Metro Vancouver tenant allowed AC but only with certain conditions

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A Metro Vancouver resident who has been fighting for the right to have AC in her apartment unit finally got the go-ahead.

Well, sort of.

A resident of Port Coquitlam says that she was offered the opportunity to have an AC installed in her unit, but only if she signed a contract with some pretty specific and strict terms sent to her lawyer by a lawyer representing the building management group, Tribe. The very first term in the agreement requires the tenant to agree not to use her microwave while running her AC.

Daily Hive has obtained a copy of the terms and can confirm the tenant’s claims. We’ve kept the tenant’s name private due to her ongoing legal dispute with building management.

“This is insane,” the tenant told Daily Hive.

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Other terms include ensuring the air conditioning unit does not cause a tripping hazard; she also has to agree to be responsible for any costs related to damaging the rental property caused by the AC unit, something she doesn’t wish to do.

“The only term I wasn’t in agreement with was the one where they essentially expected me to take responsibility for damage to the entire building.”

She added that she would take responsibility for damage to her own unit.

Building management posted a new notice for all tenants on the same day.

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Tribe Management sent Daily Hive a statement about the situation, suggesting others are also affected.

“We have been advised by the engineer that the four tenants who were waiting for approval to use AC units in their rental suites can be approved and that going forward, each new request will be assessed on an individual basis as they are received,” Tribe told Daily Hive.

The tenant sent her notice of agreement to abide by specific terms on July 19 but hasn’t received formal approval yet.

Our initial story about the situation stated that the challenges were due to the electrical infrastructure of the building.

“Tribe is taking the necessary steps to ensure the safe use of the building infrastructure. This is not about the removal of a pre-existing amenity but the new use of in-suite systems that the building was not necessarily built for.”

One of Tribe’s concerns is the electrical output of the AC unit that the tenant wants, which BC Hydro would provide for free.

“I think at this point I’ll just look into getting an AC on my own since they want to keep obstructing the BC Hydro unit,” the tenant said.

BC Hydro has also been involved in the situation, and the BC utility company has been advocating on behalf of the tenant. BC Hydro emailed Tribe to say, “I hope that you’ll consider supporting tenants in accessing this life-saving measure.”

Part of the tenant’s frustration is that she can see other people in the building with AC units in their windows.

The tenant is also hoping for a copy of the building’s electric assessment which she has yet to receive

Because of the ongoing battle for AC, the tenant has taken her fight to the BC Human Rights Tribunal, which recently fast-tracked her claim.

“I didn’t expect them to accept my fast–track request since it’s apparently really hard to get, let alone this quickly. They said in the next few months, which doesn’t help me in the meantime, but it’s still great nonetheless,” she said.

Thankfully, the weather will cool slightly over the coming week, but the fight for the tenant continues.