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n Sandy Hill, at the end of the cul-de-sac on Wilbrod Street, sits an apartment building facing the Rideau river. The building, which is a 20 minute walk away from the University of Ottawa, is advertised toward students. The apartment building has around 130 units spread over 9 floors. The entrance and lobby is on the 6th floor, with 5 floors below ground and 4 above.
Although online 550 Wilbrod Street appears idyllic, tenants living in the building describe their living conditions as far from ideal. Carol, a tenant in the building since mid-2024, told The Leveller “I wouldn’t recommend anybody to move into this building. Not if they wish to keep their sanity!”
On June 25, 2025, the Ottawa Citizen reported that 112 units were evacuated following an oven fire in one of the apartments. When The Leveller asked the tenants about the fire, they noted dissatisfaction with how management dealt with the aftermath of the fire and subsequent water damage.
Carol repeatedly emphasized that she felt completely unsafe because of the way management handled the fire. “[Tenants] didn’t know where to go. When we came out from the building after the fire, we saw multiple people that we have seen working in the building just laughing and smoking. They [management] didn’t even check in with us!”
“They do not care. They will pretend to care now because we are actually doing something together.” – Carol, tenant at 550 Wilbrod St.
When asked by The Leveller what maintenance issues have been addressed since the fire, the landlord replied that “following the June 2025 fire, necessary remediation and renovation work were undertaken on any affected floors. The scope of work primarily addressed water damage resulting from the sprinkler system, restoration of affected finishes, mechanical and electrical inspections, and related safety system reviews… Throughout the process, notices were posted in common areas and distributed electronically to inform tenants of scheduled work, temporary access requirements, and any service interruptions.”
However, tenants’ grievances with the landlord stemmed from issues long before the fire. The incident put into motion an organized effort for tenants to collectively take action on long-standing complaints with the companies named as the landlord and management of the property.
Tenants Take Issue with “Harrington Housing” … or is it “211 Ivy Real Estate Holdings”?
It is not easy to establish who owns and manages 550 Wilbrod Street., The building is advertised as Riverflow Residences by Harrington. Meanwhile, tenants receive notices with Harrington Housing’s logo and communicate with Harrington staff to pay rent or make lease changes. In addition, a tenant’s 2023 lease agreement reviewed by The Leveller identified Esplanade Shore Properties Inc as the landlord. In a media inquiry to the Riverflow Management email provided to tenants, The Leveller received a reply signed solely “Property Management.” In the email, they identified the owner, landlord, and property management of 550 Wilbrod as 211 Ivy Real Estate Holdings.
Supported by organizers from the neighbourhood tenant union Tenants of Sandy Hill, some tenants of 550 Wilbrod organized a tenants-only building meeting on October 20, 2025. The meeting would connect neighbours over their shared grievances with the landlord company.
Two days prior to the meeting, organizers slipped a flyer underneath tenants’ doors with bold text saying: “Tenants of 550 Wilbrod We are Organising!” The rest of the flyer went on to read that their landlord, “Harrington Housing, has been mismanaging the tenants’ homes for years and conducting illegal practices at the expense of their tenants.
“We are tired of illegal requests to vacate our units. We are tired of our packages going missing. We are tired of our issues being ignored. We are tired of illegal arbitrary rent hikes. We are tired of living in fear in our own homes,” the flyer stated.
Prior to the meeting, organizers received an email from management stating that they were aware of the flyers circulating in the building for the meeting, and that they understood tenants have concerns.
“The building has been going through a difficult period after the incidents and repairs over the summer, and we recognize this has affected everyone,” management wrote.
The email ended with management offering to have a representative from the building management attend the meeting to “listen and help address questions.” Organizers refused interference from management for the time being, with an additional notice that they would reach out to management.
The Tenants-Only Meeting
On October 20, 2025, approximately 20 tenants from the building came together to have their first tenants’ meeting. At the meeting, tenants highlighted issues raised on the flyer and other concerns.
