Quality of Life
Capitalism is constantly selling the myth of the good life whilst making sure it's too expensive for the majority. Particularly where one lives.
Recently - hence posting gap - had problems where I live. It's a tenement; multiple flats in a (locally known as) "stair" within a building with two stairs worth of flats without any onsite oversight. For maintenance the residents pay a "Factor" to keep the building liveable. However there is little in the way of laws/regulation governing factors and they get away with murder. Factors tend to be existing housing companies (corporate landlords) who have been assigned buildings to maintain by the Council. That whole process is bent as an eleven pound note.
Factors, being corporate landlords, have their own building that they maintain with onsite presence; they are usually looked after quite well. The buildings they don't own but have a responsibility for, they just take the money and do THE BARE MINIMUM, usually via underpaid - and therefore very unmotivated - sub-contractors.
The place is in a state of disrepair because it is not maintained properly. Essentially they let it get to a point where a specific job HAS to be done then charge us extra to do that urgent job. They largely insist on Direct Debit payments (meaning they have access to people's bank accounts) and simply TAKE the money.
It is, in short, a legalised Protection Racket.
Of late there have been major security issues with aggressive people in the building who shouldn't be.
It prompted me to write to the Factors and the Council (the four local councillors) with a two page letter delineating the problems with this latest issue, police involvement etc, and the Factors's failings with the Council's complicity. The letter was signed by myself and seven other flat's residents.
Another major problem with the Factors is they make themselves as hard to reach as they can. Ten years ago there were individual contact emails for people working there. They vanished to be replaced by a general e-mail. That vanished to be replaced by a contact form. That vanished completely. All that was left was the call-centre phone number and their snail-mail address. The call centre takes you through a huge, time-consuming litany of garbage before you can even say what the problem is or who you want to talk to (IF they'll put you through to an individual). This is assuming you can get through and aren't on hold for forty-five minutes.
Having no choice, and NEEDING this in writing so they can't say they didn't get it, I hand-delivered the typed letter to their offices on the weekend. There has been no reply. They have my details. Should they choose to phone I will have to decline and say we want anything they have to say in writing.
An added complication is, whilst they don't own the building, they do own four of the flats. I am also their tenant. They could retaliate by simply evicting me. That would be a mistake. I'm in a Tenants Union and they have had run ins with my factor/landlord before. It would cost them dearly in bad publicity as, for a start I would refuse to leave. Then things would get messy.
MEANWHILE, of the four councillors, two were on holiday (AGAIN) and two replied promptly. Both seemed somewhat confused and I had to reply and reiterate parts of the letter in a way careless people could grasp.
We rarely get satisfactory results from Councillors, but having them included in the CC and involved puts the Factors response under scrutiny.
This is all massively stressful. I am not built for conflict, especially any involving a potential eviction struggle. But sometimes one really has zero choice. Myself and my domestic partner cannot AFFORD to move and are effectively trapped here. So, the stress is ongoing and 'on all the time.' Added to which my little gardening gigs are drying up. Just a couple of hours a week now with two different people. Barely any income at all.
I don't feel at all well and am sleeping horribly. I cannot get a Dr's appointment; they keep putting me off.
But I do feel justified and determined and I will not stop. I'm old and sick and I have nothing to lose anymore.
