With the intense cold that Montreal has been experiencing recently, some Parc Extension tenants have one burning concern.

“The heating is not enough,” Nusrad Jayed tells Global News, with two space heaters going in his apartment.

He and three other tenants in an apartment building on Bloomfield Avenue say that they are all dealing with low heat in their homes. The landlord controls the heating, and they say it’s been so bad, they’ve had to improvise.

“Even in the houses, we have to wear hats, it’s so cold inside,” says Kamal Preet Singh sitting on a couch beside frost-covered windows in his living room. His wife stands at the entrance wearing thick socks and a sweater.

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In at least one case, drains have clogged as a result. Abdul Waheed Ahmed called a plumber on the advice of the Quebec rental board, to unclog his bathtub and sink. But the plumber couldn’t fix the problem.

“The plumber recommended very clearly that I have to put a heater at the backside of the pipe where it’s frozen on the top,” he explains. “I need to have sufficient heat in my apartment.”

Now he and his family have to deal with stagnant water whenever they wash. Other tenants also have drainage problems but haven’t contacted a plumber yet.

Singh said the tenants have all had the same experience when they’ve complained to the landlord about the heat. “I said, ‘Did you complain to the landlord?’ and they say the same thing: ‘They complained, he comes, he goes, he doesn’t fix it permanent.'”

The landlord refused to be interviewed on camera but says only one tenant has complained and that he plans to address the issue.

With more severe weather expected this weekend, these tenants are bracing for the cold.

“Well, I’m helpless,” Ahmed says.

He has complained to the rental board but until the heat is turned up, they’re not sure what else to do.

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