Crumbling balconies, unauthorized residents, broken glass and fire code violations are just some of the ongoing issues affecting an apartment building in Waterloo owned by Terry Good, a landlord who recently had another Kitchener property boarded up after it was declared unfit for human habitation.

Good was issued an order to comply with bylaw infractions by the City of Waterloo on April 8 – as well as inspection orders from the Waterloo fire department in January and May this year – in relation to the building at 154 Erb Street East.

The property has its fair share of issues before. In August 2014, the Electrical Safety Authority cut power to five units in the building over safety concerns after a roof leak caused electrical damage that wasn't repaired. Tenants of three units were asked to leave while repairs were made, and the building also had other water damage and mould issues.

According to the city, the electrical problems have since been fixed. As of the time this article was published, the city was still verifying whether the water damage and mould problems had been resolved.

At least three management companies have been involved with the building since August. All three – William Squibb and Daughters Property Management, Hoffaco Property Management, and Millcreek Property Management – no longer work with him. Millcreek Property Management ended its relationship with Good after just two weeks.

According to Shamir Mehta, the acting director of Waterloo's municipal enforcement services, the latest order to comply issued by the city concerned violations of the building code and the city's property standards bylaws.

The problems included broken interior windows in common areas and also balconies and guard rails that appeared to be in poor condition.

'Challenges' with tenants

"An officer conducted an on-site inspection and noticed that there was deterioration of the exterior balconies for several units, for example rebar was exposed, and rusting and stuff like that," said Mehta in an interview with CBC News.

However, the Mehta says there's no immediate risk for the tenants. He said there doesn't appear to be a risk of balcony collapse or of loose chunks falling from balconies.

Typically, property owners have 30 days from when the order to comply is issued by the city to fix the problems. However, they can ask for extra time if the work needed is complex.

According to Mehta, Good is co-operating with the city. The broken glass has since been repaired.

But the city is still waiting for more action. It ordered Good to hire an engineer to assess the structural integrity of all of the balconies at the property. No engineer has yet inspected the property, Mehta said, adding it can take up to a month for an engineer to issue a report after an inspection.

It's unusual for a bylaw officer to find deteriorating balconies, said Mehta. But he said it's not surprising, because if there's no ongoing maintenance, balconies tend to deteriorate in part due to exposure to the elements.

Mehta said that the city is concerned about the ongoing issues at 154 Erb St. E.

"It's the escalation of lack of maintenance on the property," said Mehta.

"That's always a concern for us, whether it's the balconies or whether it's the interior condition of a specific unit. So I know that the landlord has challenges with certain tenants there as well, right, so again it's just that balancing act of trying to bring that property into minimum standard compliance.

"Whenever there is a property standards or bylaw violation, it is a concern for us, especially when it becomes a recurring or ongoing issue," said Mehta.

Fire department issues orders

The city isn't the only body asking for improvements at the property. On January 23, Waterloo Fire Rescue issued an order for the landlord to comply with nine fire code violations on the property, including failing to maintain doors and latches to ensure they close properly, failing to ensure exitways are free of obstructions, and not having lit exit signs.

Later in the year, on May 26, the Waterloo fire department inspection the property and found multiple units had unauthorized people living in them. Under the Ontario fire code, vacant buildings and units must be secured against squatters, and the landlord was ordered to comply with fire code on the same day of the inspection.

According to Linda Adam, a fire inspector with Waterloo Fire Rescue, the orders are still posted at the property because the issues have not been resolved. Adam said it's the fire department's policy not to comment on the particulars of files that are still open, but said that the orders are still posted because not all of the items have been resolved.

She said that the department has had several meetings with Good at the building on Erb Street, but couldn't give any more details.

The fire department was notified by a third party that there were unauthorized people living in the building, and that prompted the order, said Adam. However, she could not confirm how many unauthorized people were living there or how many units were affected.

Several calls to Terry Good went unanswered.

Another apartment building owned by Good at 48 Weber Street West in Kitchener was recently declared unfit for human habitation and subject to an emergency order by the city. Twelve tenants were asked to leave suddenly by city employees, and the building was boarded up to prevent entry.