Things have gone from bad to worse for flooded tenants in a downtown rental highrise.

Some 60 families living in the bottom six floors of 235 Rebecca St. received notices under their apartment doors Sunday asking them to vacate their units and remove their possessions by Wednesday to permit repairs to be carried out.

The notice from Medallion said those who break their lease can do so without penalty. For those who chose to leave voluntarily, "no rent will be charged during the period that your suite is being restored."

Those tenants who chose to stay could be evicted if they interfere with renovation work, the notice said.

Threatened eviction from their homes is just the latest blow for the tenants, many of who are old, poor or immigrants with large families. Those residents were forced to leave their homes Jan. 10 when a major water pipe burst causing a major flood to the lower six floors. Several spent the night at a city community centre.

Management declared the units were habitable, but residents have been living in deplorable conditions with constantly blowing dryers attempting to dry out their units before mould sets in.

But Brendan Jowett, a staff lawyer with Hamilton community legal clinic, said the province's Residential Tenancies Act states residents should be given 120 days notice and be compensated by the landlord for up to three months rent to provide for alternative accommodation. The clinic is hosting an information session Tuesday night to inform residents of their tenant rights.

There's no mention of those rights in the two-page Medallion notice.

Medallion spokesperson Danny Roth told the Spectator Monday afternoon an assessment of the "significant" flood damage carried out over the past week indicates the amount of work necessary can't be done with units being occupied.

"The letter encourages them to accept an early termination. What we have tried to say in the letter is we encourage them to talk to us. The truth is, as property owners we want a full building. Trying to vacate six floors is not something they relish. But in this case there is little choice but to encourage residents to take that action," he said.

Roth rejected the suggestion that Medallion is taking advantage of vulnerable tenants who might not know their rights.

"This was not a situation that was of our design," he said. As for Jowett's suggestion that the tenant rights have not been adequately spelled out, Roth said the company believes the notice is appropriate.

Jowett is advising tenants not to sign any document until the information session takes place and they learn their rights.

"They (Medallion) are giving people a completely unreasonable time frame in which to vacate the units so repairs can take place.

"And not just to get out of their unit themselves, but to clear their stuff out. But to move in two days. It's not just unreasonable, it's illegal," he added.

Jowett is concerned gentrification might be in play — a move that sees landlords encourage residents to break their leases so higher rents can be sought once repairs are carried out. Roth categorically denies that's the case here.

Fourth-floor tenant Amelia Rana, who has a three-metre crack in her bedroom ceiling, said she is aware tenants must be compensated while they are being relocated.

"I think it's a good thing that they ask people to leave so they can fix things. But we need to be provided for."

She said her neighbour Ali Mamond, a 27-year-old immigrant from Afghanistan and married father of five, is scared.

"Where is going to find a place to stay on two days notice? People are very stressed. Ali texted me yesterday and said 'Where am I suppose to go? It's freezing winter and I have five children?'"

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Landlord notice