Will they be ready? Waterloo tracks new student housing developments

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Jeff Pickel CTV Kitchener

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Over the next two weeks, thousands of university students will be returning to Waterloo to begin the academic school year.

The last several years have seen numerous large student housing developments not being completed in time for students to move in at the start of September.

In 2014, One Columbia faced significant delays in opening in time.

In 2016, it was the large Icon building at the corner of Phillip Street and Columbia Street that faced problems

In 2017, The Hub at 130 Columbia was delayed.

In response, the City of Waterloo created an occupancy tracker to inform tenants about the progress of their building.

The online tracker shows each new building project and percentage of the building that has passed inspection.

"The city stepped in to provide information that we have to be able to arm tenants with information about their landlords, the most up to date information about whether they are able to move in or not," said Jeff Henry, the City of Waterloo Councillor who spearheaded this initiative.

According to Henry, the city is acting as a reliable resource for tenants who may be hearing mixed messages from their land lord.

"I’ve heard lots of stories, landlords were telling them 'we'll be ready, we’ll be ready' but they weren’t ready," said Henry.

This year there is only one development that is in jeopardy of not making their September 1 deadline.

As of Friday, August 23, 131 University Avenue was at a 75 per cent occupancy rate.

In a statement sent to CTV Kitchener, property management firm Accomo8u says, "Accommod8u is 98% sold out and we do not foresee any issues what would cause a delayed move in for our new tenants at 131 University Avenue."

Students and parents can check building occupancy by visiting the City of Waterloo’s website.