WATCH: In Saanich, the Shire condo building is not ready for occupancy, leaving owners out in the cold. Mary Griffin reports.
Realtor Shane King was checking the door on Friday. His client, Julie Hutchins, is supposed to be moving into her condo. But they were locked out.
“We showed up here about 15 minutes ago. A moving truck is on the way. We plan on moving into the condo at six o’clock this evening,” King said. “Only to find the gate behind us is locked.”
The Shire is a three-building condo complex in Saanich located at 1016 Inverness. The first building is supposed to be ready for owners to move in.
“We had information that we were able to move in today. There was a schedule. And we get here and we’re not able to move in,” Hutchins said on Friday. “It’s very frustrating.”
The developer, Jim McLaren, originally intended to have the building ready June 30. But that didn’t happen. Then on Wednesday, King and Hutchins got the word that the building was ready.
But the District of Saanich has not issued an occupancy permit to the developer, so no one can move in.
“Being the end of the month, trying to book movers was hard enough. So, the cost of storage, and the moving expenses. Now all my stuff has to go back into storage,” Hutchins said. “And there are more costs to that as well.”
Neither the developer or his realtor, Chuck Meagher, have been in touch with the condo owners CHEK News spoke to. One owner, Larry Healy, found out about the situation at the building from CHEK News.
“I’m supposed to move in next Thursday. And now I heard, from you, that they are having problems with occupancy,” Healy said. “Eleven o’clock this morning. I signed the final papers at my lawyer’s office.”
Saanich is not issuing the occupancy permit before next week. Realtor Shane King said that is not acceptable.
“Just a horrible lack of communication. And quite frankly, now my buyer is homeless,” King said.
Leaving these owners on their own to find somewhere else to live.
Mary Griffin