One such pressing concern was the presence of mold. The tenants shared there have been several flooding events in the building. One such instance, recorded in the tenants’ demand letter, occurred when a bathroom faucet in a 4th floor unit broke, which caused flooding that affected units in the lower floors and the walls of said unit. Specifically, one tenant from the first floor of the building showed pictures of mold on the wall of their unit.
Another concern brought up by the tenants was phone calls they received from management regarding rent payments that were already paid, or asking that tenants pay a higher rent amount. Some tenants even claimed that the landlord would charge late fees on the rent that was owed, despite this contravening laws in the Ontario Residential Tenancies Act (RTA). Tenant organizers told The Leveller that the tenants who made these claims were racialized, students, or both.
A problem shared by all tenants at the meeting was construction noise that occurred during days, nights and weekends, which has been ongoing for years. In the demand letter written by tenants, they stated that construction began in November 2023, beginning with renovations of units then common areas. However, since August 2025, the construction had only expanded and now occurred, according to tenants, outside the standard week day time period.
“We will conduct a review of all fees that have been charged to tenants at 550 Wilbrod. Our intention has always been to enforce and collect fees that are allowed for by the RTA.” – 550 Wilbrod St. Management
For tenants, the construction had also created safety issues within the building. “Different men come in at all times to the building. There is no indication given that they are working for construction in the building,” said Carol. “There are children, students, and people living in this building. There’s no safety. Management does not care that we don’t feel safe.”
Tenants at the meeting raised concerns about unsecure entrances to the building, leading to packages and groceries stolen. One tenant indicated that he has had his thousand-dollar bicycle stolen from inside the mailroom of the building.
The issue that all tenants agreed was the most pressing problem was their inability to consistently reach any person working from the management side of the building with their day-to-day maintenance issues. Tenants lacked basic facts about who to even contact.
“We have informed all our contractors to keep the noise to a minimum and only work within working hours… we must mention that all construction sites are susceptible to loud noises.” – 550 Wilbrod St. Management
Who was the actual landlord of this building? Who actually worked in management? And who were tenants actually supposed to contact with all their numerous day-to-day concerns?
Quite early upon moving into the building, tenants said they realized that management will reach out to tenants when it suited them, but often neglect to respond or take action when tenants bring up issues.
The tenants claimed that they face consistent water and heat shut offs, and they are unable to reach management to deal with these pressing concerns. When asked by The Leveller, the landlord replied that “property management implement[s] a strict 24-hour (except in emergencies) written notice policy through email channels. There are no ongoing unauthorized or unannounced shut-offs.”
Tenants state that a problem of communication with management has only been exacerbated since the fire that occurred on June 25, 2025.
After the tenants-only meeting in October, tenants decided to attempt to uncover who their actual landlord was, so they could properly address them in a demand letter to get their problems resolved.
According to Callum*, a tenant that has lived in the building since 2023, he has asked management several times for confirmation of the name of the landlord for 550 Wilbrod Street, but he has never been given an answer.
Callum said during a meeting he had with a purported representative of Harrington Housing, the rep told Callum that the landlord was 211 Ivy Property Management. However, this representative later recanted and said he did not know who the building’s landlord actually was.
On November 6, 2025, another tenants-only meeting was held. Tenants informed The Leveller that at that meeting, they thought Harrington Housing was the corporate landlord of 550 Wilbrod Street. However, they realized that on most leases, Esplanade Shores Property Management is listed as the landlord.
On November 27, 2025, tenants sent an 85-page collective demand letter to the addresses of Esplanade Shores, 211 Ivy Property Management, Harrington Housing, and 550 Wilbrod Street via registered mail.
The Tenants’ Demand Letter
In the demand letter, tenants accused the management of 550 Wilbrod Street of working in contradiction to the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA). For instance, listed under “Harassment and coercion to vacate units – Verbal Eviction” tenants demanded the landlord “cease all harassment and attempts to verbally evict tenants.”
