Carbon Black Dust

I have determined that the blackness on the hall carpets is a direct result of elevator service personal tracking Carbon Black Dust which originates from the elevator room.   And after some searching online I have found that there are HEALTH RISKS associated with this dust (click here for details).

I don’t know why the building’s manager doesn’t do a better job of containing this problem during elevator service calls by laying down mats in the stairwell so service personnel can wipe their feet clean prior to entering the hallway and in addition to that, there should be disposable carpet runners or at the very least cardboard laid on top of the carpet all the way to the elevator to prevent the continued soiling of the carpet and the tracking of the dust.  

It is beyond comprehension that management allows for the continued accumulation of a toxic substance outside the front doors of their tenants apartments and that management doesn’t clean the carpet or at the very least, vacuum the hall carpet immediately after a service call in order to reduce spread of this dust.

We had to buy two door mats, one for outside the door and one inside the apartment because we were tracking this dust into the apartment.   I also wonder how much of that carbon dust is blowing through the building’s ventilation system and whether or not the black stains on the ceiling above the heating vents is a result of Carbon Black Dust circulation through the ventilation system…

I know next time I go to the doctor I am going to ask for lung X-rays…

Prioritizing New Laundry Machines??!!

We received another memorandum today from property management regarding the installation of new Quantum washing machines.  These new machines boast  the flexibility of 27 different washing cycle settings, they are more energy efficient, and “in many cases larger load capacity”… not exactly sure what “in many cases” means.

Now I applaud any attempt to minimize one’s carbon footprint and understand the necessity for modernization but lets not be fooled here.  The question that begs asking is “Why, with all the  problems affecting the building and the quality of people’s tenancy, is management prioritizing the installing new laundry machines at this time?”.

The answer is simply that the installation of these new laundry machines is purely for the economic gain of the property management company and has nothing to do with environmental concerns or for tenant convenience: Repairs to the building costs money, the installation of these new machines is done at the expense of the operating company and will benefit the building’s revenue streams.

So lets look closer at the memorandum and note that management did not address whether or not the cost of doing laundry with these new machines would stay the same, be less expensive, or cost tenants more per load.  Instead,  we are distracted by the gift of a $10 laundry payment card…

The following  information is from the Huebsch web site:

Multi-Level Vend Promotion – http://route.huebsch.com/products/systems/quantum.asp

“…is a great way for apartments and condos to conserve on hot water consumption, with higher vend prices for hot or warm washes.”  Reducing hot water consumption translates into less of an expense for the building.

So does this mean it will cost us more money to do hot water washes? I don’t know but I would think so which wouldn’t be a bad thing if the cold water washes are less expensive than or on par with current prices…

Privacy & Security Concerns  for SmartCard Vended Washers and Dryers

These new Quantum machines do not accept coins but rather utilizes a SmartCard technology where money is added to the card electronically via a Card Reload Center, the device that is used to transfer monetary value to your smart card and it should accept both coins/bills and credit/debit cards.  But BEWARE when using your credit or debit card for payments because as with any digital money payment systems, there is an inherent security risk.  I strongly advise using the cash option at all times! Not to mention that there could also be additional transaction fees applied when using your credit or debit card:

“Why did the reload device charge me 85 cents for my credit card transaction?
This fee is necessary in order to continue to be able to provide you with the convenience of using a credit card in our debit/credit reload device.”

The above information was found on this web site: http://www.coinamatic.com/residents/residents/laundry/  that addresses the top “Frequently Asked Questions” covering areas such as General Smart Card Use, Loading my SmartCity smart card, Washers & Dryers, Proper Use of Detergent, Refunds, and General Service Issues. This is a MUST READ

“Quantum™ software systems will track coin and card payment transactions to verify collections. Quantum™ control machines can also be networked for easy management. Huebsch’s Quantum laundry equipment records every significant detail of your laundry operation, so that your Laundry Service Provider can accurately track your laundry room activity, cycle usage and vending revenue.”

So does this mean that the tenant’s usage if being tracked and recorded?  If these Smartcards are just randomly assigned cards then the answer would be no.   But if management assigns a specific card to each apartment, then there is a strong probability you and your usage is being tracked and that raises some privacy concerns and once again full disclosure must be forth coming by property management.

So now that we are somewhat better informed and see through the cloaked convenience of a SmartCard laundry system, would property management please answer the following questions:

1- Will the cost of doing our laundry cost us more now?

2- Are the Smartcards assigned specifically to each apartment or are they just randomly assigned?

3- Is my credit or debit card account  information stored on the Smartcard? If yes, what sort of security is in place to protect our personal information and privacy?

4- Will you be charging additional fees for credit and debit card transactions?

… thank you!

Deck Inspection

Property Management has scheduled an inspection of my deck today between 9 am and 5 pm which is good news and no doubt a direct result of my complaint to City Hall’s Building Inspectors.

At 10:49 am  they came by and took pictures of the same thing I have on my blog and with the same person I had already brought this matter too … now lets see how long this, if anything, takes before something is done… But hey, thanks for sending someone over!

