Tenants file claims over unsafe living conditions at notorious Toronto apartment

Residents of one of Toronto's most notorious apartment buildings have filed two multi-tenant applications at the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB), following years of maintenance issues and pest infestations. 

Tenants of 500 Dawes Rd. in East York are seeking rent refunds and action against the building's landlord, Carolyn Kreb, citing years of neglect and unsafe conditions. 

For years, tenants say the building has been consistently deteriorating, with reports of crumbling balconies, water-damaged ceilings, rodent infestations, and ongoing maintenance issues that have gone unaddressed. 

Mayor Olivia Chow toured the apartment back in July, and heard from tenants who noted the building's water-damaged walls, out-of-service elevator, and rusted balcony guards. 

1/ TODAY:

Tenants at 500 Dawes Rd will be holding a brief press conference at 12pm to announce the filing of two multi-tenant applications at the Landlord & Tenant Board

500 Dawes is considered among the most poorly maintained apartment buildings in Toronto#TOPOLI pic.twitter.com/QtwqWqdvXH

— Dawes Road Tenants' Association (@DawesTenantsTO) December 18, 2025

Now, with legal support, tenants are pushing forward to see rent refunds despite the potential wait of up to a year before their case is heard, thanks to backlogs at the LTB. The Dawes Road Tenants' Association formally announced the applications at a press conference held on Thursday, with members and staff from Toronto ACORN and former City Councillor for Beaches—East York, Janet Davis, in attendance. 

"There are 84 orders outstanding with thousands of violations contained within those orders," Davis said. Since 2014, Kreb has received dozens of violation notices, and Mayor Chow has pledged to use the city's remedial powers, which allow contractors to fix dangerous conditions with costs added to the landlord's property taxes. Still, officials haven't used this tool since 2021. 

Under the city's RentSafeTO program, which requires landlords of larger buildings to register and pay a fee, 500 Dawes Rd. has a current building evaluation score of 34 per cent, which is far below neighbouring properties in the community. 

The building's reactive score currently sits at -17 per cent, which includes any confirmed notices of violation, orders to comply, and emergency orders issued starting from Jan. 1, 2024. Buildings that receive an order to comply or notice of violation have their score reduced by 1 per cent for a minimum of 30 days.