In practice, several tenants have reported to The Leveller that after their first initial lease expired, management pressured tenants to sign an extended lease. This is despite the RTA specifying that tenants are allowed to go on a month-to-month basis, with a maximum yearly rent increase set by the province.
Callum stated that even after he informed management of his decision to go month-to-month, management called him to confirm his move-out date.
One tenant said that they received a rent increase of 10% after being told by management that they needed to sign a new lease once their initial lease expired. This tenant signed a lease extending their stay in the building, stating that they were unaware of the RTA’s provisions.
An email sent by management on February 26, 2026, stated that all “Rent increases are applied only as permitted under provincial guidelines,” and that “Tenants may remain month-to-month after the initial lease term in accordance with the RTA.”
Another issue the tenants brought up in the demand letter was the “Forced movement of tenants to new apartments for renovations (renovictions) with[out] required notice and compensation.” Tenants said that they were effectively being “renovicted” within the building without actually receiving an N13 notice from the Landlord and Tenant Board. Instead, management would repeatedly call tenants and pressure them to move into a different, often smaller unit within the building, with the promise they would be allowed to move back into their unit with their old rent once the renovation was done. However, without proper documentation, the tenants had no way to move back into their previous units after renovations were completed.
In total, the tenants raised 33 issues on their demand letter they wanted management to address.
The Landlord’s Response
On December 1, 2025, tenants received an email reply from the management regarding their demand letter. Management addressed all 33 points that were listed out by the tenants.
Regarding the issue of mold in the building, management claimed that they had initiated testing for mold throughout the common areas in the building. They noted that “[i]nspections are ongoing.” However, management was specific about the complaint they received from one tenant. They wrote “we have tested that unit and the results found no traces of mold.”
Management also advised all tenants to reach out to them if they noticed any sign of mold within their unit, and if tenants had already sent management a request in the past, they “kindly ask [tenants] to resubmit the request and [they] will schedule inspections immediately.”
When The Leveller asked tenants what they thought about this reply, tenants said they would be more willing to trust management’s word had they also included the inspection report of the said mold testing.
In the February 26, 2026, email management sent to the tenants, “Management categorically rejects any suggestion that mold concerns are ignored or concealed.” As for the inspection report, it can “be viewed at the management office by appointment.”
In response to the construction noise in the building, management “sincerely apologized” for the inconvenience this has left tenants. Management wrote “We have informed all our contractors to keep the noise to a minimum and only work within working hours.” However, management also added that “we must mention that all construction sites are susceptible to loud noises.”
In turn tenants joked that they were reminded daily that construction sites indeed contained loud noises. They also pointed out that management had never informed tenants what the approximate end-date was for the construction.
When The Leveller inquired about certifications of substantial performance, publication for current construction projects, or notices for end dates, the landlord responded:
“There was and is no construction project that would require publication of a certification of substantial performance under the Construction Act. In cases where a permit was required, applications were submitted to the City of Ottawa, and once permits were issued, they were posted in the main entrance of the building and in the relevant work areas in accordance with regulatory requirements. Throughout the process, regular written notices and updates have been communicated to tenants regarding the scope, scheduling, and any potential temporary disruptions. All efforts have been made to adhere to the Residential Tenancies Act where applicable, regarding any notification of work.”
On the letter’s issue of “Unsecured Entrances,” management claimed that they had resolved this issue, and that all access points were secured and locked at all times. Management also noted that the “camera system is operational as well.”
However, tenants could not see this reflected in the day-to-day reality of living in the building. As the renovations continued throughout the day, the front door of the building was left wide open for easy access for all persons. Packages are still regularly being stolen. Some tenants have resorted to choosing other addresses, such as a pharmacy, for deliveries.
In the February 26, 2026, email to tenants, management “truly aplogize[d]” and wrote that the “side entrance door issue has been logged, and corrective action is underway.” They also wrote that “the side door will be secured on Friday, February 27, [2026].” As of publication the side entrance door is open.
