Third summer of A/C problems frustrates London highrise tenants

Property manager says the cooling system is back at full capacity, but tenants want a permanent fix.

The central air-conditioning system at a south London apartment tower is back at full capacity, its property manager says, but tenants frustrated by three summers of breakdowns want clearer answers and a lasting repair. Residents gathered on Saturday in the first-floor lounge at 905 Southdale Rd. W., known as Pomeroy Place, to discuss the building’s cooling system and plan their next steps.

“I want to be given the transparency to make a decision about where I live,” said Jane Martin, who co-founded a tenants association with other frustrated residents. “We need information.” Built about a decade ago, Pomeroy Place is a modern south London rental complex with 16-storey towers near Southdale and Wonderland roads.

Martin said suite temperatures had reached their thermostat settings when she was interviewed, but the hallways and stairwells remained warm. Residents at the meeting said air conditioning in the building’s common areas has not operated normally, or has been far less noticeable, since 2024. “If there are repairs, my belief is that it’s not being fixed, it’s being Band-Aided,” Martin said.

Old Oak Properties said the system at 905 Southdale was not operating at full capacity until July 8. A compressor-related component supporting the building’s chiller failed shortly after the cooling system was started for the season, but the repair was completed that morning, the company said. “We understand the frustration caused by these recurring issues,” said Tracy Norman, Old Oak’s director of property management.

Norman said the hallways may also feel warmer than usual as Humidex values climb above 40. Cool air is still being circulated through the building’s hallways and common areas, she said. The temperature in London reached 35.2 C on Tuesday, while the Humidex topped 40 by noon.

The system at neighbouring 885 Southdale was operating below full capacity. Norman said a specialized replacement part had shipped and a contractor would install and test it after its expected arrival this week. “It keeps going out,” said Paul Muncaster, a semi-retired resident who has lived in the building since it opened.

Muncaster said the problems have continued for three summers. In July 2024, he said he returned from hip-replacement surgery to a suite above 30 C and spent weeks sleeping on a mattress beside a portable air conditioner. “It’s just one story after another,” Muncaster said of the explanations residents have received about delayed parts and repairs.

Tenants also question a centrally controlled thermostat range that prevents settings below 20 C. Old Oak said the restriction supports energy efficiency and protects pipes during heating season. Individual thermostats are not remotely adjusted within that range, Norman said. Residents said the cooling problems returned in 2025.

When the building switched from heating to cooling in May 2026, Muncaster said the hallways remained warm and suites initially received little relief. Old Oak told The Free Press in June that a technician was expected to attend and the cooling system would be operating by the end of that week. Norman said a different compressor-related component failed shortly after the chiller was restarted.

That repair has since been completed. “Enough’s enough,” said Sharlene Dobson, a co-founder of the tenants association. Dobson said the group, which has drawn about 50 residents, is collecting records and may file maintenance applications with Ontario’s Landlord and Tenant Board.

“We’re all paying for something that we haven’t received,” she said. Ontario does not classify air conditioning as a vital service, though cooling promised in a lease may still form part of a landlord’s maintenance obligations. The dispute comes as tenant advocacy group ACORN stages a July 15 “Beat the Heat” action at London Hydro headquarters, one of 11 events across Canada calling for maximum-temperature bylaws, free air conditioners for low-income and heat-vulnerable tenants, and building retrofits.

ACORN says British Columbia has distributed 8,000 free units through a provincial program, while Ontario has no comparable initiative.