THUNDER BAY -- Some seniors living at McKellar Place are worried they could be forced to pay rent twice in January.
Tenants are expected to make the move from McKellar to the new Sister Leila Greco Apartments. The transition of seniors to the 132-bed facility could take one or two months to complete, meaning some McKellar Place residents might be forced to pay rent for the month at both locations.
That worries resident Kay Lacey.
“We have to pay December’s rent but seniors aren’t thinking that January is their last month’s rent,” she said Wednesday. “What I am going after and what (other residents) should be going after is how I am going to be reimbursed. I’m only going to be here for two days. I should almost have my last month’s rent back.”
Lacey pays more than $1,200 a month for rent. That fee covers her dinner as well as regular cleaning and maintenance of her apartment.
She said the rent at the Sister Leila Greco will be nearly the same. While there has been a promise to pro-rate the rent charge at Sister Leila if that happens, Lacey still worries that she could be left with a January rent charge of more than $2,400.
That's a cost the McKellar resident isn't sure she can cover, and she worries the rent situation in January will catch many of her fellow residents off guard.
"Many people have their families running their affairs," she said. "They aren’t dealing with it themselves, but that doesn’t mean they are any less worried. It's just a case of not know what’s going to happen.”
Tracy Buckler, President and CEO St. Joseph's Care Group, said they will try to create a pro-rate for the seniors who are making the transition to the new apartments.
“Say they move on Jan. 3, then they would presumably have to pay a smaller amount at McKellar and then more to our place,” she said.
“On the flip side, if they move to Sister Leila Greco Apartments on the Jan. 29 then we wouldn’t expect them to pay January’s rent. It’s a pro-rating to try to make it fair for these vulnerable seniors who shouldn’t have to pay double rent.”
But there likely will not be a pro-rated rent charge at McKellar Place.
Ahsanul Habib, who owns McKellar Place, said under the agreement with the tenants if someone is living in the apartments they must pay rent in full and there wouldn’t be any reimbursement.
He said he wasn’t aware of what kind of arrangement tenants have with St. Joseph’s Care Group, but would speak with officials to find out what the plan will be.
“I can see their point of view,” he said. “Once they leave they aren’t my tenants. St. Joseph has to talk to them. It doesn’t matter when you leave such as if you leave in the middle of the month, you are responsible for the rent for that month.
"When they go to the other place, they have to pay again. If they are here for seven days, 13 days, or 15 days we don’t do leases like that because I’m not going to rent it out the next day.”
