Fontainebleau Apartments — Local services in Vancouver

An intermittent mouse infestation over several years, affecting various apartments, on different floors. Pest control recommendations for property mgt to fix access points..such as piping for dishwasher, heat venting etc, ignored. 1 elderly, partially disabled, resident has had to deal with the trauma of trapping and killing mice herself. This is an ongoing health & safety issue that contravenes landlord responsibilities, and puts people at risk.

The city order is in reference to recent garbage accumulation, similar to the event in December 2021 that resulted in a city citation order. A health & safety problem, compounding the rodent problem.

Aug 2023 Addendum: the mouse problem resolved after Feb 2023, when, despite 12 mousetraps, mice were visibly present. No dishwasher for the duration of infestation.

Re Garbage: tenants' desperation note, on bulletin board (pic)

Re main parking level door, tenants are reminded to close, next to garbage/rodent access area: (pic)

Re communication: typical communication method, a bulletin, with no contact name or, (if the frequently changed phone number can be confirmed to be current) their Vxmail is full. Email communication is unanswered.

If there is communication, it states they didn't know of a problem, or they're working on it, or problems, especially, at present, water-related problems, are due to external factors. Eg the City of Vancouver regulators, or supply issues, or absent maintenance resources. The landlord refusal, despite tenants' requests, to provide at least hand watering, means mature shrubs and trees are dying, or they will imminently (pics). Could a city arborist assess whether the trees could be at risk of breaking / falling, thereby endangering tenants and passersby? Are dead plants more of a fire hazard than live ones?

Re leaks: the lowest level of the foundation, began to leak in the winter. It's still seeping. There was no response to an inquiry regarding the potential hazard. Pic is a COV warning, about water leakage violation(s), not specifically the foundation seepage.

Re emergency procedures: (eg fire, power outage) Does COV not have/enforce a bylaw requiring owners to start their emergency generator / elevator during a power outage? In one incident, someone left their apartment. They forgot they had a pot on the stove; it caused a smoke fire after power was restored. According to firefighters, it was nearing a full fire; they had to break down the door, because there was no manager present to unlock it. Their arrival was delayed because the fire alarm didn't work; a tenant arriving home pulled the fire alarm. Tenants contacted the apartment tenant and relayed information to the firefighters.

The landlord didn't follow up with tenants, and still doesn't initiate the emergency generator, or an elevator for tenants, many of whom are elderly, to leave the 12 storey building. Vehicles are locked inside. Emergency personnel can't get inside. Even though there's a bulletin with an emergency #, when I called, no one attended and they said it was their elevator company's error. A request for the landlord to fix this problem and provide written fire regulations and procedures for tenants, was ignored.

Similarly, there wasn't communication regarding a period this spring when the front access panel wasn't working; children coming home from school found themselves unable to contact their parent, some care workers were unable to access residents, and the letter carrier was unable to get into the lobby without calling tenants. Fire safety people have questioned the absence of a manager (fire inspection pic reflects what it takes to acquire compliance).

These hazards, seemingly intentionally, compromise Fontainebleau's longevity and tenants' homes. COV is simultaneously considering this owner's application to build an adjacent high-rise on this property. If Fontainebleau becomes unliveable due to willful neglect, where does...

(1) Lack of management. Despite the fact that MPM claims that its properties are “professionally managed,” the managers it has hired for the past few years have worked only part time here, dividing their time between this building and other buildings owned by MPM. There was a period of a month and a half when there was no on-site manager at all. Presently there is no on-site manager or on-site repair person for a building of 88 suites and 125 residents. Problems occur daily but the manager often does not answer our phone calls or respond to our emails. I tried phoning this morning, but every phone number I tried said “This voice mail is full” or “This number has not been initialized.” The latest part-time manager has quit. Now there is a temporary manager who divides her time between managing this building and Arbutus Residences. She says she was “thrown into” the job when the previous manager quit and she seems ill-equipped to manage both buildings. Presently she is on vacation and there is no manager at all. But the managers’ hands are tied. They report the problems to their supervisor, who is unwilling to spend the money to fix things. (2) For the first few years of MPM’s management (2020 & 2021), the sidewalks were not shoveled after snowfall, nor rock salt sprinkled on the icy sidewalks. The Fontainebleau is the only apartment building in Kerrisdale whose sidewalks were not shoveled after a snowfall. We complained to the City about this, citations were issued to the management here, but those citations were ignored and, to the dismay of the residents, the sidewalks remained unshoveled. One elderly resident hurt herself badly when she slipped and fell on the icy sidewalk. Finally, in the third year of the building’s new ownership (the winter of 2022-23) and after numerous complaints to the management, the sidewalk was shoveled. (3) Laundry machines, toilets, leaky pipes and kitchen sinks are not repaired in a timely manner. Tenants have had to wait several months to have these things repaired or replaced. For example, as of late July 2023, the washing machine on the 12th floor has been broken for four months, the one on the 11th floor broken for 3 months, and they have not been replaced despite our pleas. (4) Three suites have reported mold from leaking pipes. Despite the fact that the spores from mold cause sickness, MPM has done nothing to eliminate the mold. (5) Four times since MPM took over February 7, 2020, trash and garbage in the basement were allowed to pile up for several weeks without being collected. The fourth time this happened was July 28, 2023: the garbage/compost has not been picked up for nearly three weeks. The liner in the compost bin has ruptured again and a very foul-smelling liquid has run across the garage floor, across the path people must walk to enter the building from the garage. Phone calls to the management are impossible: their voice mails are either full or not initialized. In a building of 125 tenants, no manager exists to take care of anything! (6) Windows are not washed. They are filthy. Under the previous owner, the exterior windows were washed twice a year. But since MPM took over, our windows were washed only once, the last time...

I want to update this review. It’s now been 3 years since I’ve moved in. Since city council laid out conditions that Larco had to meet before they’d consider reviewing their development plans, things have really shaped up in the building. Council specified everything they had to fix, repair, replace, clean. Things are being fixed more promptly, we have a part time PM. Although they only last less than a year, they are enthusiastic and do a great job when they’re here. Very responsive.

I’ve lived here for 18 months so far and am disappointed in the way Larco (owners) manage a 13 floor apartment building. Maple Leaf Properties manage the building and I have to say concerns seem to be addressed when there is a PM on site. Which is sporadic. The best PM they ever had, Somayeh, left us (big mistake for Maple Leaf). I had a broken ceramic soap dish in the shower replaced after a year, but I finally paid for it if they installed. Happened quickly. The dryers on the floors break down often and the reaction is always the same… wait fir a service person, oh it needs a part, part is on back order, maybe inside of 3-4 weeks it’ll be back in operation. The final straw was the pool. It’s closed Indefinitely because the cracks in the concrete decking pose a safety hazard. It’s the end of July and there’s no sign of any repairs being done.. we pay big rents for these units and they advertise pool. Sauna, party room, gardens, washer/dryer in every floor, etc etc. even the photo of the fountain out front is a sham. That fountain hasn’t worked all year! Shame on Larco. They should stick to,owning office buildings and stay away from...