In Parkdale’s red-hot rental market, four units in a seven-unit residential building at King Street West and Cowan Avenue sit empty.And they’ve been vacant for months — collateral in a dispute between tenants who don’t want to leave and a landlord who wants to renovate.The building is owned by Paval Kanagathurai, who according to property records, purchased it in August 2017 for $2.85 million. Three remaining tenants — occupying a two-bedroom and two bachelors — have received notice to end their tenancies, so the landlord can begin major renovations.The tenants told the Star they don’t intend to leave.Kanagathurai showed the Star the ground level and basement of the building, pointing out things he called unsafe — rotting pipes, cables to nowhere, wet walls. Repairmen and pest control were present when the Star visited, and construction and repairs are underway.He declined to speak further, while his tenants have been adamant about their determination to stay. “I don’t want to leave,” said Brandon Kennedy, who’s lived in the building for three years. “Right now we are organizing together and we’ve already held one demonstration against the landlord.”On Oct. 13, the tenants delivered a letter to their landlord’s store, stating that they don’t plan to vacate by the requested date of Dec. 31.Kennedy occupies a two-bedroom unit, but signed a lease for only one of the rooms. He pays $575 a month in rent. The occupants of two bachelor apartments, Phil Mac Innis and Kelly Goldfeder, pay $700 and $750 each a month, respectively. All utilities, except internet and cable, are included.Goldfeder said her unit’s heat didn’t turn on until March, and she’s encountered mice and roaches.The tenants live on the upper two stories of the building. The ground floor is commercial, and tenants say a restaurant is being constructed there.Toronto realtor April William ...
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