Issues with Air Quality - Testing Possible?

[ForumUser]

for over 18 months we have been complaining to our landlord about noxious smells coming from the downstairs apt.

I was taken to emergency because of breathing problems and the smells seem to be the cause - the smell of ammonia is overwhelming.

the landlord keeps telling us to b patient, that he is working on it but, it has been 18 months.

is there someone that can test the quality of the air or force the landlord to have a professional cleaning done?

[SettlementOrgMod]

Hello,

Thank you for sharing your situation and question with us.

We can appreciate that you would be concerned about this situation.

You may want to contact the nearest Community Legal Clinic for information regarding this particular situation.

According to the Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation (CERA),

Under Ontario’s Human Rights Code, housing providers have a legal obligation to respond to the needs of tenants with disabilities, such as those suffering from environmental sensitivities. When a resident requests modifications to a building’s structures, policies or practices in order to address particular needs related to a disability, the housing provider will have to do its best to accommodate this request. In the case of a person with environmental sensitivities, this could mean changing to less toxic, unscented cleaning products and establishing new protocols with respect to renovations, maintenance and cleaning, among other things.

Once a resident has established a medical need for some action, the housing provider will need to act on the request promptly, respecting the resident’s need for confidentiality. The housing provider must accommodate the resident’s needs to the point of “undue hardship.” That is, the provider should take the most appropriate action unless it can demonstrate that this action would be clearly unaffordable (taking into consideration available sources of funding) and/or would be an unreasonable health or safety risk. If the “best” solution is not possible, the housing provider will have to investigate other options.

I hope this information is helpful. Please let us know if you have further questions and if there is any follow up to your question/situation.

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Anna
Settlement.Org Content and Information/Referral Specialist, CIRS
Settlement.Org