As for the lack of landlord contact information, management wrote in the December 1, 2025 email that they would “list all the requested information on the notice board including names, contact information, and all other necessary information.” They also promised tenants would be able to meet with management in person, at the office on site in the building, during business hours.
However, in the later February 26 email, management wrote to tenants that “Building staff can be identified through the management office on the 6th floor. Staff identification procedures will be reviewed and improved where necessary…. All the tenants in the building will receive a contact information package with appropriate email channels, and an updated phone line for contact”
As of publication, there is a piece of paper posted on the front entrance with an employee’s name, a phone number, and two email addresses for tenants to contact. One email belongs to Riverflow Management.
Callum said that he tried to call the number listed but received a message that the number was “out of service.” A few seconds later, someone did call him back from the same number. He remains confused by this interaction, but believes that this is the operating practice of management.
“Occasionally there have been first names and sometimes phone numbers of support staff sent out in emails over the months/years, but those never seem to remain correct more than a week or so” said Callum.
On the matter of management pressuring tenants to sign new leases, they specified that “[i]n September [2025], there was a change to our back-end system that resulted in a loss of tenant data. Any communication or request related to resubmitting personal information was exclusively to rebuild our internal database.”
For tenants this did not address the core issues regarding the clarity and consistency of leases. Tenants were quick to point out to The Leveller that they did not trust management’s response. For the tenants, it is more important they see action than words of reassurances that do not match the day-to-day reality of living in the building.
When asked by The Leveller about asking tenants to leave with or without N13 Notices, the landlord responded that they “have not asked any tenants to move with N13 Notices. Several tenants have been asked if they were willing to be relocated to another unit, and only those who voluntarily accepted this request were moved. Where a tenant requires relocation, appropriate compensation and reasonable accommodations are always provided in accordance with the Residential Tenancies Act and applicable regulations.”
Regarding the complaint of additional late fees charged to tenants, management originally replied “[w]e will conduct a review of all fees that have been charged to tenants at 550 Wilbrod. Our intention has always been to enforce and collect fees that are allowed for by the RTA.”
In the later February 26 email from management to tenants, management wrote, “Management complies with Ontario’s Residential Tenancies Act.” Management specifically noted that “Late fees are not charged in contravention of the RTA.”
The Leveller has seen emails sent by Harrington Housing informing tenants that they would receive late fees as of February, 2026.
A Renovicted City
Unfortunately, the experiences described by 550 Wilbrod tenants are not an anomaly. According to Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN)’s 2024 Ontario Renoviction report, the number of N13s filed in Ottawa increased by 545%between 2017 and 2022. In recent years, The Leveller has also reported on several instances of landlords displacing tenants for renovations or failing to address health and safety hazards in Herongate, Sandy Hill, the Golden Triangle, and the Bank Block.
When asked what outcome he hoped for from tenants organizing, Callum said, “I believe that tenants rights as directed by the RTA should be respected. Thus, I think it is important to push building management and landlords to follow the RTA. I hope that we will get the landlord to follow the law. And a big part of that is educating tenants on their rights.”
Carol, however, is not optimistic that the 550 Wilbrod management would change their ways.
“They do not care,” she said. “They will pretend to care now because we are actually doing something together. There are so many people here that are young and scared. Management will just continue to intimidate them. They must be stopped.”
Since the first building meeting, tenants of 550 Wilbrod have created a Whatsapp group chat that now has 50 members. They are continuing to hold regular tenant meetings and still attempting to improve their living conditions collectively.
Editor’s Note: The names of the tenants have been changed to protect their identities.
What a horrible experience for the tenants. It sounds frustrating to deal with or even identify the building management. Well done for highlighting these in this article. Hopefully this yields some results that will make life for the tenants in the building comfortable living.
Slimy behaviour from the management, purposely providing nothing burger answers to evade any real accountability. Hoping that collective action will help change things for the better. Great write up; important to highlight real experiences so we all see how rampant these unethical and predatory landlord practices are.