairs before cooler temperatures arrive.

“So consequently, I’m trying to get more attention to it to get the problem solved,” he said. “We don’t want money. We just want a little bit more heat.”

Under Vancouver’s Standards of Maintenance Bylaw, apartment heating must reach at least 22 C. Charlebois says he asked the city to enforce the rule, but was told his case was closed because his unit was at 20 C.

“He tells me that. Do you have the temperature at 68 degrees or 20 C? I said yes. Then the case closed,” Charlebois said.

In a statement to CTV News, the City of Vancouver said:

“The city received a complaint in October. A property use inspector followed up with the complainant and was advised that the temperature had been raised overnight, and the case file was closed.”

The city added that under the Standards of Maintenance Bylaw, rental units must be capable of maintaining a minimum temperature of 22 C.

“If a unit does not meet that requirement, the city directs the property owner to restore adequate heat and may escalate to enforcement if needed,” the city said. “Tenants are encouraged to report concerns to 311.

The building’s property manager says the company responded to multiple complaints from Charlebois dating back to early September—before the legal heating requirement date of Sept. 21. According to the manager, plumbers attended twice that month, and a temperature reading of 24 C was recorded during one visit. The manager also noted that the boiler was running throughout September and that additional radiator adjustments were made during inspections.

More recent complaints included a heat pump issue on Nov. 18, which the property manager says was fixed the same day. The company also suggested that furniture placement near radiators may have contributed to poor heat circulation.

Despite those efforts, Charlebois and other tenants tell CTV News the issue persists. On Thursday, Charlebois demonstrated to CTV News how increasing the thermostat to the maximum setting resulted in no noticeable temperature change. While CTV News was there, despite maxing out the thermostat, a temperature reader never exceeded 22 C. Charlebois confirmed Thursday afternoon that the heat issue persisted.