Newmarket native Alexie Bank has had her life turned upside down in recent weeks.
After giving birth to her daughter, now several weeks old, Bank said she has been on maternity leave from her job as a nurse.
But after preparing a new room for her baby girl, things took a turn for the worse at their Aurora home. The roof of the rental home collapsed onto her daughter’s crib, exposing the black mould right above it.
“Thank God she wasn’t in there. I couldn’t even imagine,” she said. “It wasn’t safe. We grabbed the clothes on our backs and a laundry basket because, instantly, we got sick from the smell. It was just horrid from the black mould.”
Bank is sharing her story of tenancy struggles after she said landlord neglect and tenant insurance loopholes have left her and her family without a home and out about $40,000.
With the dangers black mould poses, Bank said that most of their belongings were contaminated and are essentially garbage. She said they had to leave the home, unable to return, living out of hotel rooms and now with family in Bradford for the time being.
The mould also made the family sick, including Bank, her fiancee and their daughter.
“Everything was basically contaminated from mould spores,” Bank said. “Everything is basically destroyed in the house. We’ve literally lost our lifetime. A lifetime of stuff we’ve gathered … I don’t want to risk bringing it anywhere else.”
The family lived in the home for 2.5 years, and Bank said she told the landlord about the possible roof issues when a roofer noted issues while working next door. But no fix came, and when heavy rain hit the area in July, the roof gave way.
Bank said the landlord has been unresponsive and the damage has prompted her to seek possible legal remedy. The family had tenant insurance, but Bank said they were denied with a clause in the fine print that the damage was from a “persistent leak.”
“This is heartbreaking, really, and I haven’t really had a minute to sit down and even grieve about all the things we lost,” she said. “In this economy, as well, it’s so hard to just rebuild when you’ve been building for 40 years.”
Stonegate Legal Services Professional Corporation, the landlord's legal representation, said its client could not respond at this time as it is a legal matter.
The response led her to ask for help via GoFundMe. She said an independent group of Stouffville mothers then reached out, providing her with necessities for her baby.
“I’m one who hates asking for help. But once the insurance denied us and I’ve been fighting with the insurance, I didn’t know what else to do,” she said, adding that she doesn’t have the words to express her appreciation for the moms group. “When I met her, I just gave her the biggest hug and I cried. Just to know there are still people out there in the world that are still willing to give.”
The family is looking for a new home in the Newmarket area, hoping to stay close to family.
Bank said there is an imbalance in the checks and balances that tenants have to go through versus landlords.
“This has changed us now, and now we’re so worried about taking in any place and trusting people,” she said. “Just be really diligent in your research, I guess … We would pay to get the home inspected if we’re going to move in and be serious about it.”
