Two weeks after fire ripped through a vacant house in the Hull sector of Gatineau, Que., residents are demanding something be done about the large number of uninhabited buildings in their neighbourhood.

The house on rue Kent was one of 14 vacant homes in the highly coveted neighbourhood of Old Hull.

The City of Gatineau has bylaws in place to govern unfinished or abandoned buildings but can't force the demolition of homes, leading to frustrated residents.

Five of the vacant buildings, all owned by Gatineau construction company Boless, surround Mintri Nguyen's building on rue Kent.

"Before it was boarded up, the doors were open, unlocked. Obviously there were squatters. Of course it's not ideal, it's not beautiful aesthetically, but until you have an alternative, it's better to secure [the buildings]," Nguyen said in French.

Homes abandoned for years

The vacant houses — some without a roof, door or windows — dot an ​​800-square-metre area of Old Hull, according to a CBC/Radio-Canada analysis.

More than a dozen homes in the Gatineau neighbourhood are uninhabited, causing some residents to feel unsafe. 0:55

According to section 41 of the city's bylaws, openings of an unfinished or abandoned building must be barricaded with planks or wood panels painted in a colour that matches the exterior siding of the building and securely attached to prevent access into the property.

Unfinished buildings must be completed within 180 days of barricades being installed, or from the day the vacant property was discovered. If the project remains unfinished or abandoned after this period, then the property must be demolished.

But many of the houses have been boarded up for several years and have yet to be torn down.

According to Hull-Wright Coun. Cédric Tessier, as long as there are no structural problems with a property and developers are working on projects that have yet to be seen or approved by officials, the city can't force a property to be demolished.

Coun. Cédric Tessier said he was aware of the problems surrounding uninhabited homes, but that there is no easy solution to the issue. (Radio-Canada)

Tessier added that most of the houses are owned by developers who buy them in the hope of getting councillors to approve zoning changes that would allow them to build multi-storey towers.

Fate of the homes

Boless, the general contracting company that owns some of the houses on Nguyen's street, has plans to work on the abandoned properties.

But according to Nguyen, Boless bought the first house 10 years ago and the last one just over five years ago.

He said he's never seen real estate agency signs in front of the houses.

Five years ago, Mintri Nguyen and some fellow residents appealed to the City of Gatineau to board up the homes. (Pascal Gervais/Radio-Canada)

Rui Perdigao, director of development for the company, declined an interview request but addressed the development plans in an email.

In a statement written in French, Peridgao said there was "nothing concrete on the table for now" and that developers purchasing multiple lots is "often a work of patience and involves several stakeholders."

This house, located at 45 Kent Street in Hull, was originally built in 1900. (Radio-Canada)

For Nguyen, it's not just that improvements are slow to come, but also a concern that "new, ultra-modern" construction won't preserve the character and heritage of Old Hull.

He hopes that ultimately the City of Gatineau will encourage residents and property owners to take care of their homes to avoid more vacant buildings.

"You can adopt very simple measures, planting trees, plants, flowers...It is really by small gestures that we will make the area attractive," Nguyen said, hoping to one day see families living inside the boarded-up homes.