A Mississauga property management firm overseeing a tower near Hurontario and Burnhamthorpe called us on a Tuesday. A long-tenured tenant had been removed through the LTB process over the summer, and the two-bedroom unit was in Level 3 hoarding condition with a confirmed cigarette-smoke residue issue the corridor had been complaining about for months. The incoming tenant was scheduled to move in on the following Monday.
The Situation
The PM needed the unit cleared, HEPA-decontaminated, odour-remediated and board-report-ready inside five business days. The incoming tenant was a professional couple moving from a downtown Toronto condo and would not accept delays. The board wanted documentation that corridor air quality had been restored. Discretion mattered - the LTB history and the unit number were not supposed to circulate through the building.
We mobilized the next morning. Unmarked white van parked in visitor, crew in plain coveralls in the corridor, full PPE inside. Service elevator booked with the on-site concierge for all four days of the job.
The Scope
Scope landed at $5,200 to $9,500 for a Mississauga condo of this size with Level 3 contents and smoke residue. Final invoice came in at $7,900 after an added half-day for the HVAC coil cleaning the concierge requested. ICD Level 3 classification. Service type: whole-house hoarding cleanup, HEPA decontamination, enzymatic odour treatment, HVAC coil cleaning, hospital-grade surface disinfection.
Timeline: 3 full days inside the unit, plus a half-day for HVAC and verification. Day one for assessment, bulk removal and corridor containment. Day two for sort, dispose and the first HEPA cycle. Day three for deep cleaning, odour treatment and HVAC. Half-day Thursday for ATP verification and board documentation.
The Process
- Day 1 - Containment and bulk removal. HEPA negative-air set at the unit door so no air pushed into the corridor. Bulk hoarded contents removed in sealed bags. Service elevator bookings coordinated with concierge so no residents shared the lift.
- Day 2 - Sort, dispose, HEPA cycle. Keep items (framed photos, documents, two tenant personal items the LTB order allowed) catalogued and stored for pickup. Everything else manifested for licensed-carrier disposal. First HEPA negative-air cycle ran 24 hours.
- Day 3 - Deep clean and odour treatment. Enzymatic treatment on all porous surfaces. Walls washed with trisodium phosphate to pull the smoke residue. Sealed with primer where needed. Hydroxyl generator ran overnight.
- Day 4 (half) - HVAC and verification. HVAC coil and return cleaned, filter replaced. ATP surface verification on counters, bath fixtures and door hardware. Final walkthrough with the PM and the concierge supervisor.
Written workmanship warranty, WSIB registered, $2M CGL, IICRC S540 certified. Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 629 reporting standards followed on the written decontamination report.
The Outcome
Unit ready for the incoming tenant on Monday morning. The PM did a joint walkthrough with the new tenants on Monday afternoon - zero deficiencies raised, zero concerns about smell. The board received the decontamination report and the ATP verification file for their records. Corridor complaints stopped by the Thursday handoff. The PM firm has since routed three additional LTB-transition unit cleanouts in the same tower to us.
For a PM firm, the real value is the board documentation - a written report that holds up when a resident asks what was done, when and by whom. Toronto Municipal Code 629 compliance language is included on every PM-tier job.
