Charlene Scott
1/5
This company is horrific to deal with. After 8 years of renting a beautiful unit with GREM, there has been sharp decline in their customer support or responsiveness. Unfortunately, GREM operates under the assumption that their average tenant isn't proficient with governing laws- and they get away with it often.
2 years ago my neighbour unintentionally broke her glass stovetop. Under the Landlord Tenant Act, she was responsible for replacing it with the exact same model, or equivalent from the year produced. The serial number from the stove showed that it was from 2004. She didn't know her rights and they told her she could pay for half of the replacement of a brand new version + an admin fee, which was a ridiculous amount. While she was looking at her legal options, they proceeded to serve her with eviction notices until she caved. She paid close to 1600, which was hundreds more than owed because they took advantage of her not knowing her rights.
We did not have snow removal during the winter before last (2023) and part of last winter (2024). I filed a report with the Landlord Tenant Board, which takes months to process. Once GREM received notice in July, they reached out and asked me to withdraw as things were better than the winter prior. They had no problem calling, emailing etc- anything to get me to remove my complaint. During our conversations I had mentioned that my previous calls had been ignored, which led to me filing a report They seemed genuinely apologetic and I removed my case however.....
In the time since, the parking gate to our property was broken for over 8 months. They had minimal interest in this once I confirmed I rescinded my complaint about the snow removal. We had issues with rainbow park inhabitants going through our trash, hiding beside our vehicles, threatening us when we asked them to leave. I put up a motion censored light for safety, it was stolen We were consistently told that there were contractors who were going to look into it. Once I mentioned that I had filed another complaint as the timeline to address this was unacceptable, they became hostile and even sent an email blaming us for the gate being broken. Please note that the Landlord Tenant Act governs that GREM was responsible for fixing this- unfortunately they didn't care and assumed we wouldn't know our rights as tenants.
There are much needed repairs being done to the exterior of the building. Of course as tenants we aren't told when the contractors will be showing up- a day here and there, and we are blocked in to our parking area with workers around our vehicles. No heads up the day prior, etc. No worries, I have filed yet another complaint with the LTB as it is not legal to block your tenants and/or their vehicles in.
Over the years we've expressed concerns about fire safety and have been ignored. Someone has even fallen through one of the decrepit deck stairs. Ignored! They often send emails that they are coming to do inspections, and we make plans to ensure our pets aren't in the way- then they do not show up! I work from home and have noted this on 4 occasions over the past 2 years. Twice they've said Sentry is coming for an annual inspection and I've had to remind them that it happened a month prior- no response of course!
If you rent with this company, just know that they anticipate you will not know your rights as a tenant. In a passing conversation with a friend who works as legal aid, they mentioned that GREM is well known for trying to blur the line and that more of their tenants should speak up about it. Often this affects people who need housing and are afraid to speak up for fear of retaliation. If you choose to rent with this company, just know that they are predatory and will try to take advantage of you- make sure you know your rights inside and out.
