Renter without power, heat 17 days waits for landlord to make good on province’s order

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This article was published 27/10/2023 (1072 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipegger is asking for help after going without power for 17 days and being unable to reach her landlord.

Ashley Asham, a tenant at 367 Selkirk Ave., said her hydro and heat have been out since Oct. 10, and as of Friday afternoon it hadn’t yet been restored.

She said she reported the issue to the Residential Tenancies Branch, which is responsible for regulating rentals in Manitoba and dealing with disputes between landlords and tenants. She said the agency issued an order to the landlord for the power to be restored by Oct. 20, but that hasn’t happened.

Asham said she doesn’t know why the power went out and hasn’t seen her landlord since he picked up her rent payment at the beginning of October.

An official visited to conduct an electrical inspection, but Asham said that as of Friday she still had no clear answers, was concerned about the sudden winter weather and said she could see her breath inside the apartment.

“I’m having to sleep with layers of clothes on under blankets,” she said. “Can’t cook, can’t really do anything. No hot water, can’t really shower. I’ve been basically living off bread and peanut butter because the fridge doesn’t work.”

She’s been bathing and charging her cell phone at her mother’s home, relying on her data plan while her Wi-Fi is out. Asham said the power was on when she left for her night shift Oct. 10, but was out when she returned from work and has been out since.

“The Residential Tenancies Branch (RTB) is aware of the complaints and there have been repair orders issued. With the situation ongoing, the RTB is not able to offer additional comment, but the branch has been providing updates to tenants and will continue to work towards a satisfactory resolution,” the provincial government stated Friday afternoon.

A spokesperson from Manitoba Hydro said the Crown corporation was focused on snowstorm-related outages outside the city and couldn’t comment on private customer matters.

Asham said there are other tenants in the multi-unit rental building.

“It’s very, very rough. I’m lucky I don’t have small children, but I have two fur babies,” she said. “It’s stressful. I’ve been having a little bit of help here and there, but it’s really, really hard.”

She said she pays her bills and maintains her unit to the best of her ability.

“I shouldn’t have to suffer like this. I have rights as a tenant.”

katie.may@winnipegfreepress.com