Every time Waterloo Fire Rescue responds to a false alarm, there is a cost borne by the developer.

Aside from the alarms, construction debris litters some hallways, which has prompted some students to complain to the city about safety standards.

“When on site, both our fire prevention staff and our first suppression staff attending false alarms look proactively for any violations and quickly bring those to the attention to the building management for their action,” said Coun. Jeff Henry in an email to the Chronicle. He acknowledged the challenges of residents inhabiting unfinished buildings.

“We were obligated to provide occupancy ... per the Ontario Building Code as long as it met basic life safety standards, which it did when inspected. However, ongoing construction has meant we have spent inordinate amounts of time and resources responding to issues in the building. While we have billed back to the owner to the extent that is permitted, I am frustrated for the tenants and our staff who have other things they would prefer to be working on — school work for tenants, and working through other fire prevention and inspection activities for staff.”

The rest of the issues for Calverly and Bluestein are the features initially promised by the developer: a rooftop terrace; a fully-functioning gym; a quiet study room. None of it is done, and it is still very much under construction.

“I just want a reduction in my rent,” said Bluestein. “I want to pay for what I’m receiving.”

The Federation of Students at the University of Waterloo has been working with the government to help protect student tenants now and in the future, said Sarah Wiley, FEDS’ VP of education.

“We’ve been following this closely,” she said.

The Icon development, built by Ancaster-based Rise Real Estate, has raised the ire of many students and their parents since early this school year. It delayed move-in by at least a week for all students, as it struggled to meet the City of Waterloo’s occupancy regulations.

Eventually, all students were moved in — some a week late, some as long as a month.

“The building is still very much a construction zone,” said Waterloo MPP Catherine Fife, who has penned a letter to the Minister of Municipal Housing asking for the Liberal provincial government to realize there is a problem with the Rental Tenancy Act.

“This is the third time in three years issues like these have happened,” said Fife.

In September 2014, 1 Columbia, at the corner of Columbia and King Streets, delayed its move-in for more than 300 university students to mid-October. Students were offered to stay in hotels and motels free of charge, however.

In September 2015, a similar situation happened with the Sage II development on Hickory Street. Students were not able to move in until mid-October as well.

“I genuinely feel students are being taken advantage of,” said Fife. “A lot of the time, they don’t have the time or resources to fight.”

She said changes must be made to make the process more accessible for students who don’t necessarily have the time or finances to challenge property management companies.

Currently, the only recourse for students is the provincial Landlord and Tenant Board. In order to file a claim, all tenants must pay a $45 filing fee and sometimes, the process can take months to sort out.

Hardeep Grewal, a sales representative for the Icon development through Real Estate Hut Realty, told the Chronicle that Rise Real Estate is working as fast as it can to get students the promised amenities. But work is being done in priority sequence.

“The first priority is to get occupancy,” said Grewal. “This is the company’s biggest development to date and I think it’s a little more than they expected.”

Requests to speak with representatives of Icon and Rise Real Estate went unanswered.