At least 31 tenants of a new Langford development are sleeping in a hotel this week after a developer failed to obtain an occupancy permit in time for a Sept. 1 move-in date.
The Hedstrom House is a 119-unit, pet-friendly, wood-frame luxury apartment building located at 1060 Goldstream Ave. The building was advertised for a first wave of move-ins on Sept. 1, but according to the developer, a technical information request from the City of Langford threw a wrench in those plans and left the occupants of 31 units without a place to stay.
The City of Langford says the request for occupancy was submitted without proper documents.
While an in-person inspection went ahead on Aug.31, full and complete documentation wasn’t submitted until the end of the day on Sept.2, according to a city spokesperson. The documentation now in, the city anticipates being in a position to issue phase 1 of the occupancy permit.
Lauren Clemens, head of corporate affairs for Ironclad Developments Inc., says the residents were moved into a nearby hotel while their belongings were stored at the apartment building.
READ ALSO: Proposal moving forward for 73-acre land parcel development in Langford
“We’ve notified the impacted tenants, provided and paid for hotel accommodations and storage and we’ve also provided a per diem,” she said. “Nobody will be charged rent for days they weren’t in the unit.”
Clemens maintains the situation was unprecedented for the company, which has been developing properties since 2014.
“That [information] request is being dealt with right now. We’re very confident that it will be resolved quickly,” she said, adding in an email that the company is committed to the safety of all tenants.
“Accordingly, we have and will not move any tenants into the building until such time as the legally required permit is issued by the city.”
Construction on the building was also set back by COVID-19, according to Clemens.
“We kept our site operational but we did accommodate anyone who needed to quarantine. That was a factor that came into play.”
Ironclad Developments is also behind a second development in Langford and two multi-unit developments under construction in Victoria.
READ ALSO: Residents to start moving into first of 100 new affordable homes in Langford
Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email: nina.grossman@blackpress.ca. Follow us on Instagram. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.