Repair and maintenance costs for Chatham-Kent’s public housing portfolio have climbed sharply over the past three years, with a major fire at one apartment complex driving a massive spike in emergency spending in 2025, according to a report going to council.
The information report from Robert Pollock, director of Parks, Recreation and Facilities, was prepared in response to a council motion in April asking for a breakdown of housing repair and maintenance costs over the past three years, separating routine upkeep from major repairs, tenant-caused damage and emergency work.
The municipality owns and operates 753 public housing units across several communities, including 473 adult units, 112 senior units and 168 family units, with an average building age of 45 years and about 80 units turning over annually. The report says more tenants entering community housing are facing complex challenges, including mental health concerns and addictions, contributing to higher turnover and more frequent property damage.
Spending on routine and daily maintenance, which covers day-to-day upkeep such as HVAC servicing, plumbing repairs, painting and grounds work, rose from $1,782,490 in 2023 to $2,324,539 in 2025, consistently exceeding budgeted amounts each year. The report attributes the increase to higher turnover volumes, deteriorated unit conditions at vacancy, rising material and labour costs, and higher winter maintenance and pest control expenses, the latter up about $25,000. It notes that 2025 also saw 14 additional unit turnovers at 99 McNaughton Avenue tied to tenants being relocated after a fire there, separate from turnovers directly caused by the blaze.
Spending on lifecycle and major repairs, which includes big-ticket items such as HVAC systems, elevators and roofing, actually fell over the same period, from $1,148,707 in 2023 to $332,961 in 2025.
Costs tied to deliberate damage and tenant neglect, which the municipality can recover from tenants under the Residential Tenancies Act where permitted, totalled $647,623 in 2023, $773,953 in 2024 and $581,783 in 2025. Actual recoveries from tenants over that period were $18,898, $111,251 and $38,570, respectively.
The starkest increase came in emergency repairs, which jumped from $97,108 in 2024 to $6,599,782 in 2025. The report says the bulk of that spending stemmed from the major fire at the 99 McNaughton Avenue housing complex, with the costs being processed through insurance.
The report concludes that aging buildings combined with more complex tenant-related challenges have increased wear and tear on units, adding pressure to housing operating budgets.
