City files 60 charges against Balmoral Hotel
Infamous SRO was deemed uninhabitable last month over fears the building would collapse
The City of Vancouver has filed 60 charges in provincial court against Balmoral Hotel Ltd. over safety and maintenance standards violations.
Eight weeks ago, 142 residents of the Downtown Eastside SRO were ordered evacuated over fears the building would collapse.
The bylaw breaches addressed in Thursday's filing include failure to maintain walls, ceilings and floors to an adequate standard and lack of maintenance to plumbed facilities such as baths and toilets.
Each infraction carries a potential fine of $250 to $10,000.
"The City of Vancouver is committed to holding landlords accountable for maintaining habitable standards in single room accommodation buildings," said Kaye Krishna, general manager of development, buildings and licensing.
The Balmoral is among a group of low-income residences owned by the Sahota family, who former city councilor Geoff Meggs recently categorized as "despicable slumlords."
An in-depth engineering inspection released by the city last month said tenants of the 176-room building were in imminent danger due to severe water damage and rot in the interior structure.
The Balmoral is also the subject of two class-action lawsuits — one aimed at the city for not exercising its powers to force repairs earlier and another targeting the Sahota family for allowing the building to fall into such a state.
- A look inside the Balmoral Hotel where city says tenants are in 'imminent danger'
- City defends decisions leading up to Balmoral Hotel evacuation
Nearly all of the former tenants of the hotel were relocated to social housing.
