It's been nearly a year since residents living at a commercial property at 200 Dundas St. S. were served eviction notices by their landlord.
What looks to be an abandoned car dealership on Dundas Street is home to at least nine people who, until early last year, had been unknowingly living there illegally for about four years.
The building – a former used car dealership office and a hair salon – was never meant to house people.
Trevor Armstrong, one of the residents who has been living there since 2021, said the property owner promised to get things up to code, but as the years went by, the place descended further into decay.
"The residence had been sitting for a period of time and was not ready for tenancy at the time of the signing of my lease," said Armstrong.
"Many promises were made by management and the owner, but it's now 2024 and, even after visits from the city and work orders issued in 2023, when I called the city as a last resort, nothing materialized and little or no action was taken."
Over the last year, threats of eviction and the demolition have swirled over the building's tenants like a black cloud.
Armstrong notes he and his fellow tenants are at a breaking point, not knowing how much more they can handle.
"The impact this has caused and continues to cause us borders on cruelty," he said.
"I have paid my rent faithfully on the hopes of keeping a roof over me and my friend's heads. I have had to sell many collectibles I've accumulated just to eat, take care of two pets as well as my own addictions and other situations that arise."
After Armstrong's property standards complaint, the city learned nearly 10 people were living on the property illegally.
This prompted the city to file a letter of contravention, demanding the property owner Khalil Malik and Pureland Investments remove all unauthorized residents as the land was not zoned for residential use and the building was not livable.
Armstong said it's clear that Malik has not followed the city's demands and nothing else will be done about it.
Multiple attempts to reach the property owners Kahlil Malik and Pureland Investments were unanswered
Communications manager for the city, Allison Jones, confirmed to CambridgeToday the city will be taking Malik and Pureland Investments to court over the failure to comply with the property standards order and for a zoning offence for using the lands for something not permitted.
According to Waterloo Region Provincial Offences Courts, the city and Malik will go before a judge on Sept. 11.
The building shows clear signs of the past businesses as units are without front doors, front counters are in people's "bedrooms" and one unit even has a sink left over from the hair salon right in the middle of what that tenant now calls his living room.
The people living here have nowhere else to go and are now fighting to secure the right to stay at this location after the landlord renovates and makes it habitable, or can secure other tenancy elsewhere.
"The people here, including myself, have nowhere," said William Ouillette, another tenant of five years. "Most of us are on disability or Ontario Works and can't afford anywhere else."
Ouillette suffers from severe hearing loss and is unable to work. He notes that if he is forced to leave, he will end up on the streets.
The tenants say they are tired of city officials and the property management failing them. Multiple tenants have opened up a file with the Waterloo Region Community Legal Services (WRCLS) to fight for their right to safe housing.
Pataida Mzite, a paralegal with WRCLS said she could not speak to the specific case, but spoke to what could happen in a similar instance.
She said that if found guilty of renting out a commercial property for residential use, the owner could face fines, evictions and even imprisonment.
"Every municipality will have their own rules and circumstances, but if there is a clear case of fraud, that could be a whole different issue," said Mzite, offering her opinion.
In a previous interview with Malik, he confirmed to CambridgeToday that he rented the building for residential use knowing it's not zoned appropriately.
It's still unclear whether the building meets building and fire code requirements.
The plan for Malik after acquiring the building was always to demolish it and build a 40-unit mixed use apartment on the property. He thought in the meantime, while they wait for approvals on the site plan and demolition permits, he would illegally rent out the rooms for cheap to make some quick cash.
He let his contractor who he identified as "Frank," stay there and bring in other people to help pay off the mortgage.
"But we knew that four years, it's gonna take time and we give this place to him. We said, that's okay you can do whatever, you're contracting people, they can live over here, if you want," said Malik.
Armstrong and the other tenants are living life as if they're staying, but know they will have to eventually leave due to the condition of the building.
"It feels like it's going to be impossible to find a new place, especially with the crazy prices of rent," said Ouillette. "Where do they expect us to go without any help?"
