The loss of a laundry room in a King Street East apartment building has added an unexpected wrinkle to the lives of seniors who live there.

Jean Booker, 81, says she now relies on her brother, 82, to get the washing done.

"My brother goes to the laundromat and takes mine over."

Pulis Investment Group says the laundry room closure boils down to cost as it renovates vacant apartments, outfits them with washer-dryer units and re-rents them at higher rates.

"In our experience, common laundry rooms have been very expensive and difficult to maintain," president Kyle Pulis told The Spectator in an email.

The Brampton-based firm bought the 1960s-era building near Parkdale Avenue South in February for $3.8 million.

Pulis Investments has made similar moves at other relatively low-rent buildings in Hamilton, with the stated goal of raising rents by at least 50 per cent.

In some cases, the firm has told investors it aims to lease to a "different or "new demographic," a troubling but not surprising modus operandi for anti-poverty advocates as rents in Hamilton continue to rise.

"It's called displacement. It's becoming a human tragedy in our community," said Tom Cooper, director of the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction.

Landlords can only raise the rent of existing residents by 1.8 per cent in 2018, according to Ontario regulations, but the sky's the limit when units are vacant.

“It’s called displacement. It’s becoming a human tragedy in our community.”

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Booker says she'd been paying $940 a month for a two-bedroom until the landlord agreed to a 10 per cent rental abatement as compensation for the laundry room closure.

Pulis says his firm isn't pressuring longtime residents to leave 1791 King St. E.

"I feel it is important to stress that we do not force any tenants to move out. We only assist the tenants that request to move on their own."

That includes a $500 payment or two movers and a truck for a day.

Campbell Young, a member of the Hamilton Tenants' Solidarity Network, calls the use of "incentives" to vacate units an "absolutely atrocious" tactic.

Those who leave face rents that are increasingly out of their reach, forcing them to go to other places such as Windsor and Sarnia, Young added.

Pulis argues the critics have a "narrow perspective."

Ontario's residential buildings are aging and need major capital improvements, he said.

"These groups may not love the effects in the short term, but in the big picture what we do is necessary to ensure these rental units remain livable rental stock for generations to come."

Pulis wouldn't say how many properties the firm owns in Hamilton, but noted they house a "few hundred" tenants.

A spokesperson for Housing Minister Peter Milczyn said a lack of rent control for vacant apartments allows landlords to bring units "in line with rent levels in the area."

"Vacancy decontrol fosters a healthy investment climate for landlords and enables rents to reflect market conditions upon turnover," Matt Ostergard wrote in an email.

Ostergard added "markets across the GTA are closely interlinked to the point that scarcity in midtown Toronto can influence the rental market in Hamilton or Barrie."

In promotional material, Pulis Investments says Hamilton is "looking to shed its Steeltown image for good, rebranding itself as a place for a younger, more educated workforce," which it calls its "key target demographic."

Natasha York, 32, doesn't believe that includes her.

York, who pays $725 for a one-bedroom at 1791 King St. E., notes she couldn't afford a renovated one-bedroom, which goes for $1,250.

"As a single person, I can't afford to go elsewhere."

So she's staying put.

In the east end, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment was $877 in October 2017, up from $850 the year before, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

Even for York, who holds down two personal support worker jobs, the laundry room closure is a "pain in the butt."

And it's a life-changing loss for a resident in her 90s who used to do her own laundry, she added. "So they just took that lady's independence."

This is familiar for residents of 16 Summit Ave., a 31-unit Pulis-owned building near the east Mountain brow.

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Last year, property management firm Drake notified tenants of plans to close the laundry room "indefinitely" and shut down the elevator for months for repairs.

In exchange for "extremely inconvenient" disruptions, Drake offered residents the $500 or movers and a van for the day. The elevator wasn't taken out of service in the end.

But worried about the service cuts, some did move out, Carolyn Jonaitis recalls.

"They're all seniors. I'm 60. I'm one of the younger people."

Vacated apartments in this building have also been renovated with washer/dryer units and rented out at higher rates.

Jonaitis and others took Pulis to the Landlord and Tenant Board over the laundry room. They agreed to a 10 per cent rental abatement retroactive to April 1.

It was a victory, but Don Mansell would sooner have the laundry room back.

The 74-year-old who suffers from chronic arthritis and is recovering from radiation treatment says he now spends $12 in cab fare to and from a coin laundry.

"These are supposed to be the golden years."

Ostergard said the "only long-term solution" to keep rents in check is to offer more places to live.

"To that end we are also focused on increasing the supply of affordable housing across Ontario."

Pulis: Renovate and re-rent

? 44-52 Hayden St. 34 units near Mohawk Road West purchased for $3.3 million in April 2016. Before renos, two bedroom-units rented for $770 and $1,450 after renos.

? 2200 King St. E. 32 units bought in February 2017 for $3.6 million where a pre-reno two-bedroom rents for $850 a month and a post-reno for $1,450.

? 75 Carling St. 28 units near McMaster University purchased in December 2017 for $4.7 million where pre-renos went for $1,100 a month. The anticipated post-reno rent was $1,650.

? 89-97-99 York Rd. 30 units in two three-storey buildings in Dundas purchased for $3.9 million in October 2016. Rent ranged from $800 to $1,150 but Pulis hoped to increase that by "at least 50 per cent."

? Average rent in October 2016 in parts of Hamilton that formed the old city was $890 compared to $934 in October 2017.

? Average rent in October 2016 in Ancaster, Dundas, Flamborough and Glanbrook was $1,003 compared to $1,055 in October 2017.

Sources: Pulis Investments offering memorandum, promotional materials, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation rental market report

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