Letter From New West City Hall

I just received this email from the City regarding my concerns and questions I had pertaining to several issues within the building.  While I am encourage with his comments re; Capriet, I am still upset that property management failed to disclose the “Noise” issues of the elevators and it’s disruptive nature.

——————————————————————————————————————————————–

Received May 27, 2011

Thank you for your correspondence regarding your concerns with the Tantus Towers building located at 810 St Andrews St. I have just recently been hired as a Bylaw Officer and your building happens to be in my area of assignment and this file was reassigned to me from Claude Bouliane. Since receiving the file, I’ve been conducting research into your complaint along with dealing with other priority complaints. I certainly can understand your concerns and I do hope you get some resolution. This office has received no other complaints from this building since 2009.

I have reviewed your concerns and the following action has been conducted or recommended:

• The elevators were checked by me on 17 May and found to be in good working order and did not appear to be noisy or unsafe. It was noted that a couple of the floor indicator lights were not working. That issue can be brought to the building management to have repaired.
• The authority for the safe operation of elevators falls under the Elevating Devices Safety Act which is enforced by the Provincial Government and the BC Safety Authority. There is a City Bylaw 6926, 2004 that deals with elevators however it refers to the above noted Act for compliance and enforcement. I have contacted the BC Safety Authority and they have it on their list of places to inspect in the near future. As of today, they have not inspected it.
• It is my opinion that the Noise Bylaw does not apply in this particular case regarding the elevators.
• The City has no authority to force the building owner to replace the elevators.
• There is no Bylaw to force a building owner or management to clean the outside of windows.
• The condition of the balcony is of concern but you must give the building management the opportunity to respond to a complaint from you in order to allow them reasonable time to make repairs.
• With regard to your other concerns mentioned in your email, those are not issues that the City can take action with.

I did have a look at your web site and blog and see you are very active in your pursuit regarding your complaints. I encourage you to work with the new building management company and allow them the opportunity to make repairs to the building in a reasonable time. In my research I found CAP REIT to be a very progressive organization that appears to be taking responsibility for the properties they are managing. If you feel in a few months that they are not addressing your concerns then by all means contact me and I will arrange a meeting with building management and perhaps conduct an inspection of the building. Of course I hope your reasonable actions will resolve the issues but if not and you are unhappy with the building, you certainly have the option to find a more desirable place to live.

The overall safety and conditions of a rental property located in the City of New Westminster is a concern for us and we take it seriously and will take action when we feel it is appropriate within the laws and regulations available to us as Bylaw Officers.

Yours truly,

Ted Usher

Bylaw Officer

Development Services

Corporation of the City of New Westminster

Tel:  604-515-3804

Fax: 604-527-4699

New Video: State of Deck

I have created a new short video revealing the general state of decay of my deck as a result building management’s neglect.  Walls are cracked and dirty, plaster and cement is crumbling, paint is peeling and metal is rusting out…

Dirty Windows

I was invited to take a look at dirty windows in a tenant’s apartment this morning.

Here is an example of one such window in the apartment that the tenant attempted to clean (right side) but due to the design of the window was unable to complete the process. Would you pay rent to have filthy windows that management won’t clean?

Dirty Apartment Window

New Video of my Rotting Deck Railing

I have added a new video revealing the state of decay of my deck railing. Check it out on the video page.. #4 video.

Open House at Tantus Towers

According to the official CAPREIT Facebook page, Property Management is hosting an Open House in our building.

This is their post:

“Come to Our Open House May 12th, 14th & 15th 3pm to 7pm @ 810 St. Andrews St in New Westminster http://bit.ly/gP1fdJ no appointment needed!”

So what does this mean for us tenants of Tantus Towers? No memorandum was forwarded to tenants… are they giving tours?   What’s the deal here?

I would like to open my apartment up to people to come and listen to the elevator noises….

Tenant “Meet and Greet” Follow Up

Well the Tenant “Meet and Greet” was pleasant enough and the new management team appeared ready and willing to listen and resolve tenant issues but this certainly wasn’t the occasion to formally voice grievances.

However, several of us tenants informed management of a few key issues and requested that a round table with face to face discussions be scheduled.

Management now has this blog address so it will be interesting to see how the respond to it. And how they respond to the pictures of my cracked cornice with exposed rebar…

Only time will tell whether or not CAPREIT steps up to the plate and exercise due diligence in resolving many of the Problems with Tantus Towers. Lets hope they do.

But at least they [management] serve excellent pizza! But bottled water or juice as an alternative to the pop that was served would of been nice.

Garbage Disposal Memo

CAPRIET issued a garbage disposal memo today advising all tenants NOT to dispose of large furniture items and electronics in the parking garage (see bedbug page for picture of this problem) and warning tenants that they would be held accountable for disposal and administrative fees for doing so. How is management going to enforce this? The only practical and effective way is through video Surveillance. It will be interesting to see if CAPREIT goes beyond a piece of paper in their attempt to mitigate this problem.