A day of rumours and mixed messages ended with some students allowed to start moving into apartments at Icon Waterloo, while others remained unsure when they’d be let in.
When the day began Friday, the apartments at Phillip and Columbia streets had yet to be declared safe for occupancy by the City of Waterloo.
Despite that, students started showing up with their belongings, saying they’d received emails telling them they could start moving in on Friday.
By 2:45 p.m., the city issued an occupancy permit for one of the building’s two towers.
Ashley Pestrak was among the students allowed into her unit after that. She said some furniture was missing, and there was no access to her balcony.
As of Friday evening, other students were still without move-in dates, other than being told their units wouldn’t be ready for the weekend.
While Icon representatives have directed some tenants to hotels until their units are ready, some students were told Friday morning that the only remaining hotel options are in Cambridge and Guelph.
Not all students have been staying in hotels. Some have found bed or couch space with friends. Others have been staying in their home communities, either driving into Waterloo for classes or in some cases missing their first few days of school.
With reporting by Abigail Bimman
